Senior Director, Software Engineering

We are seeking a Senior Director of Software Engineering to lead the delivery of technology and data capabilities for the Finance and Risk organization. This area is beginning a significant multi-year transformation, and the leader will be responsible for driving and executing technology and data transformation within this function.

This role leads teams responsible for technology and data capabilities in Controller, finance and planning analytics, sourcing and procurement, enterprise risk management, audit, and antifraud areas.  This is a cross functional role where the engineering and product teams directly report into them.

The primary responsibility of this role is to lead the "FRF Transformation" initiative. A key component of this effort is the implementation of a new FRF Data Platform using Snowflake, which aims to modernize the FRF data ecosystem. This modernization will facilitate the replacement of several outdated vendor applications, including PeopleSoft, the expense management system, and various reporting platforms. This new platform will be crucial for the future capabilities of the Controller's Office, as well as for Financial Planning, Actuarial Services, Enterprise Risk Management, and Audit functions.

This role will work closely with business stakeholders and enterprise technology partners to understand critical data and analytical challenges and opportunities. Establish Finance and Risk Data platform by applying in-depth knowledge of data domains, cloud data and application technologies, architectural patterns, frameworks, and tooling to meet Finance and Risk business area's data and analytics needs. Adept at building strong relationships across Finance and Risk business organizations and enterprise technology partners.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Vision: Sets the long-term 5-year technology vision for FRF technology and data capabilities including vendor implementation and integrations across FRF business. This includes product and engineering vision, roadmap to sequence and achieve incremental impactful business outcomes over time. 
• Leadership:  Leads the FRF technology and data strategy and its implementation to deliver FRF technology and data/analytics platform to enable FRF applications, data, analytics, and reporting needs across FRF business.
• Organizational Savvy: Collaborates with the business to understand business drivers, strategy, and critical business outcomes for FRF business. Establishes business-aligned goals and leads the team to meet the objectives. Ability to channel challenging teams, interpersonal conflicts, and cross-departmental political initiatives into opportunities.
• Technical leadership: Provides hands-on technical leadership to drive the execution of the FRF future state technology and data vision to delivery. 
• Technical leadership: Demonstrates ability to dive deep into FRF data technology solutions, data systems architecture, and Data Governance tooling.
• Talent and Development: Leads the talent strategy and development of the team. Responsible for hiring, coaching, mentoring the group, and developing cross functional engineering leaders.
• Culture: Build a high-performing culture and embraces NM's behaviors in bringing the best out of people. Leads with enterprise vision.   
• Drive:  Drives high performing teams and can lead with expertise, energy and empathy.
• Defines the Product: Identifies and validates problems and/or opportunities for multiple user groups/scenarios across the company.
• Prioritization: Sets long term goals for both the product portfolio and team members.
• Manages budgets for optimal business results 
• Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive and instills these behaviors within the team. 
• Acts as an ambassador and representative for Northwestern Mutual's technology organization in community and technology events.

Qualifications:

• Must have 15+ years of professional experience in Application development & programming across multiple languages, frameworks, Solution architecture, implementing large-scale distributed technology and data solutions (on-prem and cloud), and vendor implementations, customizations, integrations in financial services.
• Must have 5+ years of combined experience leading engineering and product teams. 
• Must have 5+ years of experience managing managers. 
• Must have experience in leading through multiple engineering teams and their respective leads. 
• Must have experience creating data strategy and dealing with challenges during its rollout to achieve business outcomes.  
• Significant production experience working with DataMesh, DataLake, Data warehousing, and cloud data technologies (Snowflake, Databricks etc.) in the financial services.
• Strong understanding and hands-on experience with various architecture concepts, application design, cloud data and application technologies, CI/CD, Containerization, deployment technologies, API development, Microservices architecture, and BI Tools. Experience with PowerBI or reporting tooling strategy is a plus 
• Experience providing direct constructive feedback and conducting periodic performance reviews for the team. 
• Must have a product-focused mindset and start-up spirit to execute and deliver business outcomes—experience with earning trust and growing business relationships.
• Ability to learn and teach others and employs an organic approach to upskill broader organization.
• Can influence technology or business leaders on impactful issues and decisions. Takes pride in bringing people together for a higher purpose despite ambiguity and organizational boundaries.
• Strong communication skills at all levels (verbal and written). Ability to successfully communicate to technical and non-technical audiences in varying forms and all levels of detail.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

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Northwestern Mutual pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement in the salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. At Northwestern Mutual, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. Please note that the salary range listed in the posting is the standard pay structure. Positions in certain locations (such as California) may provide an increase on the standard pay structure based on the location. Please click here for additional information relating to location-based pay structures.

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.

If you work or would be working in California, Colorado, New York City, Washington or outside of a Corporate location, please click here for information pertaining to compensation and benefits.