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Actuarial Senior Software Engineer, Mainframe

Northwestern Mutual · Milwaukee, WI · Full time

Posted Sep 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you explained a technical issue to a business partner who wasn't technical.

What they are checking: Whether they can translate between technical and actuarial terms in direct client work.

Would you prefer to stay focused on mainframe or move toward other technologies, and why?

What they are checking: Whether their career interests fit the paths this team offers.

Tell me about a time you found a subtle math or rounding error in a program.

What they are checking: Whether they have the comfort with math and eye for detail this role needs.

What would you do

An actuary gives you a formula change. How do you make sure your code matches it exactly?

What they are checking: Whether they verify financial logic carefully with the business before releasing changes.

You have three urgent requests from actuaries due the same week. How do you prioritize?

What they are checking: Whether they can set priorities sensibly, which the posting says this work requires.

About the work

Tell me about your experience with COBOL, JCL and other mainframe tools.

What they are checking: Whether they have real mainframe skills to work on the reinsurance systems right away.

How would you debug a batch job that produced wrong reserve amounts but didn't fail?

What they are checking: Whether they can find logic errors in financial calculations that look normal on the surface.

How does reinsurance work, and what calculations would a reinsurance system need to do?

What they are checking: Whether they understand ceded premiums, claims and reserves well enough to work on these systems.

How do you test changes to a mainframe program that calculates claim payments?

What they are checking: Whether they use thorough regression testing to protect customers from payment errors.

How do you work safely in old code that has little documentation?

What they are checking: Whether they can make careful changes in legacy systems without breaking things.

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The full job description

As published by Northwestern Mutual.

About the Role The Actuarial Software Engineering team at Northwestern Mutual is responsible for creating and improving systems that ensure the company can meet its financial obligations to its customers, employees, and field representatives. These systems are financial in nature, centered on risk products and benefit plans, and based on the professional knowledge of the actuary. The applications are varied, generally are mathematical in nature, and involve working in close partnerships with technical peers and actuarial business experts. As an Actuarial Senior Software Engineer, you will contribute to our mainframe team, with a focus on the reinsurance systems. Working with calculations related to customer premiums, claim payments and reserve calculations requires a comfort level with math, eye for details, and a strong sense of prioritization. Your NM product knowledge and ability to translate technical and business terms will provide you with a strong foundation for your direct client interactions. This is an excellent place to start within this group, will help you build a foundation of knowledge about our risk products, and from there you can either stay mainframe focused or grow into other business application areas and other technologies. Regardless, you’ll be part of a team that plays a crucial role in ensuring this great company continues to do great things for its customers. What You'll Do in the Role • Work with subject matter experts and technical peers to translate business needs into software engineering projects. • Leverage technical experience to develop, create, and implement software changes that meet business needs. • Provide guidance and leadership to less experienced software engineers. • Strive to continually improve our core systems, with a focus on delivering excellence to the business experts who rely on your work. • Multiply the talent of your teammates by sharing your experiences and learnings and fostering a positive team focused atmosphere. • Establishes, aggregates, and shares team standards and best practices within department. • Utilizes working relationships across teams within their division. What You'll Bring to the Role • Bachelor's Degree in a technical field or equivalent experience. • 4-5 years professional experience required. • Experience developing and supporting mainframe-based applications preferred. • Experience with JCL, PL/I, SAS or similar 4th generation tool ideal • Experience with SQL desired. • Experience with professional change management concepts and tools (e.g. ChangeMan, ServiceNow, Control-M) • Strong problem-solving skills. • Capable of communicating between product, engineering, and the business. • Manages own time to meet objectives. • Ability to perform peer reviews on code and design. • Solid understanding of design patterns and architecture. Skills You Have • Accountability • Analytical Thinking • Business Application • Learning Agility & Critical Thinking • Software Development • Software Problem Solving • Technical Problem Solving #LI-Hybrid Compensation Range: Pay Range - Start: $118,960.00 Pay Range - End: $178,440.00 Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 110: $130,880.00 USD - $196,320.00 USD Structure 115: $136,800.00 USD - $205,200.00 USD 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. Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients' interests at the center of all we do. Get started now! 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.

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