Vice President-Regulatory and State Relations

Northwestern Mutual•Milwaukee, WI

7d•$220,000 - $330,000

About The Position

The Vice President – Regulatory and State Relations will be a key enterprise leader responsible for prioritizing, shaping and driving the company’s state regulatory and legislative strategy. This role requires a seasoned professional with extensive experience in legislative, regulatory, and public policy environments, particularly within the insurance and financial services industries. The successful candidate will serve as the company’s senior leader for state regulatory policy, regulator engagement, and state-level advocacy strategy. This leader will also serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and senior company leaders on state regulatory and legislative risks, opportunities, emerging trends, and priority issues requiring enterprise attention. The role will serve as a primary liaison with state regulatory bodies, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), national industry trade associations, international insurance groups, and other industry stakeholders. The position will work closely with Government Relations colleagues, business line leaders, and legal and compliance professionals to identify, prioritize, and advance regulatory and legislative objectives aligned with enterprise priorities. This role will provide leadership for the state legislative and regulatory affairs function, including direct or matrixed oversight of internal staff, external consultants, and advocacy partners. The leader will be expected to set clear priorities, coordinate cross-functional execution, develop talent, and ensure the organization has the relationships, expertise, and operating discipline needed to advance the company’s objectives across state and regulatory arenas. Frequent domestic and occasional international travel is required to maintain relationships, represent the company at key industry events, and engage directly with regulators, policymakers, and industry partners.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in political science, Business Administration, Law, Public Policy, or a related field required; master’s degree, JD, or other advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in regulatory affairs, government relations, public policy, or a similar leadership role within the insurance, financial services, trade association, or regulatory environment.
Deep expertise in state insurance regulatory frameworks, state legislative processes, regulator engagement, NAIC processes, and multi-state regulatory initiatives.
Proven track record of successfully navigating complex regulatory environments and influencing policy at state and national levels.
Demonstrated ability to operate at the enterprise leadership level, advising senior executives and influencing outcomes through strategic judgment, collaboration, credibility, and executive presence.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage state legislative staff, and oversee external consultants.
Exceptional analytical, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate complex regulatory environments into clear strategic direction.
Ability to build trusted relationships across diverse internal and external stakeholder groups, including regulators, policymakers, trade associations, industry peers, and senior company leaders.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently.

Nice To Haves

master’s degree, JD, or other advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

State Legislative and Regulatory Leadership: Work closely with Government Relations colleagues and business leaders across the company to prioritize issues and develop and implement impactful lobbying, regulatory, and advocacy strategies.
Executive Counsel and CEO Advisory: Advise the CEO, senior company leaders, and other executive stakeholders on priority state regulatory and legislative matters, including emerging risks, strategic opportunities, enterprise tradeoffs, and issues that may require Board-level awareness.
State Regulatory Strategy: Establish and lead the enterprise’s state regulatory strategy, anticipating regulatory trends and positioning the company to influence outcomes and respond effectively to regulatory change.
State Legislative Management: Oversee state legislative strategy and staff to achieve company objectives.
Issue Identification, Prioritization, and Policy Development: Own the identification, analysis, and prioritization of state regulatory issues, partnering with Legal, Compliance, Product, Distribution, Operations, and other business areas to develop clear, defensible, and enterprise-aligned company positions.
Industry Engagement: Represent the company at NAIC, national industry trade associations, international insurance forums, and other industry meetings, leadership forums, working groups, and committees; advocate for company and industry positions; and foster trusted relationships with key domestic and international stakeholders.
Strategic Communication: Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to provide timely updates on legislative and regulatory developments, company positions, strategic implications, and recommended actions.
Governance and Alignment: Ensure consistency between state regulatory positions, federal policy stances, industry advocacy, and enterprise issue-management processes, resolving conflicts and recommending strategic tradeoffs when needed.
Travel Requirements: Engage in frequent domestic and occasional international travel to state capitals, Washington, DC, regulator meetings, executive engagements, international industry convenings, and other industry events to build and maintain strategic relationships.