Director - Investment Grade Research

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC, located in Milwaukee, WI, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company with over $250 billion in assets under management (AUM). The Public Investment department manages $135 billion of total AUM and provides fixed income expertise to Northwestern Mutual and its affiliate corporations, including the foundation and retirement plan.

BASIC FUNCTION:

The primary responsibility of this role will be to conduct independent fundamental research in assigned industries and issuers as well as provide forward looking and dynamic relative value assessments and recommendations consistent with portfolio strategy and return objectives. This role will work closely with the Head of Credit Research and the Credit Research team, Portfolio Managers and Traders. The role will also collaborate with the Investment Strategy, Investment Risk & Operations, Compliance and Law departments.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITES:

• Exhibit expert knowledge of assigned industry dynamics, informed by deep understanding of profitability and cash flow drivers, as well as technological and other exogenous risks and opportunities.
• Conduct thorough fundamental issuer credit analysis, including financial statement analysis and the evaluation of financial policy, management track record, competitive position, and credit ratings profile.
• Determine relative value opportunities within assigned issuers and provide timely and responsive investment recommendations based on current portfolio strategy. Adapt recommendations to specific portfolio return objectives.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate concise and persuasive investment theses and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain strong external relationships with Wall Street analysts and strategists, credit rating agencies and independent research firms as well as company management teams.

GROUP/ ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMIC:

• Promote a culture of mutual respect and high ethical standards.
• Adopt NM Behaviors: Client First, Powered by Our People, Future Focus.
• Exercise good judgment and independence in thought.
• Generate and lead process improvements through the effective use of technology and data science.
• Effectively respond in a timely manner to requests for data, opinions, and other information.
• Attend and lead/participate in group activities and engage others in relevant discussion.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Five years of relevant work experience conducting credit analysis.
• Master of Science or Master of Business Administration (MBA) preferred. Bachelor's degree with an emphasis on finance, accounting, economics, statistics or other related area.
• CFA designation or progress towards attaining the CFA designation required.
• Strong analytical skills, particularly in performing financial statement analysis, evaluating cross-sector relative value, and presenting credit recommendations for potential investment opportunities.
• Effective oral and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to prioritize work.
• Proficiency with Bloomberg, Blackrock Aladdin and other programing or data analytic tools is desirable.

#LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range:

We believe in fairness and transparency. It's why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed.

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Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer who welcomes and encourages diversity in the workforce. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.

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We're excited about the potential people bring to Northwestern Mutual. You can grow your career here while enjoying first-class perks, benefits, and our commitment to a culture of belonging.

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