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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 escalate 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.
#LI-Remote
Don’t have everything listed under qualifications? If you’re excited about this role but your experiences don’t match exactly to everything in the posting, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other Pathward roles. Pathward is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers candidates for roles without regard to their race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability or any other category protected by law.
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.
Please click here to learn more about our benefits and review information about our Privacy Policy, Affirmative Action Plan and other notices. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. For assistance completing an application, please contact a Pathward People & Culture Representative by emailing – [email protected]
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Applications will be accepted for a minimum of 3 days after posting, and there is no predetermined date by which applications should be submitted.
Knowingly submitting false information will result in disqualification for consideration of future positions, termination of employment and forfeiture of other rights.
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Criminal Justice, Accounting, or a related field
- Advanced degree or JD
- CAMS certification
- CGSS certification
- 7-10 years of BSA/AML or sanctions experience within a regulated financial institution
- 3+ years of people leadership or program-management experience
- Experience owning OFAC and sanctions programs
- Experience with screening-model governance, including Bridger or a comparable system
- Experience responding to regulatory examinations
- Experience with MRA and issue remediation
- Experience with control documentation
- Deep knowledge of OFAC and sanctions regulations, 314(a), PEP, and screening-model governance
- Strong program-management, documentation, and issues-management skills
- Model-governance and effective-challenge orientation
- Clear written and verbal communication with examiners, audit, and senior leadership
- Ability to collaborate across Sanctions Operations, Program Risk Management, Model Risk, and Internal Audit
- Working knowledge of card issuing, acquiring, digital and faster payments, tax products, consumer lending, commercial finance, commercial deposits, and bank-vs-program-manager BSA/AML frameworks
Pathward Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Pathward and has not been reviewed or approved by Pathward.
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Retirement Support — A dollar‑for‑dollar 401(k) match up to 6% with auto‑enrollment indicates comparatively generous and reliable retirement support. Administration by Principal adds clarity and accessibility.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Competitive PTO with tenure‑based increases, company holidays, Be Well Days, and paid Volunteer Time Off provide a wide range of time‑off options. A Dollars for Doers program and new‑parent leave add further depth to the leave portfolio.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Multiple medical plan choices, an Employee Assistance Program and LifeGuides, and remote‑first practices (including a remote stipend) reflect sustained attention to wellbeing and flexibility. ERGs, matching gifts, and volunteer awards complement the core package.
Pathward Insights
What We Do
At Pathward, expanding financial access is the heart of our business. We work with diverse partners to deliver Banking-as-a-Service and commercial finance solutions for clients and customers that the traditional financial system can’t or won’t fully serve. Together, we are powering financial inclusion for more because we believe in financial inclusion for all
