Senior Director Product Management, Client Communications

Northwestern Mutual; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 176,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual is seeking a Senior Director of Product Management for Client Communications to shape a multi-year transformation across operations, processes, and technology. You will build and guide a high-performing product organization, set objectives and roadmaps, and drive data-driven product requirements while modernizing legacy systems and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Collaborating with engineering and stakeholders across domains, you will steer AI-enabled development, manage

Qualifications

• Experience leading product organizations in large, matrixed environments.
• Strong technical and AI acumen to assess architecture and data trade-offs.
• Ability to modernize legacy ecosystems while managing migration risk and dependencies.
• Clear communication translating business needs to technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the product organization; recruit top talent and set high performance standards.
• Define objectives, key results, and roadmaps aligned with enterprise strategy.
• Prioritize product requirements using data-driven methods and measurable outcomes.
• Lead modernization of legacy systems with accuracy, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
• Adopt AI-enabled Product Development Lifecycle to improve quality and speed.

Skills

Business Influence

Change Management

Talent Development & Planning

Technical & Digital Acumen

Cross Functional Partnering & Planning

Job description

About the Job The Client Communications organization is responsible for creating, assembling, validating, and delivering all client correspondences, contracts, and documents across digital and print channels. The Senior Director of Product Management, Client Communications will be tasked with developing and executing a multi-year transformation roadmap spanning operations, business processes, and technology. Success in this role will require enterprise-scale execution, strong technical and AI acumen, and the ability to drive meaningful business outcomes.

What You’ll Do Lead and develop the product organization; recruit strong talent, establish high performance standards, and hold every team member accountable. Define objectives, key results, and roadmaps aligned with the enterprise strategy. Prioritize and define product requirements using data-driven methods and measurable business outcomes. Lead legacy modernization while ensuring accuracy, reliability, and regulatory compliance. Adopt the company’s AI-enabled Product Development Lifecycle to improve quality and speed with appropriate controls. Partner closely with the engineering organization and stakeholders across business domains, platforms, operations, legal, and compliance.

What You’ll Bring to the Role Expert ability to drive change in a large, matrixed organization and manage stakeholders across organizational boundaries. Strong technical and AI acumen, with the ability to assess architecture, integration, data, and modernization trade-offs. Demonstrated ability to modernize complex legacy ecosystems and manage dependencies, migration risk, and vendor relationships. Ability to constructively challenge established practices and deliver change across organizational boundaries. Strong developer of talent, setting high standards and holding others accountable to them. Concise and clear communication skills with the ability to translate effectively between business and technical audiences. High adaptability, learning agility, and decisive leadership through ambiguity. Relevant technical education or equivalent demonstrated proficiency preferred.

Skills You Have

• 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.
• Change Management: Acts as an advocate for change as well as identifying gaps/issues that should be addressed to deliver optimal client/field experiences. Leads change management, when driving technology or process improvements, applying relevant change acceleration, risk mitigation, and stakeholder management methodologies and best practices. Analyzes business trends and current state to develop a case for change that aligns with business strategy. Implements plans and strategies to manage organizational and behavioral changes by aligning leaders and engaging impacted stakeholders.
• Talent Development & Planning: Develops direct reports' skills based on organizational objectives, evaluates skill gaps, and manages succession planning to develop more capable direct reports, diverse, strong teams and better organizational performance in an equitable and inclusive manner.
• Technical & Digital Acumen: Leverages knowledge and approaches of digital products and technologies to solve problems, complete tasks and accomplish goals. Demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies.
• 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.

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start: $176,000.00 Pay Range - End: $264,000.00 Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 110: Structure 115:

#LI-Hybrid

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.

At Northwestern Mutual, we believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. These beliefs launched our company over 160 years ago. Today, they're just a few of the reasons why people choose to build careers at Northwestern Mutual.

What started in Milwaukee, WI has grown into 7,000+ home office professionals split across 3 campuses: New York City, Franklin and downtown Milwaukee (HQ) - each one bringing with it its own unique talent and culture.

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.