Sr. Business Program Manager

Northwestern Mutual

About The Position

Provides program management expertise to support the strategy and execution of scalable systems that enable the growth and success of Northwestern Mutual's field force. Responsible for developing, maintaining, and revising program deliverables. Oversees business programs of moderate complexity from initiation through rollout and ongoing program management. Acts as a subject matter expert in talent acquisition to support the field in their local acquisition tactics and provides the right resources to help fill the talent pipeline of the distribution system. Facilitates key priorities by managing cross-functional collaborations and effectively engaging with primary field audiences to drive the success of strategic initiatives.

Requirements

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.
Proven ability to develop engaging and professional content that effectively communicates key messages.
High degree of personal initiative and motivation.
Experience with project methodology through project life cycle phases

Responsibilities

Partners with field recruiters and leaders to integrate sourcing methods and referral systems into recruiting practices, while also consulting on and developing recruitment strategies, communications, and guidance to drive adoption of these initiatives.
Translates best practices into practical, easy-to-understand training materials that enable consistent application at scale.
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 anticipate, 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.
Facilitates clear and effective communication with stakeholders.
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.
Develops, maintains and updates program related materials and resources, ensuring accuracy, consistency and accessibility.
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.