Tech Expense Optimization Asst Dir
About The Position
Northwestern Mutual is seeking an Assistant Director, Technology Expense Optimization to help shape technology investment and simplification while balancing cost discipline with innovation and long-term value. The role partners with Technology, Finance, Sourcing & Procurement, and business leaders to improve transparency and efficiency and reinvest across the technology portfolio. It leads high-impact initiatives, converts data into insight, and influences decisions related to transformation and strategic priorities. The position leads key elements of the technology expense optimization strategy and helps develop multi-year plans that balance operational costs with growth and transformation investments. It analyzes spending across labor, vendors, software, cloud, and infrastructure; identifies cost drivers and optimization opportunities; and prepares executive-ready insights. The role also partners with Technology leaders to optimize application portfolios, cloud usage, and platform investments, and supports vendor negotiations, renewals, rationalization, demand management, and cost-avoidance initiatives. As a trusted advisor to Technology and Finance leaders, the Assistant Director aligns cost objectives with delivery outcomes and prepares recommendations for senior leadership. The role leads and mentors team members, establishes repeatable tools and analytics, and builds financial and business acumen across the team. Success is measured through technology cost reduction, better visibility and predictability of spending, strong stakeholder partnerships, actionable executive recommendations, and scalable optimization capabilities.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, or a related field.
- 6–12 years of relevant experience in technology, business, strategy, or consulting.
- Experience managing or influencing large, complex workstreams.
- Strong analysis, storytelling, and executive communication skills.
- Ability to influence across teams and levels without direct authority.
- Accountability and ownership of commitments, decisions, and outcomes.
- Cross-functional partnering and planning skills.
- Problem-solving skills, including root-cause analysis and practical solution development.
- Critical thinking and evidence-based recommendation skills.
- Situational awareness and contextual judgment.
- Business influence and credibility across teams and levels.
- Negotiation and objection-management skills.
Nice To Haves
- Background in large, complex enterprise environments.
- Vendor management, sourcing, or contract optimization experience.
- Familiarity with cloud cost management and application portfolio optimization.
Responsibilities
- Lead key components of Northwestern Mutual’s technology expense optimization strategy.
- Help shape multi-year plans that balance run-the-business costs with growth and transformation investments.
- Translate strategy into actionable plans, targets, and outcomes.
- Analyze and manage technology spending across labor, vendors, software, cloud, and infrastructure.
- Identify cost drivers, optimization opportunities, and trade-offs.
- Develop executive-ready insights to support decision-making.
- Partner with Technology leaders to optimize application portfolios, cloud usage, and platform investments.
- Support vendor negotiations, renewals, and rationalization in partnership with Procurement and Legal.
- Help drive demand management and cost-avoidance initiatives.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to Technology and Finance leaders.
- Lead discussions that align cost objectives with delivery outcomes.
- Prepare recommendations and materials for senior leadership audiences.
- Lead and mentor team members contributing to expense optimization outcomes.
- Establish repeatable tools, analytics, and ways of working.
- Build financial and business acumen across the team.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
