Manager, Sanctions Program — BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations

Pathward; United States; Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement benefits

Life insurance

Disability benefits

Paid time off

Annual incentive opportunity

Job summary

Pathward is a hybrid, remote-office financial empowerment company with onsite locations across the United States. The Manager, Sanctions Program owns remediation, OFAC governance, and Bridger model oversight, collaborating with Model Risk and Internal Audit to ensure regulatory readiness and strong controls.

The role drives sanctions risk management and program documentation across operations. The position requires CAMS, 7–10 years in BSA/AML or sanctions, and leadership experience to guide risk

Qualifications

• Minimum 7–10 years of BSA/AML or sanctions experience in a regulated financial institution.
• Certified anti-money laundering professional (CAMS) is required; CGSS preferred.
• Demonstrated ownership of OFAC/sanctions programs and screening governance.
• Strong documentation, risk assessment and regulatory examination support skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the sanctions program workbook including remediation commitments and maintenance.
• Lead Bridger screening model governance with documentation and reviews.
• Govern OFAC list updates, country controls, and related filings.
• Lead OFAC risk assessments and support audits and OCC examinations.
• Ensure examiner-ready artifacts and coordinate audit/exam responses.
• Collaborate across Sanctions Operations, Model Risk, and Internal Audit.

Skills

CAMS

CGSS

BSA/AML experience

Sanctions program ownership

Model governance

Leadership experience

Regulatory examination support

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Business/Criminal Justice/Accounting

Tools

Bridger

Job description

We are a hybrid, remote-office company dedicated to growing our talent anywhere!

We have onsite locations in: Sioux Falls, SD, Scottsdale, AZ, Louisville, KY, Troy, MI, Franklin, TN, Easton, PA.

At Pathward, we take tremendous pride in our purpose to create financial inclusion for all™. We are a financial empowerment company that works with innovators to increase financial availability, choice, and opportunity for all. We strive to remove barriers that traditional institutions put in the way of financial access, and promote economic mobility by providing responsible, secure, high quality financial products.

We are a team of problem solvers and innovators who celebrate our differences and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger and well-positioned for success. We celebrate, and embrace, our team members through our *HUMBLE*HUNGRY*SMART approach, and we believe that we are strongest when we embrace the voices of our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we serve.

About the Role

The Manager, Sanctions Program owns the retained sanctions program work that today sits outside the operational screening queue with no dedicated owner. This role is accountable for remediation, OFAC list and watchlist governance, Bridger model ownership and oversight, sanctions risk-assessment support, and examiner-facing program documentation.

What You Will Do

• Own the sanctions program workbook including remediation commitments, program support, and OFAC procedure maintenance.


• Serve as business owner of the Bridger screening model — model documentation, periodic reviews, system and watchlist-file testing, and QA of Bridger errors — in partnership with Model Risk.


• Govern OFAC list updates across all cycles, prohibited-countries secondary review and memos, and blocked-property (ARBP) and FBAR filings.


• Lead OFAC-related risk assessments (BSA / OFAC / MLR) and support Internal Audit, independent testing, and OCC examination activities.


• Maintain examiner-ready program artifacts and evidence of control operation; coordinate responses to sanctions-related audit and exam requests.


• Partner with the Manager, Sanctions Operations to ensure program changes are operationalized without disrupting screening SLAs.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Criminal Justice, Accounting, or related field required; advanced degree or JD preferred.


• CAMS required; CGSS (Certified Global Sanctions Specialist) strongly preferred.


• 7–10 years of BSA/AML or sanctions experience within a regulated financial institution.


• 3+ years of people leadership or program-management experience.


• Demonstrated ownership of OFAC/sanctions programs, screening-model governance (Bridger or comparable), and regulatory examination response.


• Experience with MRA/issue remediation and control documentation.


• Deep knowledge of OFAC/sanctions regulations, 314(a), PEP, and screening-model governance.


• Strong program-management, documentation, and issues-management discipline.


• Model-governance and effective-challenge orientation.


• Clear written and verbal communication with examiners, audit, and senior leadership.


• Collaborative across Sanctions Operations, Program Risk Management, Model Risk, and Internal Audit.

Products & Services Knowledge

Sanctions and OFAC risk attaches to every Pathward product and delivery channel. The Manager, Sanctions Program must understand the Bank's product suite and third-party (program manager, ISO, broker/introducer) delivery models to keep list management, watchlist tuning, and prohibited-country controls aligned to actual exposure. Working knowledge is expected in:

• Card Issuing / Prepaid — reloadable and non-reloadable GPR, payroll, corporate expense/disbursement, gift, government and student-support cards issued directly and through program managers; sanctions screening at onboarding and on an ongoing basis.


• Acquiring — merchant acquiring sponsorship and ATM sponsorship through ISOs and payment facilitators, including prohibited-country and cross-border transaction risk.


• Digital Payments & Faster Payments — remittance/disbursement rails and Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (push/pull), where sender/recipient screening and sanctions-nexus risk are highest.


• Tax Products, Consumer Lending, Commercial Finance, and Commercial Deposits — OFAC screening obligations that Pathward retains as bank of record and depository institution.


• The Bank-vs-Program-Manager BSA/AML framework — Pathward performs OFAC screening and sanctions compliance while program managers elevate potential matches for Bank review and disposition.

The responsibilities listed above are not all inclusive and may be changed at any time.

Salary range: $72,000 – $120,000

The salary range reflects the minimum and maximum target for a new hire in this role. Individual pay within the range will be determined by multiple factors which can include but are not limited to a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your location during the hiring process. Ranges may be modified in the future.

This role is also eligible for an annual performance-based incentive opportunity. Pathward offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees, including health insurance, 401(k) retirement benefits, life insurance, disability benefits, paid time off, and more.

Knowingly submitting false information will result in disqualification for consideration of future positions, termination of employment and forfeiture of other rights.

Who we are

Our commitment to inclusion is woven into our DNA. We believe that we are strongest when we embrace the voices of our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we serve.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, pregnancy, national origin, age (age 40 and over), disability, genetic information, marital status, hair texture or hairstyle, ancestry, service in the uniformed services, protected veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence or any other class protected by federal, state and local laws.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws.

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