About the Job
The Planning Excellence Lead Consultant serves as a financial planning expert responsible for advancing Northwestern Mutual's Financial Planning Philosophy (FPP), planning standards, and advisor effectiveness. This role applies deep financial planning expertise, the psychology of financial planning, strong business acumen, and an understanding of Northwestern Mutual's advisor model and corporate strategy to shape advisor behaviors and planning delivery.
The position requires knowledge of financial planning psychology and behavioral sciences to improve advisor-client interactions and planning quality. The Lead Consultant conducts quantitative and qualitative research utilizing data such as conversation transcripts and AI to identify drivers of high-quality planning, communication, and sales acumen. Insights are translated into planning best practices, advisor training, and content used across the Home Office.
The role partners cross-functionally to ensure financial planning software, training programs, and field-facing materials align with NM strategy, support advisor adoption, and improve client outcomes.
What You'll Do
Business Strategy & Alignment
Applies strong understanding of the financial planning process including NM's business model, distribution system, and strategic objectives to influence planning standards, advisor guidance, and training.
Advises Home Office partners on planning-related initiatives to support NM strategy and field adoption.
Behavioral Science & Advisor Psychology
Leverages financial planning psychology and behavioral science to enhance advisor discovery, communication, and planning delivery.
Identifies and recommends best practices that improve advisor-client engagement and support behaviorally informed planning conversations.
Advisor-Client Interaction Analysis
Performs quantitative and qualitative analysis of advisor-client conversation transcripts to assess interpersonal skills, communication quality, and planning behaviors.
Translates insights into recommendations that strengthen advisor effectiveness, planning execution, and client outcomes.
Field Training & Content Development
Develops training materials, case studies, and best-practice content that incorporate financial planning psychology, interpersonal skills, and NM's planning standards.
Collaborates with Learning & Development to support training programs that build advisor capability and adoption of planning best practices.
Planning Software & Home Office Partnership
Contributes expertise to planning software requirements, use cases, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
Partners with Engineering, UX, Product, Marketing, and other stakeholders to ensure planning tools and content support advisor needs and NM strategy.
Identifies enhancements that improve planning workflow, advisor experience, and adoption of planning tools.
What You'll Bring to the Role
Required
Bachelor's degree.
Minimum 5 years of experience applying financial planning subject matter expertise.
Strong business acumen and understanding of financial services or planning industry.
Quantitative research experience with ability to analyze and interpret data.
Ability to assess communication quality, interpersonal skills, or advisor-client interactions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred
Professional designations: CFP, CFA, ChFC, CLU.
Experience as a financial advisor or in advisor coaching, development, or training.
Background in financial planning psychology, behavioral finance, or related behavioral sciences.
Behavioral Science Expertise: Graduate training or equivalent experience in psychology, behavioral science, behavioral economics, or a related field, with demonstrated ability to interpret human motivations, decision-making, and communication patterns in conversational data.
AI-Enabled Conversation Analysis: Hands-on experience using AI, natural language processing, or large language models to analyze large datasets of transcripts, interviews, or recorded conversations to identify themes, sentiment, and behavioral patterns.
Research Insight Translation: Obtain behavioral insights, prepare research findings, and strategic recommendations for business or research audiences.
Experience developing training content that incorporates soft skills, communication, and planning best practices.
Familiarity with financial planning software; experience with Northwestern Mutual tools strongly preferred.
Knowledge of Northwestern Mutual's planning process, advisor model, and strategic objectives.
Skills You Have
Adaptive Communication: Formulates strategies to be used to convey complex information about services, products, systems, or processes to targeted audiences; communicates and liaises between technical and non-technical audiences.
Analytical Thinking: Organizes and compares various aspects of a situation to comprehend and identify key or underlying complex issues through the use of quantitative data and analysis; leverages strong business acumen, problem solving, and interpersonal skills to think critically about situations from multiple perspectives and consistently seeks ways to improve processes.
Business Acumen: Applies knowledge of both general and organization-specific business issues/financial implications for the organization to problem solve.
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.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people inside and outside of the organization. Builds appropriate rapport, constructive and effective relationships. Uses diplomacy and tact and diffuses high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning Agility & Critical Thinking: Pursues learning and obtains knowledge continuously in relevant fields, methods, or technologies in current and future practices; continuously utilizes critical thinking to identify opportunities, execute solutions, and measure impact to constantly improve existing practices and processes based on feedback, lessons learned, and market trends.
Root Cause Analysis & Decision Quality: Assists and applies problem solving methods to understand the fundamental reasons of faults and problems; makes timely, data-driven decisions by understanding the probability of success, identifying customer risks, gathering business requirements, and developing value statements.
Compensation Range:
Pay Range - Start:
$104,090.00
Pay Range - End:
$193,310.00
Geographic Specific Pay Structure:
Structure 110:
$114,520.00 USD - $212,680.00 USD
Structure 115:
$119,700.00 USD - $222,300.00 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, 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 believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. And that doing what’s right is good for everyone — our clients, our employees, our financial representatives and our communities.
These beliefs launched our company nearly 160 years ago. Today, they’re just a few of the reasons why people choose to build careers at Northwestern Mutual.
That means we’ll be here for the millions of people who are counting on us—our clients, our employees, our financial representatives and our communities.
We care.We make a positive difference in our communities. Nationally, thousands have benefited from our support of research and programs to fight childhood cancer. Each year, our Foundation, employees and financial representatives donate time, talent and financial support to causes they’re passionate about.
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. We’re strong, innovative and growing. And we want you to grow with us.
We invest in our people.We provide opportunities for employees to grow themselves, their careers, and, in turn, our business. Movement around the company is encouraged and we help our people build meaningful, long-term careers.
Be part of building our future.We’re expanding our campus in downtown Milwaukee overlooking Lake Michigan. The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons will include a state-of-the-art employee Learning Institute, and will feature a natural light-filled, 21st century work environment. This signature development reinforces our commitment to job growth, attracting top talent and drawing new business to Milwaukee.
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At Northwestern Mutual, our employees, and our business, are always evolving. We are agile and continuously learning and improving. We have a work environment that empowers problem solving and encourages innovation—you will make an impact here.
We do what’s right.Our “do-what’s-right” value is pervasive. We ask ourselves: “Is this in the best interest of our clients? Our employees? Our financial representatives?” Acting on this value improves our clients’ experience, and makes Northwestern Mutual a better place to work.
We recognize and develop possibilities in our people.Onsite training and leadership development programs help employees succeed and grow. We also sponsor learning opportunities outside the company to help employees stay current in their fields, network with peers and gain external perspective.
Diversity makes us better.We believe diversity and inclusion cultivate creativity, innovation and a better experience for our clients. That’s why we recruit and grow people who bring unique perspectives, ideas, beliefs and cultural backgrounds.