Sr Business Program Manager

Northwestern Mutual Group; Franklin (WI); On-site; USD 98,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual in Wisconsin seeks a program manager to lead moderately sized, medium complexity programs from initiation through rollout. You will define objectives, manage scope, risk, schedule and budget, and ensure resources are allocated to deliver value across the business.

You will build strong relationships with clients and vendors, track performance with metrics, remove obstacles, and coordinate dependencies across teams to achieve program goals and smooth ongoing execution.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of related experience including project analysis, design, documentation, and project/support management.
• Ability to scope, plan and manage cross-department programs with general direction.
• Experience leading and managing complex assignments and coordinating cross-team dependencies.

Responsibilities

• Independently leads moderately sized, medium complexity programs or portfolios.
• Manages scope, risk, business value, schedule and budget.
• Defines objectives and develops program plans with cross‑functional teams.
• Allocates resources and verifies progress; removes obstacles.
• Drives clarity on objectives, priorities, and measures; reports metrics.

Skills

Program management

Program governance

Stakeholder relationships

Adaptive communication

Prioritization

Risk management

Customer centricity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business / Project Management or related field

Job description

Summary

Provides program management expertise and consultation to business in order to meet department and cross department goals. Responsible for developing, maintaining, and revising program deliverables. Oversees business programs from initiation through rollout and ongoing program management. Accountable for driving programs with medium complexity. Program Management includes managing multiple different projects within a program / portfolio which incorporate multiple larger initiatives and overseeing programs / portfolios and initiatives which are ongoing.

What You’ll Do

Independently leads moderately sized, medium complexity programs or portfolios. Responsible for managing scope, risk, business value, schedule and budget. Assists in defining objectives to be accomplished by the program team and developing the program plan. Manages programs to ensure appropriate allocation of resources according to program objectives, specifications, deliverables, and changes. Drives for clarity on program objectives, priorities, and measures. Takes a broad perspective to identify and recommend solutions for program needs. Develops strong relationships with business clients to manage program delivery expectations and implementation. manages the resources and vendors assigned to program by verifying progress and removing obstacles. Makes connections across teams to drive identification and managing of inter-dependencies. Responsible for gathering and delivering metrics required by the program. Uses data to make successes and challenges visible, and to drive insights and action plans to continually adjust and pursue program goals. Leveraging tools and techniques to enable end-to-end value delivery and the best ongoing rollout and ongoing experience. Builds and maintains strong depth and breadth of industry and company initiatives, products, etc in order to incorporate knowledge in to program objectives. Understands the key business drivers as they relate to the programs. Conduct analysis to identify scope and nature of program deliverables; programs are intended to solve a department or business need.

What You’ll Bring to the Role

Bachelor’s Degree with an emphasis in, Business, Project Management or related field preferred OR a significant amount of directly-related work experience beyond the minimum required for the position Minimum 5 years of related experience to include project analysis, design, documentation, project/support management. Ability to work with general direction to scope, plan and manage cross-department or multi-department programs Demonstrated ability to lead and manage complex assignments. Ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines. Seen as a team player and is supportive of group decisions and ideas. Written and oral communications skills with the ability to build rapport within the company, field and /or outside vendors. High degree of personal initiative and motivation. Degree with a project management emphasis or PMI certification preferred Experience with project methodology through project life cycle phases.

Skills You Have

• Program Management (NM): Ability to oversee larger workstreams, define scope and schedules, and manage resources, risks, and dependencies to deliver successful outcomes.
• Program Governance (NM): Ability to establish processes and structures that clarify decision-making, roles, responsibilities, and program oversight.
• Stakeholder Relationship (NM): Ability to identify stakeholder needs, align expectations, influence decisions, and maintain productive relationships throughout the program.
• Adaptive Communication (NM): Ability to communicate complex information clearly and adapt messaging for technical, nontechnical, and leadership audiences.
• Prioritization (NM): Ability to organize competing work based on importance, urgency, business impact, and alignment with strategic goals.
• Risk Management (NM): Ability to identify, analyze, prioritize, monitor, and communicate risks while helping stakeholders work toward resolution.
• Customer Centricity (NM): Ability to apply a customer-first mindset when designing and improving programs, processes, and services that support business outcomes.

Non-Registered Fingerprinted - FINRA Compensation Range

Pay Range - Start: $98,320.00

Pay Range - End: $147,480.00

Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 110: $108,160.00 USD - $162,240.00 USD

Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 115: $113,040.00 USD - $169,560.00 USD

Other Compensation and Benefits

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.

Company Culture and Locations

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. In a company with such a long and storied history, this may be the most exciting and important time to be a part of Northwestern Mutual as we are growing our digital and tech capabilities and are always on the lookout for bright, tech-savvy candidates.