Talent Acquisition Manager

Northwestern Mutual is seeking a driven, relationship-oriented Talent Acquisition Manager to lead recruiting efforts across our organization.

This individual will manage the full recruiting lifecycle for:

• Full-time Financial Advisors
• Team members supporting established advisor practices
• Leadership, operations, and other organizational positions

The Talent Acquisition Manager will partner closely with organizational leaders, Financial Advisors, and hiring managers to identify talent needs, develop recruiting strategies, build strong candidate pipelines, and guide candidates through a professional and consistent selection process.

This role requires someone who can think strategically while also managing the daily execution of recruiting. The right person will be highly organized, comfortable building relationships in the community, skilled at identifying and engaging talent, and motivated by helping individuals, teams, and advisor practices grow.

Primary Responsibilities

Talent Sourcing and Pipeline Development

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for Financial Advisor roles, advisor team positions, and other organizational openings.
• Build and maintain pipelines of qualified candidates for current and anticipated hiring needs.
• Develop candidate leads through referrals, centers of influence, direct outreach, professional networking, community involvement, career fairs, and recruiting technology.
• Establish productive relationships with community leaders, professional organizations, colleges, universities, and other talent sources.
• Build effective referral partnerships with Financial Advisors, team members, organizational leaders, and existing employees.
• Engage passive candidates and communicate the professional opportunities available within Northwestern Mutual and its advisor practices.
• Maintain relationships with other Northwestern Mutual recruiting professionals to share leads, ideas, and recruiting best practices.

Financial Advisor Recruiting

• Develop and execute recruiting plans designed to attract high-quality candidates for full-time Financial Advisor opportunities.
• Clearly communicate the Financial Advisor career opportunity and guide candidates through each stage of the selection process.
• Conduct resume reviews, candidate screenings, initial interviews, and other selection activities.
• Maintain the integrity, quality, and consistency of the Financial Advisor selection process.
• Coordinate the transition of selected Financial Advisor candidates into contracting, licensing, registration, training, and development.
• Partner with leadership to strengthen recruiting activity, improve candidate quality, and achieve organizational growth objectives.

Team and Organizational Recruiting

• Partner with Financial Advisors and hiring leaders to understand their business goals, team structures, workforce needs, and growth plans.
• Recruit team members for advisor practices, including positions supporting client service, operations, administration, and practice management.
• Recruit for leadership, operational, and other organizational positions as needs arise.
• Advise hiring managers on job requirements, sourcing strategies, candidate evaluation, interviewing, compensation considerations, and selection best practices.
• Help advisors and leaders define roles, develop candidate profiles, and establish effective hiring processes.
• Guide hiring leaders throughout the interview, selection, offer, and onboarding process.
• Support advisors in building high-performing teams that align with the needs and future direction of their practices.

Candidate Selection and Experience

• Review applications and resumes to identify candidates aligned with the requirements of each opportunity.
• Conduct initial interviews and coordinate subsequent interviews with the appropriate leaders or hiring managers.
• Administer or coordinate applicable selection tools and assessments.
• Communicate consistently with candidates throughout the recruiting process.
• Create a professional candidate experience from initial contact through selection, offer, contracting, or onboarding.
• Maintain accurate candidate records and recruiting activity within applicable systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness of the selection process.

Recruiting Strategy and Leadership Partnership

• Create and execute recruiting plans aligned with organizational hiring priorities and advisor team-growth needs.
• Advise leadership and hiring managers on talent strategy, candidate availability, market conditions, and recruiting best practices.
• Guide leaders in developing specific recruiting strategies and activities for their areas of responsibility.
• Coordinate with the leadership team to evaluate recruiting priorities and establish appropriate follow-up actions.
• Help build, audit, and refine recruiting and selection processes as organizational needs evolve.
• Participate in relevant company and industry training to continuously strengthen recruiting and selection capabilities.
• Support and develop other individuals involved in recruiting activities, as applicable.

Community and Professional Relationships

• Build relationships with community organizations, professional networks, colleges, universities, and other potential talent sources.
• Participate in community organizations, networking groups, career fairs, recruiting events, and other activities that support talent sourcing.
• Develop and maintain centers of influence who can connect the organization with qualified candidates.
• Help Financial Advisors and organizational leaders clearly communicate their available career opportunities to prospective candidates.
• Maintain an active presence in the community to identify potential candidates and build long-term recruiting relationships.

Recruiting Operations

• Maintain accurate candidate information, recruiting activity, and selection records using approved recruiting systems and tools.
• Track recruiting activity and pipeline movement to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinate regular recruiting conversations with leadership, Financial Advisors, and hiring managers.
• Support the management of recruiting resources and the recruiting budget.
• Assist with contracting, licensing, registration, and onboarding coordination when applicable.
• Protect candidate confidentiality and maintain consistency throughout all recruiting and selection activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Three or more years of progressively responsible experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, sales, relationship management, or a related field.
• Experience in financial services, professional services, agency recruiting, or relationship-based recruiting is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to source candidates and build sustainable talent pipelines.
• Strong interviewing, candidate assessment, and selection skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and influence a wide range of individuals.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple searches, candidates, and hiring priorities simultaneously.
• Experience generating candidate leads through phone outreach, referrals, professional networking, community involvement, and face-to-face interaction.
• Strong personal and professional network or demonstrated involvement within the community is preferred.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Financial Advisors, hiring managers, and organizational leadership.
• Sound judgment and the ability to handle candidate and organizational information professionally and confidentially.