Manager, BSA/AML Operations – Alerts (Alert Operations)

About the Role:

The Manager, Alert Operations is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, execution, and oversight of Pathward’s Suspicious Activity Monitoring (SAM) alert review function within the BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations team, ensuring compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), AML regulations, and OCC supervisory expectations. Reporting to the Vice President, BSA/AML Operations – Alerts, this role provides direct supervision over the review, disposition, and escalation of system-generated and manual alerts arising from SAM-related triggers, and ensures that Pathward maintains a well-governed, risk-based, and sustainable alert monitoring framework. Responsible for supporting and enhancing the organization’s Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance program.

What You Will Do:

Scope of Responsibility

• Provides direct supervision of analysts responsible for SAM alert review, triage, disposition, and escalation activities.
• Manages alerts generated through Actimize and FCRM transaction monitoring systems, including manual referrals.
• Owns day-to-day operational performance across alert volumes, aging, dispositions, and regulatory responsiveness, ensuring adherence to established SLAs and quality standards.
• Serves as a first-line operational leader within the BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations team and Pathward’s Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) Program, partnering closely with the Cases team, Compliance, Technology, Data Analytics, Program Management, and Assurance functions.
• Supports the development, implementation, and maintenance of BSA/AML policies, procedures, desktop procedures, and controls for the alert function.
• Assists in executing components of the BSA/AML program including customer due diligence, sanctions screening, and suspicious activity identification, where applicable.
• Contributes to risk assessments to identify and evaluate BSA/AML risks across products, services, customers, and geographic locations.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Oversight & Alert Review

• Ensure alerts are reviewed, documented, and dispositioned in accordance with Pathward policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain accountability for:
• SAM alert review, triage, and disposition
• Timely escalation of alerts to the Cases team for investigation, including matters requiring Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)
• Timely, complete, and defensible responses to 314(a) information requests and list screening
• Monitor daily queues and workload distribution to ensure alerts remain within SLA and backlogs are proactively managed and escalated.

Team Leadership & Quality

• Lead, coach, and develop analysts, providing direction, feedback, and performance management.
• Perform and oversee quality review of alert dispositions to ensure consistency, completeness, and defensibility.
• Establish and reinforce a culture of accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement across SAM Alert Operations within the BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations team.

Governance, Metrics & Reporting

• Compile and report key risk indicators (KRIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) for management and Board reporting, including alert volumes, aging, and disposition rates; SLA performance and exceptions; escalation-to-case and false-positive trends; staffing capacity and productivity; and emerging typologies.
• Translate operational data into clear, risk-focused narratives aligned with OCC expectations for senior management and Board oversight.

Risk Management & Root Cause Analysis

• Support root cause analysis for operational issues, trends, or findings, including assessment of control effectiveness, identification of control gaps, and recommendation of risk-based remediation actions.
• Ensure remediation activities are sustainable and aligned with Pathward’s enterprise risk management framework.

Technology, Data Analytics & Rule Tuning

• Partner with FCC Program Management, Data Analytics, and Technology Assurance to support tuning and optimization of SAM rules and scenarios, evaluate alert quality and false positives, and ensure rule changes are appropriately governed, tested, and documented.

Policies, Procedures & Talent Development

• Maintain and update SAM alert-related procedures, desktop procedures, checklists, and reference guides to ensure they remain current, accurate, and aligned with regulatory guidance and operational practice.
• Support training, quality assurance, and mentorship for analysts, promoting professional growth and consistent execution.

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s degree required; professional certifications (e.g., CAMS) preferred.
• Solid experience in BSA/AML operations, transaction monitoring, and SAM alert review within a regulated financial institution.
• Demonstrated experience leading or supervising analysts.
• Working knowledge of Actimize, FCRM, and enterprise transaction monitoring systems.
• Strong analytical, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage queues, SLAs, and staff capacity.

Products & Services Knowledge

Alert review, disposition, and escalation require an understanding of how funds move through each Pathward product across the BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations estate. The Manager and their analysts must hold working, product-level knowledge of the funds flows, typologies, and party designations across the Bank’s product categories and its program-manager model, including:

• Card Issuing / Prepaid — GPR, payroll, corporate disbursement, gift, government-benefit and student cards, and the load/spend typologies (structuring, funnel accounts, bust-out) that drive alerts, escalations, and SAR referrals.
• Tax Products (EPS Financial / Refund Advantage) — refund transfers, taxpayer advances (including Emerald Advance®), and tax-office loans, and the IRS/ERO funds flows behind seasonal SAR/CTR volume.
• Acquiring (Merchant & ATM) — merchant/ISO/payment-facilitator activity, transaction laundering, and ATM cash-access typologies.
• Digital Payments & Faster Payments (Visa Direct / Mastercard Send) — push/pull disbursements, P2P, and cross-border rails.
• Consumer Lending, Commercial Finance, and Commercial Deposits — the CTR, continuing-activity, and 314(a) obligations Pathward retains as lender/bank of record and depository institution.
• The Bank-vs-Program-Manager framework — Pathward files all SARs, CTRs, and 314(a) responses, so activity must be traced back through the program-manager escalation model.

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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