Sr. Communications Strategist

Reporting to – and working in partnership with – the Assistant Director of Thought Leadership and Executive Visibility, the Senior Communications Strategist will be an exquisite writer and storyteller who helps give voice to senior company leaders and financial advisors. This role requires a deep understanding of Northwestern Mutual’s unique value proposition, proprietary research programs, company products, technology solutions, exclusive distribution system, and other key aspects of the business. The ideal candidate will also possess a keen sense of the current news cycle, macro trends, and timely third-party research to drive relevance and nimble storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute thought leadership strategies for the company, senior leaders, and advisors.
• Reinforce the company’s proprietary research strategy to drive earned, owned, and social media coverage.
• Create high-profile, high-impact external content for top executives and financial advisors.
• Cultivate positive relationships with senior leaders, key business partners, and other communicators to mine content ideas and capitalize on company milestones, events, and announcements.
• Ensure messages are consistent and complementary across channels and leaders.
• Merchandise results to key stakeholders.
• Track and analyze the effectiveness of thought leadership content to grow reach, engagement, and impact.

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of strong writing experience.
• Natural storyteller and problem-solver with a knack for understanding positioning and messaging nuances.
• Ability to craft communications that are precise, strategic, clear, crisp, accessible, and emotionally compelling.
• Executive presence with strong emotional intelligence (EQ) to establish rapport with key company leaders and financial advisors.
• Proficiency in creating content suitable for high-profile media outlets (local and national).
• Experience using generative AI tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Writer) to accelerate content creation, research, editing, and ideation while maintaining brand, quality, and compliance standards.
• Leadership skills to guide colleagues toward shared goals and positive business outcomes.

Skills

• Cross-Functional Partnering & Planning: Facilitates collaboration and planning with teams across functions to achieve common goals.
• Decision Making: Makes timely, data-driven decisions by assessing risks, gathering requirements, and developing value statements.
• Executive Presence: Builds an authentic personal brand to inspire and motivate stakeholders through confidence, professionalism, and trust.
• Strategic Thinking: Uses critical thinking to plan, prioritize, and execute high-impact initiatives.
• Writing & Editing: Creates and edits persuasive content tailored to the intended audience, with knowledge of various formats and styles.

Pay

The compensation range for this role starts at $75,600 and goes up to $130,440, depending on geographic location, skills, and experience. Specific pay structures include:

• Standard Pay Range: $75,600 – $113,400
• Geographic-Specific Pay (Structure 110): $83,200 – $124,800 (e.g., eligible locations)
• Geographic-Specific Pay (Structure 115): $86,960 – $130,440 (e.g., California, New York City)

Benefits

• Flexible work schedules
• Concierge service
• Comprehensive benefits
• Employee resource groups