You and Northwestern Mutual. We believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. And we’re much stronger together than we are apart. 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.

Our business is about helping people secure their financial futures, and that starts with putting people first – our clients, our employees and our field representatives. Northwestern Mutual is known for financial strength. We’re strong, innovative and growing. Come grow with us.

At Northwestern Mutual, we believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. 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.

We're strong and growing. 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.

We invest in our people. We provide opportunities for employees to grow themselves, their career and in turn, our business.

We care.  We make a positive difference in our communities. Nationally, thousands have benefitted 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.

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Vice President of Talent leads the design, development and implementation of enterprise-wide talent strategies to drive the success of Northwestern Mutual for now and in the future. (S)he drives initiatives which translate business strategies into organizational strategies that span the employee lifecycle and ensure we have the right people in the right roles at the right time performing at our best.

Responsibilities

This role is indicative of Northwestern Mutual’s ongoing commitment to talent for the realization of our business strategies. Key leadership accountabilities for this role are:

• Talent Management and Leadership Development
• Talent Acquisition
• Engagement and Culture
• Organizational Design and Development
• Learning and Development
• HR Department Leadership

Talent Management & Leadership Development

The VP oversees the work of a Talent and Learning director and team who are accountable for the following:

• Oversees the development and execution of enterprise-wide talent management approaches to assess, develop, and move talent throughout the company.

• Oversees the design and execution of leadership development and partners with the CHRO on executive development for the C-suite.

Talent Acquisition

The VP oversees the work of a Talent Acquisition director and team who are accountable for the following:

• Designs and executes strategies to attract the best talent for the company, including sourcing, recruiting, diversity, hiring, and digital/social media strategies.
• Partners with Northwestern Mutual’s field recruiting team to enhance and strengthen our strong positive employer brand.

Engagement and Culture

• Understands Northwestern Mutual’s business strategy and works with business and HR leaders to create the required culture and behaviors to deliver the strategy.
• Understands drivers of employee engagement and develops approaches to increase engagement across the enterprise.

Organizational Design and Development

• Understands how organizations work and partners with business and HR leaders to design “fit-for-purpose” organizations to deliver business results.
• Works in partnership with the workforce planning team to ensure the company has the workforce needed to deliver business goals.

Learning and Development

The VP oversees the work of a Talent and Learning director and team who are accountable for the following:

• Oversees the L&D function that translates business strategy into a cohesive enterprise learning agenda for individual contributors, managers, and all levels of leaders, and linked to talent management and diversity strategies.
• Brings a state of art, omni-channel approach to learning strategies, leveraging digital learning, coaching, on the job development, and formal learning processes. 

HR Department Leadership

• As an integral member of the HR leadership team, the Vice President drives HR and corporate strategy through the Talent organization and ensures a structure that aligns with our HR model.
• Leads a team of senior-level Talent directors and assistant directors who manage approximately 40 employees and contract staff.

Requirements

The Vice President of Talent brings talent solutions to business challenges. The Vice President is a business leader first, and as such will possess exceptional business acumen, strong strategic perspective, demonstrated results-orientation, an innovative mindset, and an unwavering focus on achieving business impact through progressive HR practices and sound business judgment.  Additionally (s)he will possess:

• MBA or Masters’ degree with a focus on HR
• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in Human Resources with talent management expertise. Strongly prefer candidates with previous HR business partner experience.
• Track record in developing and delivering innovative and sustainable talent management solutions in organizations of similar size and complexity to Northwestern Mutual (or larger).
• Proven ability to collaborate across functional and department boundaries and influence all levels of an organization
• Digital savvy and the ability to understand data and translate it into strategic action
• Able to lead and develop high-performing teams and individuals

Req ID: 6703
Position Type: Regular Full Time
Education Experience: Master's Required
Employment Experience: 9+ years
Licenses/Certifications: None
FLSA Status: Exempt
Posting Date: 06/23/2016