Fraud Investigation, Manager

At Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we're committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CFSI, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

The Manager, Fraud Investigations leads the Bank's higher-risk fraud analysis and investigative functions, including oversight of Analysts, Fraud Investigations, Fraud Investigators, and associated Team Leads. This role is responsible for the operational leadership, quality, effectiveness, and strategic development of the Bank's fraud investigations structure and ensures elevated fraud matters are handled consistently, thoroughly, and in alignment with the Bank's risk management expectations. This role oversees the team responsible for complex fraud case analysis, formal investigations, investigative escalations, and higher-risk fraud matters beyond routine prevention activity. The Manager, Fraud Investigations is accountable for team performance, investigative quality, workflow oversight, escalation governance, and the continued evolution of investigative capabilities, procedures, and controls.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the Bank's fraud investigations function, including Fraud Investigation Analysts, Investigators, and Team Leads.
• Oversee daily operations, staffing, workflow prioritization, quality standards, escalation handling, and case management across the higher-risk and investigative fraud teams.
• Ensure elevated fraud matters, investigative referrals, and complex fraud cases are handled timely, thoroughly, and consistently.
• Provide leadership support and direction on major fraud events, sensitive customer matters, complex loss situations, suspicious patterns, and broader institutional risk concerns.
• Establish and reinforce investigative standards for case development, analysis, documentation, quality, and escalation.
• Partner with fraud prevention leadership and other internal teams to ensure appropriate case handoff, issue resolution, and alignment across the broader fraud operating model.
• Monitor investigative trends, case outcomes, losses, root-cause themes, and control opportunities and recommend procedural or strategic improvements.
• Support management reporting, metric development, trend analysis, and executive updates related to fraud investigations activity.
• Coach and develop team leads and staff, including performance management, skill development, succession planning, and organizational capability growth.
• Identify training needs and support the development of a stronger investigative skillset across the department.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Info Security, Legal, Operations, branches, Customer Care, Physical Security, and other business units to support fraud case resolution and broader control effectiveness.
• Support policy, procedure, and workflow design for higher-risk fraud analysis and investigative activity.
• Contribute to strategic fraud program development, organizational design, and investigative capability maturity.
• Maintain awareness of emerging fraud trends, scam developments, organized fraud patterns, and evolving risk across payment and deposit channels.

Education/Training:

• Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Business, Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• 7-12 years of experience in fraud investigations, fraud operations, financial crimes, banking risk, or related financial services work.
• Minimum of 2-4 years of leadership experience, including team management, staff development, or operational oversight.
• Strong background in complex fraud case handling, investigations leadership, and operational management within a bank or financial institution preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience leading fraud investigations or financial crimes investigations function in a financial institution.
• Relevant certifications such as CFE, CAMS, CFCS, or related credentials preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, internal procedures, and legal processes governing fraud investigations and case handling.
• Experience managing, coaching, and supporting workflow oversight, case quality review, employee development, or operational coordination is strongly preferred.
• Experience working across fraud systems, core banking platforms, transaction monitoring tools, case management systems, and related bank technologies preferred.
• Experience with deposit and payment fraud, digital banking risk, scam typologies, and investigative documentation strongly preferred.

Skills:

• Deep knowledge of fraud typologies, investigative practices, payment risk, and complex fraud trends affecting deposit, payment, card, digital banking, and account access channels within a financial institution.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, including performance management, accountability, employee development, succession planning, and leadership coaching.
• Ability to lead the fraud investigations function by balancing investigative quality, fraud risk, customer impact, operational priorities, and broader institutional objectives.
• Strong understanding of fraud risk mitigation, case escalation, investigative governance, and quality standards within a fast-paced, risk-sensitive banking environment.
• Ability to identify trends, losses, control gaps, workflow challenges, and broader opportunities for process improvement and fraud program enhancement.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to oversee multiple priorities, make timely risk-based decisions, and guide the direction of the investigative function.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with employees, business partners, senior leadership, and other key stakeholders.
• Ability to drive consistency, operational effectiveness, and continuous improvement across investigative practices, escalation management, reporting, and team performance.
• Strong understanding of cross-functional partnership and the ability to work effectively with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Operations, Customer Care, Security, and other business partners.
• Sound judgment, professionalism, and discretion in leading sensitive matters, supporting high-impact fraud events, and operating effectively in a complex and evolving fraud environment.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience plus potential for annual merit increase. In addition to your competitive salary, you will be rewarded benefits including: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation, Medical, Vision & Dental insurance, 401K with generous match, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, Banking discounts and the list goes on!

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk or sit. Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to focus.

The Company is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

The Company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability. If you have a physical or mental impairment and would like to request an accommodation with respect to the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department.