Financial Crimes Quality Assurance Analyst

We are a hybrid, remote-office company dedicated to growing our talent anywhere!

We have onsite locations in: Sioux Falls, SD, Scottsdale, 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 strong *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 Financial Crimes Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst is responsible for executing within the quality assurance program focused on Second Line of Defense (2LoD) Financial Crimes activities, including oversight, review, challenge, and governance functions across BSA/AML, Sanctions, and Fraud.

This role ensures that 2LoD processes, such as alert oversight, customer risk rating governance, policy interpretation, and escalation decisions, are performed with consistency, accuracy, and in alignment with regulatory expectations and internal standards. The Analyst will assess the effectiveness of 2LoD outputs, provide credible challenge within Compliance, and deliver insights to strengthen oversight and risk management practices.

What You Will Do:

QA Review Execution

Perform detailed QA reviews of 2LoD casework, memos, and decisions to evaluate:
Accuracy and completeness
Appropriateness of risk-based judgments
Alignment with internal standards and regulatory expectations

Evaluate the strong quality of 2LoD oversight, including whether issues are appropriately identified, escalated, and resolved
Identify inconsistencies in decision-making and gaps in challenge or governance

Thematic and Horizontal Reviews

Conduct strong horizontal reviews across 2LoD outputs to identify:
Systemic weaknesses in oversight practices
Trends in ineffective challenge or missed escalation opportunities
Inconsistencies in policy interpretation

Develop insights into emerging risks and control blind spots within 2LoD

Framework and Methodology Development

Assist with the development and maintenance of QA methodologies specific to 2LoD activities, including:
Test scripts tailored to oversight and challenge functions
Defect taxonomy focused on governance, escalation, and decision quality
Scoring frameworks to assess effectiveness of 2LoD outputs

Ensure clear differentiation between strong 1LoD execution errors and 2LoD oversight deficiencies

Issue Management and Reporting

Document QA findings with clear articulation of:
Gaps in 2LoD oversight, challenge, or governance
Root cause and impact on risk management effectiveness

Assign severity ratings based on risk exposure and regulatory implications
Track and validate remediation of identified issues within Compliance

Stakeholder Engagement and Credible Challenge

Provide strong independent challenge within the 2LoD function, ensuring high standards of oversight and accountability
Support regulatory exams by demonstrating the strong effectiveness and rigor of 2LoD oversight and QA practices

Continuous Improvement

Identify opportunities to enhance 2LoD QA through:
Standardization of oversight practices
Enhanced documentation and governance protocols
Use of data analytics to identify anomalies or inconsistencies in 2LoD outputs

What You Will Need:

Required

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Risk Management, or related field
3–7+ years of experience in Financial Crimes (AML, Sanctions, Fraud), with direct experience in:
2LoD Compliance / Financial Crimes oversight, or
Quality Assurance / Testing of Financial Crimes functions

Strong knowledge of:
BSA/AML and sanctions regulatory expectations
2LoD roles and responsibilities within a three lines of defense model
Financial crime risk management frameworks and governance practices

Experience reviewing complex financial crime cases and providing oversight or challenge
Strong analytical and judgment skills

Preferred

CAMS, CFE, CRCM, or similar certifications
Experience with Customer Risk Rating (CRR) or Transaction Monitoring model governance
Experience leveraging strong data analytics or reporting tools in QA

Key Competencies

Strong sense of independence and professional skepticism
Ability to assess quality of judgment and oversight (not just execution)
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to influence and challenge peers within Compliance
Attention to detail with a focus on consistency and governance
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills

Success Metrics

Quality and consistency of 2LoD QA reviews
Identification of meaningful gaps in oversight and challenge
Reduction in repeat QA findings within 2LoD
Timeliness and effectiveness of issue remediation
Positive feedback from regulators and Internal Audit on 2LoD QA program
Demonstrated improvement in 2LoD governance and decision-making quality

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

Salary range: $43,000 – $70,000

left; 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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strong Don’t have everything listed under qualifications? If you’re excited about this role but your strong em experiences don’t match exactly to everything in the posting, we encourage you to apply strong em anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other Pathward roles. Pathward is strong em an equal employment opportunity employer and considers candidates for roles without regard strong em to their race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability or any other category protected by strong em 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 a 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 and Culture Representative by emailing – a careers@pathward.com

Please a click here to view Pathward s Applicant Privacy Notice.

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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