Lead Leveraged Finance Research Analyst

Job Description

Leveraged Finance Research Director | Northwestern Mutual

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, LLC, located in Milwaukee, WI. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, manages over $250 billion in assets, with the Public Investments department overseeing $120 billion. This role is crucial for delivering independent fundamental research and investment recommendations to effectively manage leveraged finance bond portfolios, contributing to strategic return objectives.

The TL;DR
• Role: Manager
• Type: Full-time (Flexible)
• Location: In-person, Milwaukee, WI

• Team: Leveraged Finance team, reporting to the Head of Leveraged Finance Research.
• Mission: Conduct independent fundamental research across assigned sectors and issuers, delivering forward-looking investment recommendations aligned with portfolio strategy and return objectives.
• Tech Stack: Bloomberg, Microsoft Office, Copilot.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Lead: Mentor and develop less-experienced peers while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
• Monitor: Observe assigned industry dynamics and develop expert views on profitability, cash flow drivers, and external risks or opportunities.
• Analyze: Conduct thorough fundamental credit analysis of assigned companies, including financial statements, policy, and management track record.
• Recommend: Provide investment recommendations across the coverage universe based on risk-adjusted return potential, portfolio strategy, and fundamental credit views.
• Network: Develop and maintain productive external relationships with Wall Street analysts, rating agencies, independent research firms, and company management teams.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in finance, accounting, economics, statistics, or a related field, qualifying for a Manager-level position.
• Experience: Minimum of eight years in leveraged finance, fixed income investments, or a closely related field, with a demonstrated record of progressive responsibility, strong investment judgment, and prudent risk management.
• Skills: Strong analytical skills, including financial statement analysis, cross-sector relative value assessment; effective oral and written communication skills; proficiency with Bloomberg, Microsoft Office, and Copilot.
• Bonus: Master of Science or MBA; CFA designation or progress toward it; experience with computer programming, data analytics, or integrating AI-enabled tools into research workflows.