Senior Director, Managing Partner Transitions

Northwestern Mutual; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 144,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work schedules

Concierge service

Comprehensive benefits

Employee resource groups

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual is seeking a Senior Director, Managing Partner Transitions to guide financial strategy for leadership changes across the field organization. You will lead the financial planning, capitalization, and governance-driven decision support for Managing Partner appointments, office transitions, and strategic changes.

You will partner with executives, finance, legal, tax, and field stakeholders to structure sound financial arrangements and ensure successful transitions while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, economics, or related field; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in finance, business strategy, consulting, corporate development, operations, investment analysis, or related.
• Experience leading complex initiatives (M&A, ownership transitions, organizational transformations).
• Advanced financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, and scenario analysis capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end financial strategy for Managing Partner appointments, office capitalization, and leadership transitions.
• Assess office capital needs, funding structures, liquidity, and long-term sustainability; develop capitalization recommendations.
• Lead financial analysis and transaction support for mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, ownership changes, and other transitions.
• Partner with leadership candidates to evaluate opportunities and prepare for ownership and operating responsibilities.
• Develop and present clear, decision-ready financial recommendations to senior governance committees and executives.

Skills

Visual storytelling

Data analytics

Storytelling through data

Learning agility

Financial forecasting

Cross-functional partnering

Financial acumen

Interpersonal savvy

Client engagement

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Decision making

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance/ business

MBA or advanced degree preferred

Job description

Help shape the future of field leadership and business growth

Join a highly visible team that guides complex leadership transitions and helps position local offices for long-term financial success. As Senior Director, Managing Partner Transitions, you will lead the financial strategy and execution behind Managing Partner appointments, office capitalization, ownership transitions, and strategic changes across our field organization.

You will partner with leadership candidates, senior executives, finance and legal partners, and field stakeholders to evaluate opportunities, structure sound financial arrangements, and support successful transitions. This role combines financial strategy, transaction experience, executive influence, and team leadership.

What You'll Do

• Lead the end-to-end financial strategy for Managing Partner appointments, office capitalization, and leadership transitions.
• Assess office capital needs, funding structures, liquidity, and long-term financial sustainability; develop capitalization recommendations that support business continuity and growth.
• Lead financial analysis and transaction support for mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, office splits, territory changes, succession events, and other complex business transitions.
• Partner with leadership candidates to evaluate opportunities, understand the financial outlook of office leadership, and prepare for ownership and operating responsibilities.
• Develop and present clear, decision-ready financial recommendations to senior governance committees and executive stakeholders.
• Structure and negotiate transition-related financial arrangements in partnership with finance, legal, tax, and business leaders.
• Oversee programs supporting outgoing leader retirement obligations and incoming leader appointment and onboarding activities.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on field leadership compensation, financial programs, capitalization, and transition economics.
• Lead and develop a team responsible for financial modeling, projections, due diligence, deal analysis, and transition execution.
• Continuously improve financial models, governance processes, tools, and reporting used to support critical leadership and investment decisions.

What Makes This Role Compelling

• Influence high-impact decisions involving leadership succession, capital deployment, and long-term market growth.
• Partner directly with senior executives, future business leaders, and cross-functional experts.
• Apply M&A, corporate finance, and transaction skills to complex, relationship-driven business situations.
• Lead a talented team and shape the capabilities, tools, and processes that enable successful transitions.
• Gain broad exposure to strategy, finance, operations, governance, and executive decision-making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, economics, or a related field; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in finance, business strategy, consulting, corporate development, operations, investment analysis, transaction advisory, or other roles involving complex financial, strategic, or business decision-making.
• Experience supporting or leading complex business initiatives, such as mergers and acquisitions, ownership transitions, business integrations, organizational transformations, strategic investments, large-scale projects, or other situations requiring cross-functional leadership, financial analysis, and change management.
• Experience assessing and advising on financial and capital-related decisions, including areas such as capitalization needs, capital allocation, funding strategies, financial planning, cash flow and liquidity management, investment evaluation, business case development, or related financial analysis.
• Advanced financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, and scenario analysis capabilities.
• Strong executive communication, negotiation, judgment, and relationship-management skills.
• Experience leading teams and influencing decisions across complex, cross-functional stakeholder groups.
• Ability to translate complex financial and transaction concepts into clear recommendations for varied audiences.
• Experience in financial services, insurance, distribution, franchise, or other multi-location business models is preferred.

Ready to make an impact?

If you enjoy solving complex business challenges, advising senior leaders, and shaping high-stakes financial decisions, this role offers a distinctive opportunity to influence the future of our field organization.

Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients' interests at the center of all we do.

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start:

$144,000.00

Pay Range - End:

$216,000.00

Geographic Specific Pay Structure:

Structure 110:

$158,400.00 USD - $237,600.00 USD

Structure 115:

$165,600.00 USD - $248,400.00 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

Visual Storytelling (NM) - Advanced, Data Analytics (NM) - Expert, Storytelling through Data (NM) - Expert, Learning Agility & Critical Thinking (NM) - Expert, Financial Forecasting (NM) - Expert, Cross Functional Partnering & Planning (NM) - Expert, Financial Acumen (NM) - Expert, Interpersonal Savvy (NM) - Expert, Customer Centricity (NM) - Expert, Field Advocacy (NM) - Expert, Prioritization (NM) - Expert, Accountability (NM) - Advanced, Emotional Intelligence (NM) - Expert, Analytical Thinking (NM) - Expert, Business Influence (NM) - Advanced, Client Engagement & Influence (NM) - Expert, Behavioral Finance (NM) - Advanced, Root Cause Analysis & Decision Quality (NM) - Expert, Adaptive Communication (NM) - Expert, Financial Modeling (NM) - Expert, Consulting (NM) - Expert

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