Senior Director, Talent Acquisition & Development Planning, Operations & Adoption
Leads team of learning professionals responsible for enterprise compliance, regulatory and product qualification training portfolio along with the strategy and execution of advisor credentialing and professional designations program. Leads the teams responsible for driving overall adoption of Talent Acquisition & Development initiatives across the field including the launch and ongoing execution for NM University. Serves as an integrator for the Talent Acquisition & Development division leadership team to support annual business operational planning and expense management.
What You'll Do
- Leads the operations learning and/or training teams, accountable for a full range of people leader responsibilities to effectively manage a matrixed and direct report team that executes on strategy and deliverables related the learning experience. Accountable for creating the culture and environment for a team that delivers world class learning experiences.
- Identifies and drives functional and department-level learning and performance support needs and capabilities across operations in the home office and field, partnering with cross functional field and home office learning teams by building and maintaining a long-term strategy and executing on it.
- Interfaces with executives, department heads and directors across the home office and field to effectively support the evolving needs of the business.
- Provides leadership and direction in the build out of relevant and timely modular blended learning and performance support solutions to meet the business needs.
- Establishes key performance metrics, monitors and assesses performance and trends relative to baseline and targeted goals. Shares performance progress with key stakeholders in order to continuously monitor progress, assess business impact and enable leaders to make informed decisions about where and how to invest in employee development.
- Collaborates with functional and department leadership to prioritize learning and performance support needs in a continuous learning and improvement environment.
- Ensures the effective performance of all learning assets and balancing delivery modalities within learning solutions through a comprehensive measurement strategy. Champions new learning strategies and solutions and ensures effective implementation, delivery, and quality of learning assets.
- Provides thought leadership on the importance of organizational effectiveness, performance management, talent management, change management and knowledge management initiatives in support of identified strategic objectives.
What You'll Bring to the Role
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Education or a related field or an equivalent combination of professional related work experience.
- Minimum of 8-10 years of progressively responsible work experience to include a minimum of 5-7 years business or learning experience, either within Operations or Technology, with demonstrated ability to identify and drive business goals, objectives and key performance expectations.
- Strategic thinker who is able to balance current challenges and future possibilities and create strategic focus in an actionable manner for the business.
- Demonstrated ability to lead others through change in a fast paced, matrixed organization.
- Strong consulting skills; including the ability to lead, direct, negotiate and influence with and without direct authority at all levels of an organization.
Skills You Have
- Accountability - Holds self and their direct reports accountable for measurable, high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results, delivery, and execution. Determines objectives, sets priorities, delegates work to direct reports, and accepts responsibility for mistakes.
- Change Adaptability - Becomes adaptable in response to continual changes; shows an openness to new ways of working, new methods, work-in-progress improvements and changes and seamlessly navigates the changing business environment and adjusts behavior as appropriate to the situation.
- Business Influence - Collaborates, communicates and influences direct reports, stakeholders, and other business functions based on understanding of the marketplace, organizational needs, and the client as a people manager.
- Cross Functional Partnering & Planning - Facilitates collaboration, communication, coordination, and planning with individuals and teams from different functions within the organization, and who have different areas of expertise, to achieve common goals.
- Interpersonal Savy - Relates well to all kinds of people inside and outside of the organization. Builds appropriate rapport, constructive and effective relationships. Uses diplomacy and tact and diffuses high-tension situations comfortably.
- Learning Agility & Critical Thinking - Pursues learning and obtains knowledge continuously in relevant fields, methods, or technologies in current and future practices; continuously utilizes critical thinking to identify opportunities, execute solutions, and measure impact to constantly improve existing practices and processes based on feedback, lessons learned, and market trends.
Compensation Range:
Pay Range - Start:
$160,000.00
Pay Range - End:
$240,000.00
Geographic Specific Pay Structure:
Structure 110:
Structure 115:
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. The standard pay structure is listed but if you're living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.
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 that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. 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.
Skills
Strategic Vision & Planning (NM), Learning Agility & Critical Thinking (NM), Cross Functional Partnering & Planning (NM), Interpersonal Savvy (NM), Customer Centricity (NM), Field Advocacy (NM), Change Adaptability (NM), Talent Development & Planning (NM), Accountability (NM), Root Cause Analysis & Decision Quality (NM), Adaptive Communication (NM), Domain Expertise (NM), Business Influence (NM), Consulting (NM)
FIND YOUR FUTURE
We're excited about the potential people bring to Northwestern Mutual. You can grow your career here while enjoying first-class perks, benefits, and our commitment to a culture of belonging.
- Flexible work schedules
- Concierge service
- Comprehensive benefits
- Employee resource groups
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Education, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 8–10 years of progressively responsible work experience
- 5–7 years of business or learning experience within Operations or Technology
- Demonstrated ability to identify and drive business goals, objectives, and performance expectations
- Ability to lead others through change in a fast-paced, matrixed organization
- Strong consulting, negotiation, leadership, and influencing skills across organizational levels
Northwestern Mutual Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs feature both a 401(k) and a company‑funded cash balance plan, with materials noting age+service‑based credits and periods when additional employer funding is directed to the pension‑style plan. Vesting timelines are specified for each plan, signaling a long‑term, security‑oriented design.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage spans medical, dental, and vision with Lyra mental‑health support, on‑site Mutual Health Centers in select locations, virtual care options, and fitness reimbursement or on‑site gyms. This breadth positions core health benefits as comprehensive for eligible corporate employees.
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Parental & Family Support — Programs include paid parental leave, caregiving leave, and family‑building supports such as fertility, adoption, and surrogacy assistance. These offerings extend beyond baseline benefits to cover key life stages for families.
Northwestern Mutual Insights
What We Do
You’ll Like It Here At Northwestern Mutual, we believe that our lives and our work matter. And that doing what’s right is good for everyone. We follow through by designing tech that improves the community and cultivating creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere. These guiding principles have allowed our company to grow for more than 160 years. Here, you’ll be with a team who emphasizes integrity and prioritizes security to design experiences that better everyone. You’ll work in cross functional teams to create optimal solutions that are rooted in innovative strategy and thoughtful execution. And you’re provided development tools and opportunities to become a leader all with the support of a collaborative team. You’ll be surrounded in a culture that values innovation and works to always evolve to stay ahead of trends and client needs. We are intentional in seeking out team members who will challenge us. Our employees choose us for the career opportunities, commitment to philanthropy and desire to have a meaningful impact in the lives of our clients. You have career passions and goals. We have ambition and opportunity for you to grow your future in tech. Discover today: https://careers.northwesternmutual.com/
Why Work With Us
We invest in our people. We know careers are about choices, so we provide intentional opportunity. Here you can build creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere and revolutionize traditional processes. As a mutual company, our focus is our people — whether professional development or investments in the community.
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Northwestern Mutual Teams
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We offer a flexible, hybrid approach for our employees . Teams are in the office a few days a week and work from home the others.










