Jobs › Northwestern Mutual

Corporate Development Analyst

Northwestern Mutual · Milwaukee, WI · Full time

Posted Sep 23, 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 presented analysis to senior leaders. What did you do to make it land?

What they are checking: Whether they can communicate clearly with executives in memos and oral presentations.

What's a recent merger or partnership in financial services that you found interesting, and why?

What they are checking: Whether they follow industry deal trends, which the posting asks them to monitor.

Tell me about a time you had to research an unfamiliar industry fast.

What they are checking: Whether they can lead external research efficiently under time pressure.

Why corporate development at Northwestern Mutual instead of investment banking?

What they are checking: Whether they want to work on strategy from the inside and understand that difference.

What would you do

A business leader is excited about an acquisition, but your model says it destroys value. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they share uncomfortable findings honestly and with care.

About the work

Walk me through how you'd value a wealth management firm we might acquire.

What they are checking: Whether they can apply comparable companies, precedent transactions and DCF to a real financial services target.

When would a comparable transactions analysis give a very different answer from a DCF, and which would you trust?

What they are checking: Whether they understand the assumptions behind each method and can reconcile them.

How would you build a business case for a strategic partnership that doesn't involve buying a company?

What they are checking: Whether they can analyze partnerships with qualitative and quantitative value, not just acquisitions.

What revenue or cost synergies would you look for in a financial services acquisition, and how would you test them?

What they are checking: Whether they are skeptical of synergy estimates and know how to pressure-test them.

What would you look for during due diligence on a fintech company?

What they are checking: Whether they understand technology, customer, regulatory and integration risks in a target.

Why is integration planning often where deals fail?

What they are checking: Whether they see that value is captured after closing, not on signing day.

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The full job description

As published by Northwestern Mutual.

About The Job: The Corporate Development Analyst is responsible for providing complex financial analysis as a member of Northwestern Mutual’s Venture and Corporate Development team. The Corporate Development Analyst will assist in evaluating potential transactions by building financial models, developing business cases for acquisitions and strategic partnerships, leading external research, and assisting with due diligence and integration efforts. In addition, the Corporate Development Analyst will support the planning and execution of business development activities across Northwestern Mutual. What You'll Do: • Build detailed financial models and create valuation analyses using multiple techniques including comparable company, comparable transaction, and discounted cash flow analyses. • Develop business cases for acquisitions and partnerships through quantitative and qualitative analyses. Deliverables may include models, memos, written presentations, and oral presentations delivered to senior business leaders. • Partner with business leaders and teammates to proactively evaluate opportunities that accelerate execution of Northwestern Mutual’s multi-year strategy. • Support transactions team with due diligence, negotiation, and integration planning efforts. • Monitor and research financial services industry mergers, acquisitions and partnership trends for insights and comparative analysis. What You'll Bring: • Four-year undergraduate degree in accounting, economics, finance or mathematics and a history of academic excellence. • One to three years of prior experience in accounting, banking, consulting, finance, or insurance industries. • Proficiency in accounting and strong financial modeling skills. • Demonstrated ability to evaluate and interpret financial data and other technical information. • Demonstrated superior written and verbal communication skills with ability to build rapport and gain acceptance at all levels of an organization. • Ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, including senior leadership. • Strong presentation skills with an ability to synthesize, distill and summarize complex information. • Excellent Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills. • Possess a strong analytical ability, a sense of urgency, and deep intellectual curiosity. Future focused. Skills You Have: Analytical Thinking - Organizes and compares various aspects of a situation to comprehend and identify key or underlying complex issues through the use of quantitative data and analysis; leverages strong business acumen, problem solving, and interpersonal skills to think critically about situations from multiple perspectives and consistently seeks ways to improve processes Cross Functional Partnering & Planning - Facilitates collaboration, communication, coordination, and planning with individuals and teams from different functions within the organization, and who have different areas of expertise, to achieve common goals Customer, Market & Ecosystem Knowledge - Understanding of market or customer-specific product use-cases, ecosystem dependencies, and competitor offerings. Ability to conduct or interpret competitive analysis of features with key competitive products Industry Knowledge - Demonstrates extensive knowledge of common practices, regulatory considerations, market trends and the competitive landscape within a particular industry / sector to better understand and address unique client requirements, challenges, and context Program Management - O versees and is responsible for the realization of larger workstream goals and manages activities that span across the program. Understands technical aspects of the program, defines scope, develops schedules, and manages resourcing, risks, and dependencies to deliver successful outcomes Vision Setting - Articulates a credible picture of future directions and outcomes; influences and motivates behavior away from status quo and inspires others to follow or lead as appropriate . Embraces change as a natural part of business #LI-Hybrid Compensation Range: Pay Range - Start: $81,280.00 Pay Range - End: $121,920.00 Geographic Specific Pay Structure: Structure 110: $89,440.00 USD - $134,160.00 USD Structure 115: $93,440.00 USD - $140,160.00 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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