Leveraged Finance Research Director

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 Investments department manages over $120 billion of total AUM and provides fixed income expertise to Northwestern Mutual and its affiliate corporations, including the Foundation and retirement plan. The Leveraged Finance team manages bond portfolios of approximately $12 billion of total AUM and almost $4 billion AUM in its 720 East CLO platform.

About the Job:

This role is responsible for conducting independent fundamental research across assigned sectors and issuers and delivering forward-looking, dynamic relative value assessments and investment recommendations aligned with portfolio strategy and return objectives. The individual will work closely with the Head of Leveraged Finance Research, the Credit Research team, Portfolio Managers, and Traders, while also collaborating with Investment Strategy, Investment Risk & Operations, Compliance, and Law.

What You'll Do:

• Lead, mentor, and develop less-experienced peers while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
• Monitor assigned industry dynamics and develop expert views on the key drivers of profitability and cash flow, as well as technological, macroeconomic, and other external risks and opportunities. 
• Conduct thorough fundamental credit analysis of assigned companies and demonstrate deep issuer expertise. Analysis should include a comprehensive assessment of quantitative and qualitative factors, including financial statement analysis, financial policy, management track record, and credit ratings profile.
• Assess the relative value of issuers and securities across capital structures and relative to comparable issuers.
• Provide investment recommendations across the coverage universe based on risk-adjusted return potential, portfolio strategy, fundamental credit views, and relative value, adapting recommendations to each portfolio’s return objectives.
• Produce concise, decision-useful written research and clearly articulate credit strengths, risks, and investment views to Portfolio Managers and Traders.
• Develop and maintain productive external relationships with Wall Street analysts and strategists, credit rating agencies, independent research firms, and company management teams.

Group/Organizational Dynamic:

• Promote a culture of mutual respect and high ethical standards.
• Model NM Behaviors: Client First, Powered by Our People, and Future Focus.
• Exercise sound judgment, intellectual independence, and disciplined decision-making.
• Identify and lead process improvements through the effective use of technology, data, and analytics.
• Respond effectively and promptly to requests for data, opinions, and other information.
• Attend, lead, and actively participate in group activities, engaging others in relevant and constructive discussion.         

What You'll Bring to the Role:

• Experience: Minimum of eight years of experience in leveraged finance, fixed income investments, or a closely related field, with a demonstrated record of progressive responsibility and sustained success. The candidate should have a track record of strong investment judgment, prudent risk management, and continued growth in responsibilities and outcomes.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to manage, mentor, and develop investment professionals. A proven record of building and leading high-performing teams and adapting effectively to evolving market conditions and organizational needs will distinguish successful candidates.

• Demonstrated command of relative value investing within a total return mandate.
• Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in finance, accounting, economics, statistics, or a related field required. Master of Science or Master of Business Administration (MBA) preferred.
• CFA designation or progress toward attaining the CFA designation preferred. 
• Strong analytical skills, including financial statement analysis, cross-sector relative value assessment, and the ability to present clear, well-supported credit recommendations for potential investment opportunities.
• Effective oral and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to prioritize work and manage competing demands.
• Proficient with Bloomberg, Microsoft Office, and Copilot.

Additional Preferred Requirements:

• Experience with computer programming, data analytics, or related technology tools.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI-enabled tools into research workflows and business processes to improve productivity, analytical depth, decision support, and knowledge sharing while maintaining appropriate judgment, controls, and data governance standards.

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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 that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. 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.

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