AVP, Federal Government Relations

MetLife, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 164,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

401(k) with employer matching

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

MetLife, Inc. is seeking an experienced government affairs professional to join its Washington, D.C. team as Assistant Vice President, Federal Government Relations.

The role reports to the VP, U.S. Government Relations and manages two primary portfolios including Retirement & Income Solutions and federal technology policy. The AVP will translate business priorities into credible policy positions, build stakeholder relationships with policymakers, regulators and industry coalitions, and lead the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and approximately 10+ years of relevant experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, a federal regulatory agency, corporate government affairs, a trade association or a comparable public policy environment.
• Significant experience engaging federal policymakers and understanding of legislative, regulatory, and Executive Branch policymaking processes.
• Experience building advocacy strategy in emerging or unsettled policy areas.
• Working knowledge of technology, AI, data privacy or cybersecurity policy and ability to translate to non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead federal advocacy for Retirement & Income Solutions and serve as primary partner to RIS leadership.
• Own MetLife's federal technology policy agenda across AI, data privacy, and cybersecurity.
• Develop and align advocacy positions with business leaders and enterprise partners.
• Develop and execute federal advocacy strategy and engage with key congressional committees and federal agencies.
• Build trusted relationships with policymakers and senior staff across the political spectrum.
• Provide strategic counsel and political intelligence on legislative and regulatory trends.
• Mobilize the broader policy ecosystem through trade associations and coalitions.
• Work in an AI-enabled way, using approved AI tools for briefing and asset development.
• Lead with a global mindset across Global Government Affairs and lines of business.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

Public policy advocacy

Policy analysis

Federal policymaking

Relationship building

AI policy

Strategic counseling

Bipartisan engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

In Government & Legal Affairs, you'll be an engaged and trusted partner - empowered to deliver innovative solutions, influence public policy, and achieve results that enable MetLife’s growth and protect its global interests. Applying a commercial and contemporary mindset, you'll advocate for what’s possible, overcome challenges, and embrace different perspectives.

The Opportunity

In Government & Legal Affairs, the Federal Government Affairs team represents MetLife before Congress, the Executive Branch and federal regulatory agencies — advancing the company's public policy priorities, advising senior leaders on political and policy developments, and managing relationships with policymakers, trade associations and industry coalitions.

MetLife is seeking an experienced government affairs professional to join its Washington, D.C. team as Assistant Vice President, Federal Government Relations reporting to the VP U.S. Government Relations. The role carries two primary portfolios.

The AVP serves as the primary Federal Government Affairs partner to MetLife’s Retirement and Income Solutions business (RIS), translating institutional retirement business priorities into effective advocacy before Congress, the Executive Branch and federal regulators — spanning pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional income annuities and other retirement risk and benefit funding solutions.

As MetLife expands its use of responsible AI and manages a growing set of technology-driven risks, this role owns the company's federal technology policy portfolio — spanning artificial intelligence, data privacy and cybersecurity — building the advocacy plan, representing MetLife's technology governance and practices to policymakers and other stakeholders, and coordinating across Legal and enterprise functions.

The AVP applies the same advocacy skill set to the team's broader policy priorities, including Group Benefits, tax, trade and international issues before federal legislators and regulators.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead federal advocacy for Retirement & Income Solutions. Serve as the primary Federal Government Affairs partner to RIS and its senior leadership team, owning the federal advocacy portfolio across pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional income annuities, retirement risk and benefit funding solutions.
• Own MetLife's federal technology policy agenda. Build and maintain the company's federal advocacy plan across AI, data privacy and cybersecurity; monitor and interpret Congressional, Executive Branch and agency activity as governance frameworks evolve across these areas; and recommend when, where and how MetLife engages.
• Build and align MetLife advocacy positions. Work closely with business leaders and functional partners — including Communications, Legal, Regulatory Policy, Risk and other enterprise teams — to understand business priorities, develop well-supported policy positions, resolve differing perspectives and ensure MetLife presents a consistent, credible voice to policymakers and other external stakeholders.
• Develop and execute federal advocacy strategy. Originate the strategies that advance MetLife's agenda across these issues; lead MetLife's engagement with the Senate HELP and House Education and Workforce Committees, build coverage of the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, and House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and support engagement with the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal agencies with jurisdiction over key policy areas impacting MetLife.
• Build trusted relationships with policymakers. Develop and maintain strong relationships with Members of Congress and senior congressional staff, Executive Branch officials, federal regulators and other policymakers.
• Provide strategic counsel and political intelligence. Proactively bring forward issues, ideas and early indicators of legislative, regulatory and political trends that will impact the business; anticipate and assess these developments; identify risks and opportunities; and provide timely, actionable advice to senior business leaders and Government & Legal Affairs colleagues.
• Mobilize the broader policy ecosystem. Represent MetLife with relevant trade associations, industry coalitions and other external stakeholders, and leverage third-party relationships to advance policy objectives.
• Work in an AI-enabled way. Use approved AI and workflow tools in the team's own work — monitoring, tracking, first-draft briefing and material development — and build and document the reusable assets behind them, so the capability belongs to the team rather than to one person.
• Lead with a global mindset. Collaborate across Global Government Affairs, Legal and MetLife's businesses on global policy issues facing the enterprise, including market access, trade, sanctions, and geopolitical and regional priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and approximately 10+ of relevant experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, a federal regulatory agency, corporate government affairs, a trade association or a comparable public policy environment.
• Significant experience engaging federal policymakers and a sophisticated understanding of legislative, regulatory and Executive Branch policymaking processes.
• Demonstrated experience building an advocacy strategy on an emerging or unsettled policy area — where the framework is still forming, the company position is not yet written, and the coalition does not yet exist.
• Working command of technology, AI, data privacy or cybersecurity policy, and the ability to explain technical subject matter credibly to non-technical policymakers while translating policy developments back to technical, legal and business teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior policymakers and stakeholders across the political spectrum.
• A proactive self-starter with connectivity to the financial services industry, able to surface emerging issues and early indicators before they are widely recognized.
• Experience developing and executing sophisticated advocacy strategies on complex legislative, regulatory or public policy matters.
• Strong political judgment and demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a bipartisan and bicameral environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate complex policy developments into clear business implications and recommendations.
• Executive presence and demonstrated ability to establish credibility with senior business leaders and to represent an organization effectively with senior external stakeholders.
• Hands-on use of AI tools in your own work, with the judgment to recognize when an output is not accurate or reliable enough to use externally.
• Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, collaborate across a complex organization and manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working directly for a Member of Congress or a congressional committee, the Executive Branch or a federal regulatory agency.
• Corporate government affairs or major industry trade association experience.
• Experience leading a technology, AI, data privacy, cybersecurity, workforce, insurance or retirement public policy portfolio, including familiarity with employer-sponsored retirement plans, ERISA, pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional annuities, lifetime income policy or related Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation matters.
• Established relationships with the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, House or Senate Judiciary, Senate HELP or House Education and Workforce Committees, Executive Branch officials and/or federal regulatory agencies.
• Experience advising senior business executives and translating business priorities into public policy strategy.
• Experience representing a company's technology, data, AI or cybersecurity practices to external audiences, including regulators, coalitions or the press.

Location Expectation: This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in office.

The expected salary range for this position is 164,200 - 218,900. This role may also be eligible for annual short-term incentive compensation and stock-based long-term incentives. All incentives and benefits are subject to the applicable plan terms.

Benefits We Offer

Our U.S. benefits address holistic well-being with programs for physical and mental health, financial wellness, and support for families. We offer a comprehensive health plan that includes medical/prescription drug and vision, dental insurance, and no-cost short- and long-term disability. We also provide company-paid life insurance and legal services, a retirement pension funded entirely by MetLife and 401(k) with employer matching, group discounts on voluntary insurance products including auto and home, pet, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and accident insurance, as well as Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and digital mental health programs, parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, volunteer time off, tuition assistance and much more! For more information regarding MetLife’s U.S. benefits, please .

About MetLife

Recognizedon Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies",Fortune World’s 25 Best Workplaces™, as well as the Fortune 100 Best Companiesto Work For®, MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of theworld’s leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities,employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutionalcustomers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positionsin the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

As part of our New Frontier strategy, MetLife is building an AI-enabled, people-centered future. We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, adaptability, and a growth mindset as we use AI to enhance how we serve customers, support communities, and evolve the way work gets done. At MetLife, AI is a responsible partner that supports human judgment, creativity, and continuous improvement while helping us build trust, inclusion, and long-term value.

Our purposeis simple - to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world atlarge create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by our corevalues - Win Together, Do the Right Thing, Deliver Impact Over Activity, andThink Ahead - we’re inspired to transform the next century in financialservices. At MetLife, it’s #AllTogetherPossible . Join us!

MetLife is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are made without regards to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status (although applicants and employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States), uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law (“protected characteristics”). If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please email us at [e-mail]. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application process.
MetLife maintains a drug-free workplace.

This posting is for a current vacancy and is anticipated to remain open for at least 90 days from the listed posting date.