Manager, Sanctions Program — BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations

Pathward, N.A.

4h•$72,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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. Pathward is a hybrid, remote-office company dedicated to growing its 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 HUMBLEHUNGRYSMART approach, and we believe that we are strongest when we embrace the voices of our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we serve.

Requirements

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.
Working knowledge 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.
Working knowledge in Acquiring — merchant acquiring sponsorship and ATM sponsorship through ISOs and payment facilitators, including prohibited-country and cross-border transaction risk.
Working knowledge in Digital Payments & Faster Payments — remittance/disbursement rails and Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (push/pull), where sender/recipient screening and sanctions-nexus risk are highest.
Working knowledge in Tax Products, Consumer Lending, Commercial Finance, and Commercial Deposits — OFAC screening obligations that Pathward retains as bank of record and depository institution.
Working knowledge of The Bank-vs-Program-Manager BSA/AML framework — Pathward performs OFAC screening and sanctions compliance while program managers escalate potential matches for Bank review and disposition.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or JD preferred.
CGSS (Certified Global Sanctions Specialist) strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

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.
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.