MetLife

Join our Global Risk Management Group, where you’ll play a key role in safeguarding the company, ensuring we deliver on our commitments to customers and stakeholders, and driving responsible growth. As part of our team, you’ll identify, monitor, and mitigate both financial and non-financial risks across the organization. Leverage your expertise as the second line of defense to advise our business on effective risk management strategies. This means challenging ideas, implementing robust controls, and enforcing guardrails to foster responsible business growth. Join us in advancing MetLife’s legacy of trust through exemplary risk management practices.

The Risk function within MetLife helps the organization identify, aggregate, measure, report and manage risks across the company. At EMEA level, it is led by the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, with an Operational Risk Central Team, and local teams operating in the countries across EMEA. 

The EMEA Operational Risk lead role is a central second‑line role supporting the oversight, governance and effective operation of the Non‑Financial Risk Management (NFRM) framework across the EMEA region.

The role works closely with country and functional teams, providing independent challenge, advisory support and coordination to ensure that non‑financial risks are identified, assessed, managed and reported in line with risk appetite, regulatory expectations and Group standards. This position sits within the EMEA central risk team and plays a key role in ensuring consistency, quality and transparency of operational risk practices across a diverse, multi‑country environment.

• Support the implementation, ongoing oversight and continuous enhancement of the Non‑Financial Risk Management (NFRM) framework across EMEA.
• Coordinate, review and challenge Non‑Financial Risk Assessments (NFRAs) across countries and functions, ensuring consistency, completeness and quality.
• Provide guidance to first‑line teams on risk identification, assessment, control environment effectiveness and risk acceptance.
• Identify cross‑regional themes, emerging risks and control weaknesses arising from NFRA outcomes.

• Act as a second‑line risk partner, providing independent challenge and constructive advisory support to the business and key functions.
• Assess alignment of operational risk exposures with approved risk appetite, escalating material issues where necessary.
• Support issue management, action tracking and thematic deep‑dives on key operational risk topics.

• Support end‑to‑end operational risk governance across EMEA, from local risk committees to regional Executive and Board Risk Committees.
• Prepare, review and coordinate high‑quality risk materials, papers and presentations for senior management and committee forums.
• Contribute to governance consistency and effectiveness across countries and legal entities.

• Produce and coordinate EMEA operational risk reporting, including qualitative insights, trend analysis and key risk indicators.
• Support regional and Group reporting requirements, including inputs into ORSA and other regulatory or management reporting.
• Provide clear, concise risk insights tailored to senior stakeholders and decision‑makers.

• Build strong working relationships with country risk officers, functional risk leads and senior stakeholders across EMEA.
• Promote a strong risk culture by encouraging ownership, transparency and informed risk‑based decision‑making.

• Solid experience (5+ years) in Operational Risk, Non‑Financial Risk within financial services or insurance (preferred).
• Very good verbal and written communication skills; Ability to translate risk concepts into clear, practical guidance for business stakeholders.
• Fluent English, with the ability to communicate complex risk topics clearly and confidently to senior stakeholders across EMEA.
• Strong understanding of Non‑Financial Risk Management frameworks, including risk assessments, controls and issue management.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the confidence to apply independent judgement and provide effective second‑line challenge in a complex, multi‑country environment.

• Presentation skills, including preparation of communication materials for different audiences or committees.
•  Experience working in a multi‑country or EMEA environment, with exposure to different regulatory and business models.
• Prior experience in insurance or financial services, particularly life insurance.
• Exposure to Board, Executive or Senior risk committee reporting and governance forums.
• Experience with risk reporting, dashboards or data‑driven analysis (e.g. KRIs, thematic analysis).
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks affecting non‑financial risk (e.g. operational resilience, outsourcing, ICT risk).
• Project or change management experience related to risk frameworks, governance or process improvement.
• Additional European or EMEA languages.