Assistant Director Field Experience Competitive Insights

Summary:

At Northwestern Mutual, our vision is to deliver financial security to help our clients live their best lives by choice. A key pillar of our vision and success is our strong, vibrant sales force. The Career Distribution (CD) function is at the forefront of working across the home office and sales force as one team to achieve the sales and growth objectives the company expects, while delivering the experience our distribution needs and deserves.

Reporting to the, Senior Director Field Experience Insights, as the Assistant Director Field Experience Competitive Insights you be accountable for building, maintaining and delivery of the competitive intelligence fact-base for Career Distribution, working directly with leadership (department heads, directors) as they assume the role of outcome managers for prioritized strategic initiatives.

Accountable for facilitation and leadership of financial distribution insights. Provides highest level initiative leadership expertise and consultation in order to meet function and cross-functional goals responsibility for identification and management of interdependencies with cross-departmental partners and coordination with other initiative owners; informing resources on project activities; communication strategy and planning; and leading others in organizational change.

Tracks and communicates status among initiatives, with accountability for overall results of multiple strategic initiatives. Accountability for high level relationship management, while negotiating/influencing to hold others accountable to identifying needs and obtaining resources.

Accountabilities include:  

Provides the highest level of financial services industry expertise, external research and stakeholder consultation in order to meet functional and cross functional goals. Responsibility for leadership on assigned strategic priorities, including direction of competitive intelligence for Career Distribution and identification and management of inter-dependencies with key strategic partners.

Accountable for results of assigned strategic initiatives and creating a single unified project plan to deliver on strategic objectives. Includes defining the project structure into manageable work units, identifying needs and obtaining/allocating resources (people and budget), overall scope, interdependencies, relationship management, communication, methods for monitoring and reporting on status, and organizational change management.

Accountable for development and implementation of overall communication strategy related to competitive intelligence fact-base and related distribution experience insights

Drives organization change consulting and methodology across the function, using accepted industry and company methodology to implement a more prescriptive and proactive approach to how we drive change in distribution and within the function.

Works directly with leadership (VPs, Directors) as they assume the role of outcome managers for priority initiatives, including helping them see what the role is and how it fits into the bigger picture, as well as mitigate any pain points that arise.

Coordinates with an internal community of practice and external partners on high level impact analysis of proposed solutions and synthesizing distribution feedback.

Bring your best! What this role needs:  

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Minimum of eight (8) years’ experience in business processes to include research and data analysis and insights development. Includes a demonstrated ability to gather relevant information systematically; consider a broad range of issues; grasp complexities and perceive relationships among problems.

• Planning / Process management demonstrated ability to scope out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; ability to set objectives and goals. Excellent ability at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done, ability to organize people and activities and understand how to separate and combine tasks into efficient workflow.

• Presentation and consultation skills excellent ability to effectively present information in a variety of formal settings (one-on-one, small and large groups, peers, subordinates and organization leadership).

• Ability to command attention and manage group process during the presentations. Demonstrated ability to change tactics midstream when something isn't working.

• Experience working with sales force/disbursed workforces required.

• Presentation and/or facilitated led training experience required.

• Proven management skills including negotiating, leadership, delegation, planning and organization.

• Experience leading projects or ownership for divisional and cross-functional projects and initiatives.

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This job is not covered by the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Required Certifications:

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We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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