Manager, Sanctions Operations – BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations

About the Role:

The Manager, Sanctions Operations provides day-to-day operational leadership of the OFAC, 314(a), and PEP screening queues. The role provides a second review point over disposition quality, and directly addresses sustainability of SLAs.

What You Will Do:

• Manage daily operations of the OFAC, 314(a), and PEP screening queues, holding all three within service standard (OFAC 30 days, 314(a) 14 days, PEP 30 days).
• Supervise the Sanctions Operations Lead and analyst team; allocate workload to eliminate concentration of the escalation queue on a single analyst.
• Provide a second-level review point over screening dispositions and ensure documentation meets the five-element baseline.
• Monitor productivity and SLA metrics; reduce reliance on overtime and weekend working as new analyst capacity onboards.
• Manage the OFAC/314(a)/PEP escalation workflow and route true matches for blocking/reporting.
• Partner with the Manager, Sanctions Program on model changes, list updates, and testing that affect the operational queue.
• Support audit, independent testing, and OCC examination walkthroughs for sanctions operations.

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Criminal Justice, Accounting, or related field required.
• CAMS required; CGSS preferred.
• 5-8 years of BSA/AML or sanctions screening experience.
• 2+ years of people leadership in an operations or screening environment.
• Hands-on experience with OFAC/314(a)/PEP screening platforms (Bridger or comparable) and disposition workflows.
• Track record of holding SLAs and managing high-volume queues.
• Strong operational and queue-management discipline in a high-volume screening environment.
• Working knowledge of OFAC/sanctions regulations, 314(a), and PEP screening.
• People-leadership and workload-balancing skills; ability to remove single points of failure.
• Data-driven approach to SLA, productivity, and quality metrics.
• Clear, audit-ready written communication.

Products & Services Knowledge

Screening dispositions differ by product and by the party’s role in the transaction, so the Manager, Sanctions Operations must know how Pathward’s products generate the alerts their team clears. Working knowledge is expected in:

• Card Issuing / Prepaid – how consumer, corporate-funded, and government/institutional card constructs determine which party is screened, and how the source of funds drives customer vs. non-customer designation.
• Acquiring (Merchant & ATM) – ISO/payment-facilitator and ATM sponsorship activity and the downstream merchant/sub-merchant relationships that generate screening hits.
• Digital Payments & Faster Payments (Visa Direct / Mastercard Send) – real-time push/pull disbursements requiring sender and recipient screening within tight SLAs.
• Tax Products, Consumer Lending, Commercial Finance, and Commercial Deposits – ongoing OFAC screening populations Pathward retains as bank of record / depository institution.
• The escalation model in which program managers refer potential OFAC matches to Pathward for review, blocking, and reporting.

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.

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