This position has closed. Northwestern Mutual first posted this listing on Aug 28, 2017. It is still on their careers page, but a job that old is almost certainly not being filled, so we took it down on Oct 4, 2026.
The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open
roles at the bottom of this page.
Posted Aug 28, 2017 ·
We last checked this listing on Oct 4, 2026
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 improving a continuous integration pipeline. What was slowing it down?
What they are checking: The posting asks them to enhance the pipeline, not just use it.
Tell me about disagreeing with a product manager about what to build.
What they are checking: Whether they can push back and then commit.
Tell me about a technology you learned because the team needed it.
What they are checking: The posting asks for enthusiasm about learning, and this checks it is a habit.
What would you do
How do you keep software maintainable when the pressure is to ship quickly?
What they are checking: The posting asks for both fast delivery and well-crafted code, which are in tension.
How do you explain a technical problem to someone senior who is not technical?
What they are checking: The posting names communicating across all levels of the organization.
This is a company nearly 160 years old with on-premise and cloud systems side by side. How do you feel about that?
What they are checking: Whether they will work on what exists or want a greenfield project.
About the work
Tell me about production work you have done on an enterprise CRM system.
What they are checking: The posting asks for three years of exactly this, and CRM work is a specific discipline.
What have you built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, and where does it get awkward?
What they are checking: Whether the Dynamics experience is real, since the awkward parts only show up in production.
Walk me through how you would add a feature that spans the front end, the .NET layer and the database.
What they are checking: Whether they work across the stack the posting describes rather than one slice of it.
How do you decide what to cover with unit tests and what belongs in integration tests?
What they are checking: The posting names both, and most engineers have a doctrine rather than a judgment.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Northwestern Mutual from your
resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells
you what landed. The first one is free.
At Northwestern Mutual, we believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. These beliefs launched our company nearly 160 years ago. Today, they're just a few of the reasons why people choose to build careers at Northwestern Mutual.
We're strong and growing. In a company with such a long and storied history, this may be the most exciting and important time to be a part of Northwestern Mutual. We're strong, innovative and growing.
We invest in our people. We provide opportunities for employees to grow themselves, their career and in turn, our business.
We care. We make a positive difference in our communities. Nationally, thousands have benefitted from our support of research and programs to fight childhood cancer. Each year, our Foundation, employees and financial representatives donate time, talent and financial support to causes they're passionate about.
We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.
What's the role?
As a Sr Software Engineer, you will be a key Agile team member building user interfaces and software components to enhance our on-premise and cloud based Enterprise CRM Systems.
You will:
• Design and build the software that brings new features to our CRM platform
• Design and build well-crafted software that is effective and maintainable
• Enhance and support the continuous integration and delivery pipeline
• Build applications quickly in an agile environment
Skills and Requirements
Bring Your Best! What this role needs:
• Driven to support quality and test automation (unit and integration)
• Eager to collaborate with engineers, designers and product managers
• Enthusiastic about learning new technologies and evangelizing best practices
• Ability to effectively communicate issues and solutions across all levels of the organization
Required Technical Experience:
• At least 3 years of delivering production quality components for enterprise CRM systems
• Detailed knowledge of the .NET framework, C#, JavaScript and Microsoft Dynamics 365
• Proficient with object oriented design and development methodologies
• Proficient with database technologies including SQL and SQLServer
• Proficient with software development tools and continuous delivery and integration technologies. Ideally this would include: Jenkins, TeamCity, JIRA, TFS, GIT based repositories and UrbanCode.
Preferred Technical Experience:
• Other CRM solutions such as SalesForce
• Scripting languages such as: PowerShell, Unix Shell, Perl or Python
• JAVA
Education Experience: Bachelor’s in relevant field required
Req ID: 16442
Position Type: Regular Full Time
Education Experience: Bachelor's Desired
Employment Experience: 3-5 years
Licenses/Certifications: FLSA Status: Exempt
Posting Date: 08/11/2017