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Northwestern Mutual

Sells life insurance and financial advice

HR Business Partner Senior Director

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/22/2026
$144k - $248.4k
Expert
Bachelor's, Master's
Milwaukee, WI, USA
In Person
People & HRHR Generalist & Employee Relations
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 10 years of human resources experience, including a bachelor's degree in human resources or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible work experience.
  • Experience in workforce planning, change management, organizational design, talent management, performance management, and strategic and operational planning.
  • Ability to collaborate with business leaders to develop, implement, and sustain human resources programs that enable business goals.
  • Consultative, interpersonal, and influencing skills, including the ability to build rapport, coach, and influence at all levels of the organization.
  • Problem-solving, facilitation, and analytical skills.
  • Expertise in organizational design, including guiding others and recommending improvements.
  • Ability to lead change management, identify gaps and issues, and apply change acceleration, risk mitigation, stakeholder management methodologies, and best practices.
  • Expertise in leading through transformation, including coaching others and applying relevant tools, processes, and methods.
  • Ability to identify current and future human resources needs, analyze organizational objectives and talent pools, forecast talent needs, and align organizational structure, people, and resources to strategic objectives.
  • Ability to build expertise in unfamiliar areas and apply business acumen, pattern recognition, and critical thinking across complex talent and organizational challenges.
  • Systems-oriented, business-first mindset; ability to connect issues across organizational boundaries, navigate ambiguity, and influence stakeholders to deliver enterprise value.
Responsibilities
  • Align priorities and work for the Executive Leadership Team member and/or function.
  • Oversee and coordinate strategic human resources work for the Executive Leadership Team member.
  • Bring business and department issues to the human resources department.
  • Lead complex programs across the organization.
  • Lead and guide large-scale organizational transformation efforts, helping leaders navigate change while minimizing disruption and maintaining employee engagement and business performance.
  • Partner with executive leaders to develop and execute change management strategies that build organizational readiness, drive adoption, and sustain desired business outcomes.
  • Ensure effective communication and change leadership throughout the organization during periods of growth or transformation.
  • Partner with Business Leadership Teams to develop organizational and human resources strategies for organizational design, talent management, belonging, and leadership development.
  • Provide strategic consultation to the Executive Leadership Team and its leadership teams on people-related business matters.
  • Align corporate human resources strategy with business strategy to build employee capabilities for business objectives.
  • Provide two-way feedback on business needs to Centers of Excellence and the broader human resources organization.
  • Advise the Department Leadership Team on leadership transitions, mentoring, team effectiveness, performance management, and succession planning.
  • Partner with Human Resources Solutions on day-to-day human resources support and delivery of programs and processes, ensuring business leaders engage that team in departmental work.
  • Consult on escalated issues or issues affecting the department head, including talent acquisition strategy, belonging initiatives, organizational design, talent review and management, workforce planning, engagement, and change management.
  • Liaise with corporate human resources on initiatives and represent the business perspective in human resources design or policy discussions.
Desired Qualifications
  • A master's degree.

About the company

Northwestern Mutual sells life, disability income and long-term care insurance together with investment advice and wealth management to American families and business owners. It is owned by its policyholders rather than shareholders and has paid them dividends for more than 150 consecutive years. Its financial representatives build a full financial plan for each client and then sell the policies, brokerage accounts and managed portfolios that carry it out. The company earns money from insurance premiums, advisory fees and returns on a large bond and mortgage portfolio. It was founded in 1857 in Janesville, Wisconsin, and moved two years later to Milwaukee, where it is based.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Founded

1857

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • The business is earning more: 2025 revenue rose 8.2% to $41.2 billion and operating gain topped $10 billion.
  • It is moving upmarket: Family Office Services, launched September 2026, serves $50 million-plus households with 40+ specialists.
  • Advisor careers are easy to start: it reported a record 3,400+ financial representative recruits in February 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Advisor recruits are not employees: its financial representatives work as independent contractors, a status courts have upheld.
  • Its workplace faces a federal DEI probe: a judge ordered diversity data handed to the EEOC in July 2026.
  • Profits ride on markets: the company credited 2025 record results mainly to extraordinary investment performance.

What makes Northwestern Mutual unique

  • Northwestern Mutual sells more individual life and disability income insurance directly than any US rival.
  • Its balance sheet is rated top-tier: 2026 marks 35 straight years with the highest grades from all four agencies.
  • It doubles as a major brokerage: it has ranked among the top 10 independent broker-dealers for over a decade.

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Benefits

  • Growing your Career
  • Compensation & Time Off
  • Insurance plans
  • Health Savings Account
  • Wellness programs & resources
  • 401(k) plan and cash balance contributions

Company News

PR Newswire
Oct 5th, 2026
83% of Boomers want to age at home as annual care costs set to hit $500K by 2058

More than 80% of Americans aged 57 and older want to receive long-term care at home if needed, but most families haven't planned financially for it, according to Northwestern Mutual's 2026 Planning & Progress Study. The research surveyed 4,375 US adults. Sixty-one per cent of Americans expect to need long-term care eventually, yet 54% haven't prepared financially. The situation affects younger generations too: 67% of Gen Z and 66% of millennials anticipate providing care for loved ones, but 60% haven't planned for associated costs. Current caregivers already feel the strain. Among the 39% providing or having provided care, 69% took financial actions like reducing spending or tapping savings. Some worked longer hours or took on debt. Northwestern Mutual's analysis suggests that if current cost trends continue, annual expenses for eight-hour daily home care could exceed $500,000 by 2058.

PR Newswire
Sep 22nd, 2026
Northwestern Mutual's childhood cancer giving reaches $75M with new hospital support programme

Northwestern Mutual's Foundation has reached $75 million in total donations to advance childhood cancer treatments and cures since 2012. The company announced a new $100,000 investment for Children's Wisconsin MACC Fund Center in Milwaukee, with more hospitals to be named in 2027. The funding will support families facing financial challenges and expand professional development for hospital staff. It also includes the inaugural Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Healthcare Hero Award, presented to nurse Katy Tomlinson. During September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Northwestern Mutual is donating $100 to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for each new financial plan delivered, up to $2 million. The company's partnership with the Milwaukee Brewers has raised over half a million dollars for childhood cancer research. Since 2012, the Foundation has funded more than 860,000 hours of research and supported over 370 students through scholarships.

PR Newswire
Aug 12th, 2026
Northwestern Mutual CEO Tim Gerend ranks 7th in Glassdoor's best CEOs list

Northwestern Mutual's chief executive officer Tim Gerend has been named the seventh highest-rated CEO in America by Glassdoor. The recognition is based entirely on anonymous feedback from employees and financial advisors who rated their approval of how Gerend leads the company. Gerend became chairman, president and CEO in 2025. Under his leadership, Northwestern Mutual recently announced record business performance, including new highs for revenue, surplus position and annual dividends paid to policyowners. The company serves more than five million clients and holds $2.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force. It manages more than $450 billion in client assets through its retail investments business, ranking among the top five independent broker-dealers in the US.

PR Newswire
Aug 3rd, 2026
Gen Z and millennials delay life milestones as 72% postpone major goals due to financial pressures

Financial pressures are forcing many young Americans to postpone or abandon major life milestones, according to Northwestern Mutual's 2026 Planning & Progress Study. Nearly three in four Gen Z adults and more than half of Millennials have delayed at least one significant milestone due to financial challenges. The impact is particularly acute for homeownership and family planning. Thirty-one per cent of Gen Z respondents have postponed buying a house, whilst 24% have delayed having children. Among those who have become parents, over 70% spend as much or more on their children monthly as they do on housing. Artificial intelligence is adding to concerns, with 46% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials pessimistic about its impact on their careers. Despite these challenges, younger generations are responding proactively. Gen Z and Millennials started saving for retirement at ages 22 and 28 respectively, years earlier than previous generations, and seek professional financial guidance at higher rates.

Associated Press
Jul 13th, 2026
60% of Americans say poor money habits are a relationship dealbreaker, gambling tops red flags

Northwestern Mutual's 2026 Planning & Progress Study reveals that 60% of Americans consider poor money habits a dealbreaker in new relationships. Excessive gambling and risk-taking rank as the top financial red flag, followed by hiding purchases and high credit card debt. Among Gen Z couples, 41% report money arguments are seriously straining their relationships. Financial compatibility has emerged as more important than emotional chemistry, physical attraction, or shared interests for maintaining successful long-term relationships. Single Americans seeking partners who earn money expect an average income of $139,000 annually, with women's expectations ($172,000) significantly exceeding men's ($101,000). Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe couples should discuss finances well before marriage or cohabitation, though 19% of married couples delayed these conversations until after major milestones. The survey included 4,375 US adults, conducted online between 5–21 January 2026.