MetLife

US Technology – AVP, Enterprise Architecture & AI Enablement
 Location: Cary, NC or New York / New Jersey

Role Summary

The AVP, Chief Architect for US Technology shapes, evolves, and governs the enterprise architecture strategy for MetLife’s US Business, with a strong emphasis on AI‑driven transformation at enterprise scale.

This role combines enterprise architecture leadership—defining platforms, standards, reference architectures, and roadmaps—with a forward‑deployed, hands‑on mindset. The AVP partners closely with senior business and technology leaders to identify high‑impact opportunities, guide AI‑enabled solution design, and ensure innovation is delivered through secure, scalable, and well‑governed architectural patterns.

As a senior leader within Enterprise Architecture, this role is accountable for leading and evolving the architecture community, developing the skills, tools, and operating models required to succeed in an AI‑enabled software delivery lifecycle (SDLC).

Department Overview

Enterprise Architecture provides a holistic approach to technology strategy and solution design across US Technology. The team drives a simplified, consistent, and future‑ready architecture, enabling agility, resilience, quality, and cost effectiveness.

The function partners broadly across US Business units, Global Operations, Application Development, Information Security, Data & Analytics, Infrastructure, Privacy, and Legal to ensure alignment with enterprise and GTO strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, maintain, and communicate the US Business enterprise architecture blueprint, including platforms, standards, reference architectures, and architectural guardrails.
• Establish multi‑year architecture roadmaps that guide modernization, AI enablement, system rationalization, and investment decisions.
• Integrate enterprise architecture into an AI‑enabled SDLC, from experimentation and design through production deployment and lifecycle management.
• Establish reusable AI architectural patterns and reference implementations that enable rapid innovation while meeting enterprise‑grade security, compliance, resilience, and governance requirements.
• Provide architectural oversight for AI‑enabled and cloud‑native solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, data strategy, and risk management practices.
• Guide teams in incorporating AI capabilities (e.g., LLMs, copilots, automation) into modern and legacy‑constrained architectures.
• Architect and review solutions across applications, data platforms, integrations, cloud infrastructure, and AI‑enabled capabilities, partnering closely with engineering teams.
• Engage hands‑on, when appropriate, in solution design, rapid prototyping, or proof‑of‑concept initiatives to validate architectural approaches and accelerate learning.
• Lead architecture governance across solution quality, security, resilience, lifecycle management, and compliance, including regulatory and privacy requirements.
• Act as a trusted advisor and bridge between business leaders, technology owners, engineers, and governance bodies, translating business strategy into actionable architectural direction.
• Communicate complex architectural and AI concepts with executive clarity, enabling informed decision‑making.
• Lead, mentor, and develop enterprise and solution architects, building a high‑performing, modern architecture community.
• Evolve team capabilities in AI, cloud platforms, data architecture, and AI‑enabled delivery models, balancing architectural rigor with a culture of experimentation and innovation.

Key Relationships:

• Enterprise Architecture Community
• US Business and US Technology Leadership
• Engineering, Data & Analytics, Security, Infrastructure, Privacy, and Legal partners
• External technology and platform partners

Experience & Qualifications:

Required

• 15+ years of experience in technology, engineering, or enterprise architecture within large‑scale environments.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy into architecture execution.
• Strong experience with cloud platforms (Azure required; AWS/GCP preferred) and hybrid architectures.
• Deep understanding of security, resiliency, and operational architecture principles.
• Demonstrated executive‑level influence and exceptional communication skills.

Preferred

• Advanced degree in engineering, computer science, or related field.
• Experience with AI, machine learning, automation, or advanced analytics architectures.
• Familiarity with LLM‑based architectures, AI integration patterns, and AI governance.
• Experience with modern SDLC practices, Agile, DevSecOps, and cloud‑native delivery models.
• Industry certifications (e.g., TOGAF, cloud architect certifications).