Manager, Sanctions Program — 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 and embrace our team members through our HUMBLE*HUNGRY*SMART approach, valuing unique perspectives to drive success.

About the Role

The Manager, Sanctions Program owns the retained sanctions program work outside the operational screening queue. 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.

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.

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.

Products & Services Knowledge

Sanctions and OFAC risk apply to every Pathward product and delivery channel. The Manager, Sanctions Program must understand the Bank’s product suite and third-party delivery models to align list management, watchlist tuning, and prohibited-country controls with 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 ongoing.
• 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 retained by Pathward 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 escalate potential matches for Bank review and disposition.

Pay

Salary range: $72,000 – $120,000. 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
• And more