Assistant Director, Competitive Intelligence

About the team

As a part of Northwestern Mutual's Strategy function, the Enterprise Strategy team develops informed perspectives and recommendations on the biggest strategic questions the company faces. Competitive Intelligence is critical to ensuring our leadership is making informed choices for the company, from evaluating market differentiators to identifying growth opportunities. Competitive intelligence is focused on the competitive and industry environment and translating how external activity is applicable to Northwestern Mutual's business model and trajectory.

We are seeking an individual to join a team of inquisitive analysts that are committed to providing an objective, external perspective.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

In this role, you will amplify the impact of our competitive knowledge by working across the company to share external insights with leaders. As you learn and build your expertise about Northwestern Mutual and the industry, you will spearhead the creation of this content and its delivery. Additionally, you will collect, analyze, and report on competitive intelligence related to key competitors, industry trends, financial analysis, and risks across the insurance and wealth management industries.

Our Competitive Intelligence work supports the evolution of our multi-year strategy. You will partner with the broader Enterprise Strategy team to apply insights and support activation of our strategy. We are a small team and we all aid in each other's efforts as the timing of projects and capacity fluctuate.

Key focus areas include:

• Build depth of knowledge in competitive intelligence and breadth across Northwestern Mutual's financials and business model.
• Lead and support competitive intelligence deep dives with organizational leadership, focusing on simplifying complex topics and assessing their impact on Northwestern Mutual.
• Coordinate and produce regular competitive reports, including quarterly market share reports, quarterly competitor earnings summaries, and annual competitive reviews.
• Develop trusted relationships through cross-departmental competitive intelligence partnerships related to company, product, and marketing.
• Proactively monitor the competitive environment to anticipate issues impacting strategic and development efforts.
• Through deep analytical work, create insights that support corporate initiatives across the company.
• Leverage expertise to develop materials for the executive team and Board of Trustees.
• Maintain a competitive intelligence repository and knowledge base, including gathering and analyzing data.

What this role needs...

• 8+ years of related business experience working in research or financial analysis.
• Minimum of bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, or related business degree.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate and interpret financial data and other technical information.
• Understanding of the financial services industry and insurance and other financial products. Knowledge of financial statements, accounting, and associated implications for companies preferred.
• Strong desire to learn, work in a hands-on environment, and contribute to all aspects of our team's success.
• Comfortable working through ambiguous problems.
• Creative and intuitive skills to tie together seemingly disparate trends.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills to convey ideas.
• Presentation skills with capability to simplify complex information for consumption by broader audience.
• Ability to manage multiple, diverse assignments in a timely and high quality manner.
• Attention to detail.

#LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - End:

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, click here to learn more.

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

Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer who welcomes and encourages diversity in the workforce. 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.

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