Chief Thought Leadership, Creative & AI Content

Northwestern Mutual; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 196,000 - 294,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual seeks a visionary leader to drive enterprise thought leadership, creative and content across brand, marketing, and AI-enabled channels. You will shape the narrative, oversee editorial, and partner with senior leaders to align priorities and elevate the firm’s expertise.

The role demands 15+ years of leadership across thought leadership and content, with strong editorial, storytelling, and strategic communications capabilities.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience spanning thought leadership, content strategy, editorial, brand, marketing, or corporate communications.
• Demonstrated success building differentiated thought leadership platforms and translating complex topics into clear narratives for executive, client, and external audiences.
• Proven ability to lead integrated creative and content portfolios across digital and offline channels while balancing brand stewardship, audience relevance, speed, and business outcomes.
• Experience in financial services, investments, or insurance preferred in a highly regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Define and champion enterprise vision for thought leadership, creative, content, and AI visibility across audiences and channels.
• Set annual strategy, operating plan, investment priorities, resource model, and performance framework.
• Lead development of signature platforms, original research, executive perspectives, and high-impact content.
• Advance visibility and authority in AI-powered discovery environments with high-quality, reusable content.
• Provide executive creative direction across brand storytelling, campaigns, and digital experiences.

Skills

Executive leadership

Thought leadership

Content strategy

Editorial

Creative direction

AI visibility

Stakeholder management

Strategic communications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing/communications

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Northwestern Mutual seeks a visionary leader to drive enterprise thought leadership, creative and content across brand, marketing, and AI-enabled channels. You will shape the narrative, oversee editorial, and partner with senior leaders to align priorities and elevate the firm’s expertise.

The role demands 15+ years of leadership across thought leadership and content, with strong editorial, storytelling, and strategic communications capabilities.