Practice Management Operations, Senior Specialist

Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC seeks a FINRA-registered principal to evaluate staff incentive compensation plans and ensure compliance with federal, state and product regulations across NM's insurance, investment brokerage and advisory framework.

You will audit plans, balance stakeholder interests, and mentor teams while leading continuous improvement initiatives in a collaborative, compliance-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• FINRA Series 6 & 26 required or obtained within 6 months.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of proven experience in insurance, investment, or financial services industry.
• Compliance and/or contract, licensing, and registration experience and/or knowledge preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office with strong emphasis on Excel proficiency.

Responsibilities

• As a FINRA registered principal, exercise independent decision‑making authority on behalf of NM, NMIS and the Wealth Management Company for the review, approval, and audit of staff compensation incentive plans.
• Formulate recommendations and solutions while balancing competing interests and meeting expectations of Career Advisors, Field Supervision, and Distribution Performance.
• Identify and anticipate issues and conflicts; elevate to law and enterprise stakeholders as needed to resolve issues and move teams forward on a timely basis.
• Conduct audits and collect evidence of payment artifacts in accordance with firm policy and NMIS books & records.
• Educate and train Enterprise stakeholders and supervision team members as needed.
• Lead and/or participate in projects and continuous improvement efforts.

Skills

Attention to detail

Collaborative partnership

Decision making

Policy & procedure management

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor's Degree Preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

About the Job:

Working directly with Advisor Practices/Practice Management, Distribution Performance, Field Leadership and Financial Advisors, you will evaluate short and long‑term staff incentive compensation plans and provide direct feedback and guidance. To support the Career Advisors growth objectives and to reward and retain field talent, play a subject‑matter expert role to support understanding and compliance with federal, state and product regulatory requirements. Identify and address conflicts of interest and align interests to that of the client in keeping with the Enterprise value of “doing the right thing”. Leverage adept skills to interpret NM’s field compensation framework including insurance, investment brokerage and advisory compensation and field management compensation information.

What You’ll Do:

• As a FINRA registered principal, exercise independent decision‑making authority on behalf of NM, NMIS and the Wealth Management Company for the review, approval, and audit of staff compensation incentive plans.
• Formulate recommendations and solutions while balancing competing interests and meeting expectations of Career Advisors, Field Supervision, and Distribution Performance.
• Identify and anticipate issues and conflicts; elevate to law and enterprise stakeholders as needed to resolve issues and move teams forward on a timely basis.
• Conduct audits and collect evidence of payment artifacts in accordance with firm policy and NMIS books & records.
• Assist the local Supervision team in individual case circumstances and collaborate to creatively resolve questions and issues.
• Educate and train Enterprise stakeholders and supervision team members as needed.
• Lead and/or participate in projects and continuous improvement efforts.

What You’ll Bring to the Role:

• Bachelor's Degree Preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• FINRA Series 6 & 26 required or obtained within 6 months.
• Minimum of 3‑5 years of proven experience in insurance, investment, or financial services industry.
• Compliance and/or contract, licensing, and registration experience and/or knowledge preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office with strong emphasis on Excel proficiency.
• Ability to prioritize workload and seek support when appropriate, as well as work within a larger team.
• Sound decision‑making skills with the ability to use a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment to arrive at a conclusion or recommendation.
• Strong critical‑thinking, analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Exercises tact and diplomacy; proven success in establishing effective relationships.
• Individual contribution leadership behavior focus: Solve for the Client; Customer Focus; Play to Win.

Skills You Have:

• Attention to Detail - Focuses on specific details to spot and correct errors in advance of them being found and surpass quality expectations. Performs work with thorough proofreading for presentation, content, accuracy, and overall quality.
• Collaborative Partnership & Planning - Facilitates collaboration, communication, coordination, and planning among individuals and teams with diverse expertise; documents aligned priorities, responsibilities, and shared outcomes.
• Decision Making - Applies judgment by evaluating relevant information against defined criteria; documents risks, priorities, tradeoffs, and expected outcomes; takes timely action; monitors results against established measures; and adjusts the approach based on evidence.
• Policy & Procedure Management - Analyzes current policies and procedures, identifies gaps or areas for improvement, and develops and implements new policies and procedures to address those gaps. Ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards, as well as effectively communicates policies and procedures to employees and stakeholders. Understands the various components of a workflow, identifies bottlenecks, and implements improvements to increase productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations.

This position has been classified as a Registered Representative under NMIS guidelines and requires fingerprinting. Series 26 - FINRA, Series 6 - FINRA

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start:

$65,440.00

Pay Range - End:

$98,160.00

Geographic Specific Pay Structure:

Structure 110:

$72,000.00 USD - $108,000.00 USD

Structure 115:

$75,280.00 USD - $112,920.00 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. 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.

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

Policy & Procedure Management (NM), Decision Making (NM), Collaborative Partnership & Planning (NM), Attention to Detail (NM)