AVP, Program Governance — BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations

We are a hybrid, remote-office company with onsite locations in Sioux Falls, SD; Scottsdale, AZ; Louisville, KY; Troy, MI; Franklin, TN; and Easton, PA. Pathward is a financial empowerment company dedicated to creating financial inclusion for all™ by removing barriers to financial access and promoting economic mobility through responsible, secure, high-quality financial products. We celebrate diverse perspectives and embrace a HUMBLE*HUNGRY*SMART approach to foster innovation and success.

About the Role

The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Program Governance provides centralized governance, vendor and outsourced-review oversight, and operational reporting for Pathward’s BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations. Reporting directly to the SVP, BSA/AML Deputy Officer, the AVP owns vendor relationships, consolidates KRIs/KPIs and backlog reporting, and translates operational metrics into executive and regulatory deliverables. The role also establishes a governance framework to assess and escalate risks from breaches or emerging breaches to KPIs and service levels, ensuring leadership visibility into performance and control health across Alerts, Cases, Quality Control, Complex Investigations, Sanctions, and Merchant Acquiring.

Responsibilities

• Vendor & Outsourced Review Relationship Management
  • Serve as the primary relationship owner for vendors and outsourced/managed-service review providers supporting BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations (domestic and international).
  • Own engagement governance—statements of work, service level agreements, KPIs, milestone acceptance, change control, and escalation—in partnership with Vendor Management, Third-Party Risk, Legal, and Information Security.
  • Oversee onboarding, least-privilege system access, and offboarding for outsourced resources; ensure data-handling, residency, and confidentiality controls are met.
  • Provide oversight of outsourced review quality and throughput, ensuring deliverables meet Pathward procedures and regulatory expectations before reliance; maintain examiner-ready evidence of third-party oversight.
• BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations Reporting — KRIs, KPIs & Backlogs
  • Own the consolidated operational reporting for the vertical, bringing together all KRIs, KPIs, production, throughput, and backlog/inventory metrics into a single source of truth.
  • Maintain and publish recurring KPI/KRI and backlog reporting packages for leadership, committees, and regulators, with consistent definitions across teams.
• Deliverables & Business Management
  • Own a single deliverables calendar for the vertical—regulatory responses, MRA workstream reporting, board and committee materials, offsite packs, and resource models.
  • Manage intake, prioritization, quality control, and on-time delivery of committed deliverables; run the operating cadence that keeps workstreams on track.
  • Act as business manager/chief of staff to the SVP, coordinating leadership meetings, tracking decisions and actions, and reducing day-to-day management load on the SVP.
• Metrics Translation & Executive Reporting
  • Translate raw production, backlog, and productivity data into meaningful narratives and visualizations for leadership, committees, and regulators.
  • Establish and maintain a standard monthly executive reporting pack reconciled to the single source of truth.
  • Ensure reporting is decision-grade and framed to support resourcing, risk, and remediation decisions.
• Governance & KPI Breach Risk Assessment
  • Own the framework for identifying, assessing, and escalating risk arising from breaches—or emerging breaches—to established KPIs, KRIs, and service levels.
  • Define KPI/KRI thresholds, tolerances, and early-warning triggers across each operational vertical, aligned to Board risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
  • Monitor performance against thresholds; identify actual and emerging breaches (e.g., SLA misses, aging inventory, throughput shortfalls, vendor performance gaps) proactively.
  • Assess the risk, root cause, and potential regulatory or control impact of each breach, and assign severity to drive appropriate response.
  • Maintain a documented escalation protocol—who is notified, within what timeframe, and what remediation or compensating controls are required—and track breaches through to resolution.
  • Report breach trends, themes, and remediation status to the SVP and BSA Officer, ensuring leadership has early, accurate visibility into performance and control health.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Risk Management, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Professional certification such as CAMS, PMP, or equivalent preferred.
• 8+ years in BSA/AML, compliance operations, risk governance, or program management within banking or fintech, including people leadership.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendor or outsourced-provider relationships and service levels.
• Proven ability to build KPI/KRI and backlog reporting and translate operational data into executive- and regulator-facing deliverables.
• Working knowledge of transaction monitoring, cases/SARs, and OFAC screening operations and the regulatory environment (OCC).
• Strong governance mindset with the ability to build controls, documentation, and escalation into everyday operations.
• Analytical rigor—turns complex data into clear thresholds, insights, and decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; advanced skills in Excel, PowerPoint, and reporting/BI tools.
• Program leadership—drives outcomes across teams and third parties without direct authority over every contributor.
• Sound judgment under regulatory scrutiny; comfortable engaging senior stakeholders and examiners.

Pay

Salary range: $104,000–$174,000. The range reflects the minimum and maximum target for a new hire in this role. Individual pay within the range will be determined by factors including a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location. This role is also eligible for an annual performance-based incentive opportunity.

Benefits

Pathward offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees, including:

• Health insurance
• 401(k) retirement benefits
• Life insurance
• Disability benefits
• Paid time off