Northwestern Mutual logo
Northwestern Mutual
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

VP Medical Director

Internal MedicineFull-Time

Listed compensation

$220k-$330k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

We are seeking a Vice President, Medical Director for our medical organization, to serve as a senior medical authority who will bridge clinical medicine with risk management. They will translate medical science into underwriting guidelines, assess mortality/morbidity risks for Life, DI and LTC policies, guide claims assessment, and ensure regulatory compliance.

Our medical team currently consists of approximately 20 industry professionals including RNs, MDs and DOs. This specialized team has recreated the collegial environment from days in clinical practice. The focus is to find innovative ways to promote health, predict mortality and morbidity experience, while setting the tone for underwriting standards and the entire enterprise.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Support company goals for mortality and morbidity by setting medical standards for Life, Disability, and Long Term Care products.

Facilitate expertise to utilize the standards by supporting the education of the underwriters.

Bring medical consultations and leadership to a broad spectrum of Company departments (Actuarial, Law, Government Relations, Communications, Philanthropy, Innovation, NM Venture Funds, etc.)

Provide medical case consultations/referrals with underwriting and benefits areas (Life, Disability, and Long Term Care)

Direct or participate in special projects and committees as designated by the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

  • Train and onboard Associate Medical Directors new to insurance medicine
  • Perform 2nd sign reviews on Jumbo Life cases
  • Collaborate with the CV Medical Consultants (RNs) for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment.

Contribute to insurance medicine associations (e. g., planning meetings, speaking, holding office, and setting professional standards).

Qualifications

  • Complete a MD or DO degree, primary care residency training, and at least 3 years of clinical experience.
  • Achieve and maintain Board certification in Internal Medicine, Med/Peds, or Family Medicine.
  • Achieve and maintain medical licensing in the state of Wisconsin
  • Demonstrate excellent communication skills
  • Ability to write medical standards
  • Ability to present at industry meetings
  • Ability to perform training sessions
  • Ability to interact professionally with the underwriters, claims analysts, field and policyowners
  • Attainment of Board Certification in Insurance Medicine.
  • Demonstrate digital proficiency with case management and medical record platforms.
  • Exhibit ethical behavior and demonstrate excellent judgment.
  • Be comfortable with change and have flexibility to be a change agent

Compensation Range

Pay Range - Start

$220,000.00

Pay Range - End

  • $330,000.00
  • This role is eligible for additional short-term and long-term incentive compensation.

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.

Key Responsibilities

The VP Medical Director will serve as a senior medical authority, bridging clinical medicine with risk management to set underwriting standards for Life, Disability, and Long Term Care products. They will provide medical consultations across various departments, train associate medical directors, and ensure regulatory compliance while promoting health and mortality prediction.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Medical underwritingMortality assessmentMorbidity assessmentMedical case consultationStrategic planning

Internal Medicine — Physician Career Context

Of the 50 active Internal Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 50% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Internal Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Wisconsin is 94.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$275k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $292k in an average-cost state. 60.7% of Wisconsin clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Internist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 36 employers

20
<$325k
8
$325k-350k
14
$350k-375k
6
$375k-400k
2
$400k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks43 jobs · 36 employers

401k / retirement match
84%
Sign-on bonus
74% this job
CME allowance
56%
Relocation assistance
44%
Loan repayment
23%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Internal Medicine listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,290 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Milwaukee

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$236k≈ 1.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,477/mo≈ 8% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.9
State income tax
Up to 7.7%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Northwestern Mutual logo

About Northwestern Mutual

Financial Services
Milwaukee, WI
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Short-term and Long-term Incentive Compensation