Manager, Complex Investigations Unit, BSA/AML & Sanctions Operations at Pathward Financial

Job description

We are a hybrid, remote-office company dedicated to growing our talent anywhere! We have onsite locations in: Sioux Falls, SD, Phoenix, AZ, Louisville, KY, Troy, MI, Franklin, TN, Easton, PA. 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, Complex Investigations Unit leads a team of investigators responsible for the review, investigation, and resolution of complex and high-risk financial crime matters across AML, Sanctions, and Fraud domains. The role bridges investigative execution and program ownership: the Manager applies the escalation, quality, and documentation frameworks established by the VP, Complex Investigations, and ensures those standards are executed consistently by the Analysts performing the casework. The Manager serves as the day-to-day escalation point for multi-account, multi-entity, and cross-product matters, reviews and challenges SAR decisioning and narratives before final disposition, manages workload assignment and capacity, and develops investigator capability through coaching, calibration, and targeted training. The Manager is accountable for the quality, timeliness, and defensibility of the unit's investigative outputs under OCC, FinCEN, and internal program standards, and escalates novel typologies, systemic issues, and emerging risks to the VP, Complex Investigations. What You Will Do: Complex Investigations & Escalation Management Manage the intake, assignment, and resolution of complex and high-risk investigations across products and customer types, including multi-account, multi-entity, and cross-product matters. Serve as the day-to-day escalation point for urgent or high-severity matters, elevating to the VP, Complex Investigations where senior leadership awareness or immediate action is required. Apply and enforce established escalation and routing criteria, including handling of repeat SAR subjects, continuing activity, and examiner-, audit-, or enforcement-referred matters. Ensure appropriate identification of subjects, activity scope, and risk exposure across the unit's caseload. Identify emerging typologies, thematic issues, and potential control gaps surfaced through casework and escalate with supporting analysis and recommendations. People Leadership & Team Management Directly manage a team of Complex Investigations Analysts; assign work, manage capacity and coverage, and balance inventory against aging and regulatory timeliness requirements. Partner with People & Culture on hiring and staffing for the unit, including requisitions, interviews, and selection. Set performance expectations, conduct 1:1s and performance reviews, and deliver coaching and development plans; address performance issues with timely documentation and escalation. Build team capability through structured onboarding, ongoing coaching, and targeted training on typologies, investigative methods, and narrative quality. Promote a strong control culture, accountability, and adherence to procedures, desktop procedures, and checklists. Investigative Oversight, SAR Quality & Documentation Review and challenge investigative analyses, conclusions, and SAR/no-SAR determinations to confirm they are sound, defensible, and fully documented. Ensure SAR narrati