Director, Business Controls Consumer Lending

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 *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 Director of Business Controls & Quality – Consumer Lending is a senior leader within the first line of defense, responsible for driving a strong risk and control environment while overseeing quality assurance (QA) programs across the consumer lending lifecycle. This role leads a team focused on internal control design, audit/exam readiness, compliance alignment, automated testing, and quality assurance practices. The Director collaborates closely with business, compliance, legal, and technology partners to ensure operations meet regulatory expectations and internal standards while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and control ownership.

What You Will Do:

• Lead a combined Business Controls and Quality Assurance team that manages risk assessments, issue remediation, control testing, and QA routines across Consumer Lending Partners.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive quality assurance strategy, aligned to key regulatory, operational, and customer experience goals; ensure consistent quality review processes and accurate root cause analysis.
• Oversee internal and external exam readiness, acting as the primary point of contact for auditors and regulators and ensuring timely, accurate, and complete responses to inquiries and findings.
• Design and evaluate business controls in collaboration with operations and compliance teams; ensure that all controls are aligned with risk appetite and business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement in QA and control practices, identifying patterns in errors, customer impacts, or emerging risks and translating those into actionable enhancements.
• Lead the implementation of automated control and transactional testing routines, using data and analytics platforms to support proactive monitoring and reduce manual testing.
• Ensure all controls and quality metrics are aligned with regulatory expectations, including those governed by TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, UDAAP, and other consumer protection regulations.
• Support change risk management activities, partnering with compliance and technology teams to assess and implement controls for new products, services, system changes, or policy updates.
• Oversee the execution of Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSA), including documentation of control procedures, risk ratings, test plans, and effectiveness assessments using systems like Archer GRC.
• Report control and quality performance to senior leadership, including audit readiness, testing results, issue tracking, and trends from QA reviews.
• Lead investigations of significant process failures, control breakdowns, or QA findings, providing senior leadership with root cause analysis and remediation recommendations.
• Build and develop a high-performing team, focused on business control, QA, and continuous improvement, while promoting a risk-aware and quality-focused culture.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Will Need:

• 10+ years of experience in consumer lending, risk management, quality assurance, or audit.
• Strong understanding of consumer lending regulations and operational processes.
• Proven success leading business control or QA teams in a complex financial services environment.
• Hands-on experience with QA programs, automated testing, and data analysis tools.
• Deep knowledge of regulatory frameworks (CFPB, OCC, FDIC) and consumer protection laws.
• Effective communicator with experience presenting to senior leadership and regulatory stakeholders
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education and work experience.
• Typically 8+ years with bachelor's or equivalent.
• Data Analysis
• Strategic/Critical Thinking
• Leadership
• Communication S