VP, Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) / Relationship Role — BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations

The VP, Suspicious Activity Reporting owns Pathward's end-to-end SAR and CTR filing program and serves as the single accountable relationship owner for external/outsourced review capacity, the “relationship role” that governs the domestic and international consultant workforce engaged to support alert/case review, lookbacks, and surge capacity. This dual mandate exists because inventory reduction depends on external assistance that must be supervised to the same validated standards as internal work: the VP produces the examiner-ready evidence documenting Pathward's reliance on third-party output, while Pathward retains all decisioning authority. The role leads the internal SAR team and manages the escalation of SARs surfaced by external reviewers back into Pathward for filing.

• →Own the SAR and CTR filing program end-to-end: timeliness, quality, continuing-activity monitoring, and FinCEN e-filing accuracy.
• →Lead the internal SAR team (SAR Lead/QA Reviewer and SAR/CTR filing analysts).
• →Serve as relationship owner for external/outsourced reviewers (domestic and international) — the point of accountability for SOW/SLA definition, KPIs, milestone acceptance, and change control.
• →Manage the escalation channel through which consultants surface potential SARs; ensure Pathward independently reviews and retains all filing/decisioning authority.
• →Coordinate least-privilege system access, data-handling, residency, and offboarding controls for domestic and offshore consultant staff.
• →Provide independent QA of consultant output and ensure third-party dispositions meet expectations before reliance.
• →Ensure offshore access and activity comply with OFAC/sanctions, GLBA/privacy, and Information Security policy; maintain examiner-ready artifacts evidencing third-party supervision.
• →Feed consultant throughput and SAR volume into the inventory wind-down reporting; report program performance to the SVP, Deputy BSA Officer and BSA Officer.
• →Interface with Vendor Management, Third-Party Risk, Legal, Privacy, and Information Security for BSA/AML consultant engagements.

• →Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, JD, or Master's) preferred.
• →CAMS required; CFE, CFCS, or CRCM preferred.
• →10+ years of BSA/AML experience, including direct SAR program ownership.
• →5+ years of people leadership, including leadership of investigators or filing teams.
• →Demonstrated experience governing third-party/managed-service or outsourced review engagements, including offshore resources.
• →Experience presenting SAR metrics and program performance to senior leadership, examiners, and the Board.
• →Deep expertise in SAR/CTR filing standards, continuing-activity monitoring, and FinCEN requirements.
• →Vendor/relationship governance: SOW/SLA design, quality assurance, and reliance documentation.
• →Strong grasp of offshore data-residency, GLBA/privacy, InfoSec, and OFAC/sanctions-nexus risk.
• →Ability to evidence Pathward's supervision of outsourced work to an examiner standard.
• →Executive communication and cross-functional leadership across Legal, Privacy, InfoSec, and Vendor Management.

SAR narratives and CTR filings must accurately describe how funds move through each Pathward product, and the external consultants this role governs review activity across the full estate. The VP must hold deep, product-level knowledge of the funds flows, typologies, and party designations across the Bank's seven 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 SAR narratives.
• 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 the VP (and the consultants they oversee) must trace activity back through the program-manager escalation model.

The responsibilities listed above are not all inclusive and may be changed at any time.

Salary range: $125,000– $208,000

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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