Principal Platform & AI Engineering Lead

MetLife; Cary (NC); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Stock-based long-term incentives

Job summary

MetLife is seeking an Engineering Lead for Principal Platform & AI to set architecture direction across UAP, driving scalable, secure, cloud-native solutions for actuarial, risk, and regulatory workloads.

The role oversees UX engineering, API governance, and DevSecOps practices, partnering with teams to deliver AI-enabled workflows and resilient platforms while mentoring engineers and leading governance forums.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent.
• 10+ years in full-stack engineering.
• Expertise in React, APIs, and cloud platforms.
• Experience with microservices architecture.
• CI/CD, containerization, Infrastructure-as-Code.
• AI-assisted development experience.
• Strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define architecture strategy for full-stack platforms (UX, APIs, infrastructure).
• Establish standards, guardrails, and reusable patterns.
• Lead solution design approvals for scalability and security.
• Define frontend strategy with React and micro-frontends.

Skills

Full-stack engineering

React

APIs

Cloud platforms

Microservices

CI/CD

Infrastructure as Code

AI-assisted development

Communication

Education

Bachelors in Computer Science or equivalent

Job description

The Principal Platform & AI Engineering Lead is responsible for driving architecture selection, platform strategy, and execution at the solution and portfolio level for the Unified Actuarial Platform (UAP). This role provides enterprise-level technical leadership across actuarial, risk, and regulatory platforms, ensuring the platform remains scalable, secure, current, and aligned with rapidly evolving business and technology needs. The role operates with broad autonomy and accountability and establishes long-term technical direction for UAP.

Key Responsibilities

Platform & Architecture Leadership

• Define architecture strategy for full-stack platforms (UX, APIs, infrastructure)
• Establish standards, guardrails, and reusable patterns
• Lead solution design approvals for scalability and security

UX Engineering

• Define frontend strategy with React and micro-frontends
• Establish design system and accessibility standards
• Deliver intuitive digital experiences for actuarial workflows

API & Microservices

• Define API-first architecture strategy
• Govern REST, GraphQL, and event-driven services
• Ensure performance, scalability, and integration

Platform Infrastructure

• Lead cloud-native infrastructure frameworks
• Drive CI/CD, containerization, and Infrastructure-as-Code
• Establish DevSecOps practices

AI-First Engineering

• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development (Copilot)
• Integrate GenAI into UX and engineering workflows

Delivery & Operations

• Own performance, availability, and scalability
• Lead production issue resolution

Leadership & Governance

• Serve as principal technical authority
• Mentor engineers and lead governance forums

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent
• 10+ years in full-stack engineering
• Expertise in React, APIs, and cloud platforms
• Experience with microservices architecture
• CI/CD, containerization, Infrastructure-as-Code
• AI-assisted development experience
• Strong communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in actuarial or regulated domains
• UX design systems and enterprise applications
• API gateways and micro-frontend architectures
• GitHub Enterprise and Copilot adoption
• Azure or Kubernetes certifications

Location Expectation

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

Salary and Benefits

The expected salary range for this position is $140,000- $180,000. 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!

About MetLife

Recognized on Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies", Fortune World’s 25 Best Workplaces™, as well as the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®, MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positions in 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 purpose is simple - to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world at large create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by our core values - Win Together, Do the Right Thing, Deliver Impact Over Activity, and Think Ahead - we’re inspired to transform the next century in financial services. At MetLife, it’s #AllTogetherPossible. Join us!

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.

An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liabilities.

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