Contract Licensing & Registration Sr. Analyst

Under the direction of the Manager and referral team, evaluates prospective financial representatives for Northwestern Mutual contracting. Underwrites and approves contracts or refers them for additional direction or acceptability. Coordinates all histories with rules and regulations set by FINRA for registration and the State Insurance Departments for licensing.

Job Duties:
Underwrites financial representatives, associate financial representatives and field office representatives' applications for registration with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and State Securities departments for Northwestern Mutual Investment Services (NMIS) and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (WMC). Evaluates and processes registration upgrades.

Performs analysis of complex and non-routine cases. Resolves issues that ensure compliance, reduce firm risk and facilitate the selling and solicitation process. Identifies issues that need special handling. Summarizes facts and issues and appropriate referrals/recommendations to management, compliance and/or law as required. May perform additional responsibilities such as OSJ/RBO/SBO location registrations, Home Office Registrations, management agent and contract changes. Participates in data clean-up projects and proactively maintains NMFN data integrity.

Contract Underwriting (40%):" Reviews exceptions (tasks from SRC system) to ascertain that information on the application complies with state standards that can frequently change, e.g., fingerprint hits, state requirements, and non-routine processing. " Underwrites diverse information on prospective and associate financial representatives obtained from the prospect; investigative agency; civil and criminal courts, credit reporting bureaus, motor vehicle departments, State Insurance Departments, FINRA and other sources. Considerable judgment and negotiation skills are applied to evaluating exceptions, come to a decision (outside of normal contracting rules or company policy) mutually agreeable to customers while maintaining compliance with the company, state and legal requirements. Responsible for the justification and approval based on set thresholds." Analyzes background information including criminal, civil, financial and employment histories assuring they meet Northwestern Mutual contracting standards as well as FINRA regulatory standards." Develops a detailed understanding of investigative reporting, background checks, court systems and documentation and an understanding of legal terms." Manages mass management agent contract changes (MAC's) for network and district offices. " Processes contract changes for college interns, agent transfers and any other contract change that cannot be processed in SRC." Demonstrates a thorough working knowledge of SAS/CMS evaluation system, Agents database, Word (special files, letters, reports) and SRC." Recognizes when it is appropriate to obtain intervention by the referral team and must work with the field coordinators to make sure histories are acceptable and all appropriate documentation is obtained." Incumbent communicates frequently with Managing Agents, field staff and the prospects themselves, outside vendors, FINRA and several Home Office business partners which requires professional communication skills.

NMIS, FINRA, Model II and Model III Registration (30%):" Reviews exceptions (tasks from SRC system) to ascertain that information on the application complies with state standards that can frequently change, e.g., state requirements and non-routine processing. " Independently underwrites financial representatives, associate financial representatives, field office representatives and Home Office applications for registration with FINRA and State Securities departments for Northwestern Mutual Investment Services (NMIS) and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC). May evaluate and process registration updates." Processes terminations of NMIS by the completion of U5's and handles the suspensions and inactivation of Registered Representatives in accordance with FINRA guidelines." Services phone calls related to the ADV (WMC advisory) Disclosure form. Provides clarification, confirms information, and gathers requests for changes or corrections. " Performs follow up for outstanding items as required by FINRA. " Performs analysis of complex and non-routine cases. Resolves issues that ensure compliance, reduce firm risk and facilitate the selling and solicitation process. May handle advance registration activities in the following areas:" Branch Office Filings includes thorough understanding of OSJ, RBO and SBO requirements. Collection, evaluation and processing of Form BR information. Maintaining internal and external data bases of OSJ, RBO and SBO information. Evaluation and payment of state branch office filings including credential checking of supervisors. Ability to produce data and verify information required for state and federal audits pertaining to registered locations." Home Office Registration Processing includes thorough understanding of Home Office registration process and sensitivity of confidential processing. Facilitates the training and communication needed for Home Office staff, including support of the Human Resource Assistants (HRAs). " 1 Year Rule proactively manages and communicates guidelines/requirements of the registration 1 year rule with DNOS and FR's. Monitors requests and confers with specialist/consultant for exception requests." Data Integrity proactively reviews NMFN and Web CRD data to ensure accuracy for audit and accurate compensation disbursement. Participates in data clean-up projects as well as regular maintenance of reports to ensure the integrity of all registration and associated person data.

Customer Service and Team Responsibilities (30%):" Assists new team members and provides coaching and guidance regarding the core responsibilities of the CLR analyst position." Provides excellent customer service to internal and external customers following CLR customer service philosophy. Provides quality, accurate and clear phone and written communications. Contributes to a positive and supportive work environment." Proactive case management requires a high level of organization, accuracy; excellent communication skills and an ability to meet daily production standards in a fast paced, high-volume environment." May be utilized as a resource by less experienced analysts." May review and approve agent reimbursement requests. " Project Support may represent CLR as a subject matter expert for projects and special assignments. Provides input on registration processes and procedures, understands the impact to the team and to the field as changes are implemented. May assist in documenting and developing new procedures and sharing this information with impacted parties.

Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in business or related field or minimum of 5 years of insurance or securities experience.
• Minimum 3 years of customer service experience.
• Thorough understanding of Northwestern Mutual's financial network operations.
• Prior experience in CLR preferred.
• Proven strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Superior customer service skills with ability to address and successfully resolve complex and sensitive issues
• Ability to successfully complete tasks in a timely and accurate manner in a high-volume area
• Ability to work independently to accomplish a variety of tasks
• Ability to coach and provide guidance on core customer service responsibilities
• High level attention to detail
• Expert technical knowledge
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Superior organization skills
• Experience in case management system use and documentation procedures
• PC experience working with Microsoft WORD, Outlook and other Microsoft Office software

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - End:

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 but if you're living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.

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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.

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