Asst Director - Business Lead

Company: Northwestern Mutual
Location: Saint Francis
Posted on: February 15, 2026

Job Description:

If you have a passion, the background and applicable skills for defining future Field experiences, this may just be the opportunity you’ve been looking for! This role is focused on expansion of service & capabilities for comprehensive financial planning for HNW clients. This role requires strong Enterprise and field collaboration with general expertise in financial planning concepts. Primary Duties & Responsibilities Partners with leadership in the development of strategic direction and management of one or more new HNW client solutions. Designs competitive and financially sound new HNW client solutions that increase relevance of NM and NM firms and advisors working with HNW clients Drives end-to-end development and launch of new client solutions across the enterprise using a strong program management approach. Identifies, assesses, and mitigates program risks and issues and removes impediments. Takes accountability for program success. Ensures that new HNW client solution development and rollouts are completed to meet schedule, scope, and budget, by working with cross functional teams to create business requirements, test and align roadmaps to drive the overall experience and solution vision, and communication to drive the solution positioning. Uses expert-level knowledge of program management and business requirements to understand the key business drivers as they relate to the programs. Conduct highly complex analysis to identify scope and nature of program deliverables; programs are intended to solve a department or business need. Establish and manage strategic partnerships with 3rd party partners and NM firms delivering solutions and services; ensure partnership SLA and operating models are effective. Be the business owner of 3rd party HNW client solutions, including end-to-end development, rollout and on-going execution and performance of 3rd party partners. Provides ongoing research and analysis of and planning for future trends, including occupational, demographic, and economic, which may impact the HNW client solutions. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or related field. Advanced degree preferred. Demonstrated knowledge of the overall financial planning core domains for HNW clients. Minimum of 8 years of experience with financial services; experience with Northwestern Mutual (NM) products preferred. Demonstrated experience in researching, designing, developing and rollout of HNW client services/solutions in financial services industry. Proven experience in leading large cross-functional projects in highly ambiguous and fast paced environments. Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct reporting lines, with strong leadership, vision, and team-building skills. Strong organizational and follow-through skills with ability to move others to work within deadlines and prioritize work. Strong communication abilities, capable of motivating diverse audiences and disseminating complex information clearly. Metrics and data analysis skills to develop, monitor and make data driven decisions around design and build efficiency and effectiveness. Strong understanding of and experience interacting with NM field. Compensation Range: Pay Range - Start: $104,090.00 Pay Range - End: $193,310.00 Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 110: $114,520.00 USD - $212,680.00 USD Structure 115: $119,700.00 USD - $222,300.00 USD We believe in fairness and transparency. It’s why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients interests at the center of all we do. Get started now! Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer who welcomes and encourages diversity in the workforce. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.

Keywords: Northwestern Mutual, Elmhurst , Asst Director - Business Lead, Executive , Saint Francis, Illinois