Senior Program Officer Jobs in Athens, GA (NOW HIRING)

If you are an experienced compliance professional who enjoys solving problems, building relationships, and making a visible difference, we invite you to explore a career with BankSouth and help strengthen the foundation of a growing community bank.

At BankSouth, compliance is more than checking boxes—it is how we protect our customers, support our employees, and build trust in the communities we serve. We are seeking an experienced Senior Compliance Manager to join our team and help advance a strong, practical, and business-focused Compliance Management System.

Reporting to the Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, this role will serve as a trusted compliance partner to deposit and branch operations, business-unit leaders, and senior management. The ideal candidate is a thoughtful problem-solver who can translate complex regulations into clear, workable processes—and who enjoys collaborating with people across the organization.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact across a broad range of compliance activities, including monitoring and testing, regulatory change management, audit and examination readiness, deposit operations compliance, BSA/AML support, employee education, and merger integration.

What You’ll Do

Serve as a deposit compliance resource

• Act as the primary compliance subject matter expert for deposit and branch operations.
• Review branch procedures, account-opening processes, disclosures, hold placements, and related controls.
• Help ensure compliance with applicable deposit regulations, including Reg CC, Reg DD, and Reg E.
• Partner with Deposit Operations to identify and prevent fraud and enhance the bank’s fraud program.

Monitor, test, and improve

• Conduct or oversee compliance monitoring and testing across business units.
• Identify control gaps and recommend practical corrective actions.
• Follow up on remediation efforts to help ensure issues are resolved timely and effectively.
• Prepare compliance reports and trend information for management, the Board, and committees.

Translate regulatory change into action

• Analyze new and revised laws, regulations, and regulatory guidance.
• Assess their impact on products, systems, procedures, controls, and training.

Support audits, examinations, and committees

• Prepare documentation and responses for internal audits, regulatory examinations, and external reviews.
• Serve as a professional and responsive liaison to auditors and examiners.
• Coordinate materials and regulatory updates for Compliance Committee meetings.

Support BSA/AML activities

• Assist the BSA/AML Officer with daily BSA/AML responsibilities and special projects.
• Work AML system alerts, support audit and examination requests, and help implement corrective action plans.

Lead compliance integration for acquisitions

• Assess regulatory risks and operational impacts.
• Coordinate post-acquisition reviews, monitoring, procedure updates, and action plans.

What We’re Looking For

• At least five years of experience in banking compliance, risk management, audit, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of deposit and branch operations compliance.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or a related field preferred; high school diploma or equivalent required.
• Strong working knowledge of applicable banking regulations, including Reg CC, Reg DD, Reg E, Reg B, Reg Z, BSA/AML, UDAAP, CRA, HMDA, Fair Lending, and GLBA Privacy.
• Understanding of the key elements of an effective Compliance Management System, including policies, monitoring, testing, training, and complaint management.
• Ability to interpret regulatory requirements and turn them into clear operational changes.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, organizational, and project-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with business-unit leaders, senior management, auditors, examiners, and employees at all levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Ability to learn and work with compliance monitoring tools, core banking systems, and regulatory reporting platforms.

Helpful experience

• CRCM, CCBCO, or comparable compliance certification.
• Experience with bank mergers, acquisitions, or post-acquisition integration.
• Experience with core banking system conversions, upgrades, or implementation testing.
• Experience supporting fraud prevention or BSA/AML programs.

Why This Role Matters

In this position, you will have a direct role in helping BankSouth:

• Protect customers and strengthen confidence in our products and services.
• Maintain a responsive and effective compliance program.
• Prepare for audits and regulatory examinations.
• Improve processes and controls across the organization.
• Successfully integrate acquired institutions into the BankSouth family.
• Make compliance clear, practical, and meaningful for employees.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At BankSouth, we take care of our people the way we take care of our customers — with intention and generosity. Here's what you can expect:

• Medical & Dental — On Us: 100% bank-paid employee medical and dental coverage, because your health shouldn't come with a price tag.
• Full Protection, Zero Cost: Short-term disability, long-term disability, term life insurance, and Teladoc virtual care — all 100% bank-paid.
•  Generous PTO & 11 Paid Holidays: Recharge and enjoy time with the people who matter most.
• 401(k) with Company Match: We invest in your future — literally.
• Competitive Pay + Incentives: A compensation program designed to reward your hard work and results.
• Continuous Training & Development: Grow your skills and advance your career with ongoing training and professional development opportunities throughout the year.
• Free Friday Lunches: End the week right — lunch is on us every Friday!

BankSouth is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.