ROLE
Client Relationship Manager
This Client Relationship Manager- Insurance role is with an established Northwestern Mutual practice inside a larger financial planning team, built for a highly organized, detail-driven insurance operations professional who can own new business execution, service coordination, and the day-to-day workflow that keeps the practice running.
ROLE HIGHLIGHTS
SALARY
$70,000 - $100,000
LOCATION
Chicago, IL/East Coast - Hybrid
TYPE
Full-time
Job description
Take the insurance workload off the advisor's plate — and keep the whole practice moving.
This is a Northwestern Mutual-only search: our client is hiring someone who already lives inside the NM system and is not looking to train up a candidate from outside the network.
Our client is an established Northwestern Mutual practice operating within a larger financial planning team. The advisor is focused on client relationships, planning conversations, and sales — and needs a true second set of hands to own everything that happens after a client says yes. This role is best described as a client relationship manager for insurance combined with workflow and project management for the practice.
The primary mandate is to take the insurance servicing and new business execution workload off the advisor's plate. You'll communicate with clients, complete and submit digital applications, track cases through underwriting, and translate underwriting outcomes into client-friendly language. Alongside that, you'll serve as the first set of eyes on the advisor's inbox — routing work to the right people, owning the insurance items yourself, and keeping the daily workflow on track.
What makes this role unique?
Location flexibility built in. You can be based anywhere from Chicago eastward. You'll start out associated with a Northwestern Mutual office — likely one you're already part of — with a clear path to working fully remote once you're up and running.
A real ownership seat. You own insurance new business and service execution end to end, with the autonomy to resolve client items independently and the trust to act without constant oversight.
A mandate to improve, not just maintain. The advisor wants someone who systematizes recurring work — identifying the most common service requests and building clean templates, proactively tracking universal life premium due dates so nothing lapses, and tightening the workflow over time.
Built-in growth. This can be a strong long-term home for the right person, or a launch point into broader roles across the larger Four Oak Financial Team. The advisor is explicit about giving the right person an honest view of where they can grow.
What you will do
Own insurance new business — communicate with clients after they commit, gather everything needed for digital applications, complete and submit them, track cases through underwriting, and coordinate exams, records, billing, and follow-up items.
Handle insurance-related client service requests directly when appropriate, coordinate advanced service items with Demelza, and follow up on billing, loans, beneficiary changes, and premium issues.
Proactively monitor at-risk items — for example, universal life premium due dates — so problems are caught before they become lapses.
Run the daily workflow: review the advisor's meeting and case notes each morning, enter opportunities into the CRM, and create and assign follow-up tasks quickly so the rest of the team can act.
Triage the inbox — route investment items to Al's team, service issues to Demelza, scheduling to Ashley, and personally own the insurance-related items that fall within this role.
Help systematize recurring work and improve office workflow over time.
The ideal candidate
Northwestern Mutual experience is required. This is not a ground-up training role.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and accountable — you keep many moving parts straight and follow through without prompting.
Calm under pressure, proactive rather than passive, and confident enough to take initiative while disciplined enough to ask smart questions.
Strong written communication — you can proofread, spell accurately, and produce clean, professional, client-ready emails.
Solid Excel skills (filtering, formulas) and comfort with digital applications and evolving software tools.
The three values that matter most here: responsibility, growth, and leadership.