Principal Security Architect

MetLife; Cary (NC); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

401(k) with employer match

Parental leave

Wellness programs

Job summary

MetLife is seeking a Principal Security Architect to lead risk-based security architecture reviews and provide enterprise-grade guidance for technology initiatives. You will evaluate proposed architectures, identify material risks, and develop reusable reference architectures to guide enterprise security transformation.

The role requires deep expertise across IAM, network, devices, applications, data, cloud, SOC, governance/compliance, and AI security, with a focus on threat modeling, risk

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of overall experience.
• Experience reviewing or designing complex technology solutions.
• Expertise in threat modeling, risk assessment, attack path analysis, trust-boundary assessment, control gap analysis, and remediation planning.
• Understanding of IAM, network, devices, applications, data, SOC, cloud, governance/risk/compliance, and AI security.
• Experience developing reference architectures, standards, guardrails, and reusable design patterns.
• Knowledge of current-state and target-state architecture, roadmaps, and transformation leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead Security Architecture Review (SAR) assessments for enterprise initiatives (apps, platforms, cloud, infrastructure, AI).
• Perform threat modeling and risk assessments to identify design gaps and data exposure risks.
• Evaluate security controls and technologies against architecture requirements and standards.
• Design secure architecture patterns across identity, network, endpoint/device, application, data, cloud, and AI domains.
• Develop reusable security reference architectures and design principles to accelerate secure delivery at scale.
• Provide identity-centric security guidance including authentication/authorization models and privileged access.
• Advise on network segmentation, micro-segmentation, zero trust, and secure connectivity for various integrations.
• Design risk-based access policies considering sensitivity and criticality.
• Assess current-state security architecture and define target-state, roadmaps, and maturity models.
• Collaborate with EA, product teams, cloud/platform teams, IAM, data protection, SOC, GRC, privacy, and risk stakeholders.
• Document architecture decisions, risks, and remediation actions clearly for technical teams and leadership.

Skills

Threat modeling

Risk assessment

Security architecture

Identity-centric security

Zero trust

Network segmentation

Secure access

IAM security

Cloud security

Architecture review

Job description

As part of MetLife’s Global Security team, you’ll work alongside world-class experts to protect MetLife, our customers and our colleagues. The team is responsible for managing cybersecurity, IT risks and vulnerabilities, physical security, and more. In this fast-paced, mission-driven environment, you’ll join outstanding teammates to expand your skills, collaborate across the organization and implement innovative approaches to safeguard MetLife when it matters most.

The Opportunity

The Principal Security Architect will lead risk-based security architecture reviews and provide enterprise-grade security guidance for technology and platform initiatives submitted through the Security Architecture Review process. This role will evaluate proposed architectures, identify material risks, recommend appropriate security controls, and help teams align solutions to target-state architecture, reference patterns, and roadmaps. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in threat modeling, security control evaluation, architecture design, identity-centric security, network segmentation, secure access, risk-based access policy design, and broad security domain knowledge across IAM, network, devices, applications, data, SOC, cloud, governance/risk/compliance, and AI. This role is expected to influence architecture decisions, develop reusable reference architectures, and support enterprise transformation through current-state assessment, maturity modeling, strategic planning, and roadmap development.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Security Architecture Review (SAR) assessments for enterprise technology initiatives, including applications, platforms, cloud services, infrastructure, AI solutions, integrations, and major transformation programs.
• Perform threat modeling and risk assessments to identify security design gaps, control weaknesses, trust-boundary concerns, attack paths, data exposure risks, and operational impacts.
• Evaluate security controls, tools, and technologies against architecture requirements, enterprise standards, risk posture, and control effectiveness objectives.
• Design and recommend secure architecture patterns across identity, network, endpoint/device, application, data, cloud, SOC/security operations, governance/risk/compliance, and AI domains.
• Develop and maintain reusable security reference architectures, decision patterns, implementation guardrails, and design principles to accelerate secure delivery at scale.
• Provide identity-centric security architecture guidance, including authentication assurance, authorization models, privileged access, least privilege, role-based access, non-human identity considerations, and lifecycle integration.
• Advise on network segmentation, micro segmentation, secure access, zero trust access patterns, ingress/egress controls, and connectivity models for internal, internet-facing, and B2B integrations.
• Design risk-based access policies for users, workloads, devices, applications, data, and administrative functions, considering sensitivity, exposure, business criticality, and operational requirements.
• Assess current-state security architecture and define target-state architecture, transition roadmaps, maturity models, and strategic recommendations for enterprise security transformation.
• Drive integration of security architecture with the five security pillars: IAM, network, devices, applications, and data, while ensuring alignment with security automation, orchestration, monitoring, detection, and response capabilities.
• Partner with enterprise architecture, application teams, cloud/platform teams, network engineering, IAM, data protection, SOC, GRC, privacy, legal, and risk stakeholders to develop pragmatic and implementable security recommendations.
• Document architecture decisions, risks, assumptions, compensating controls, and required remediation actions clearly for technical teams, governance bodies, and leadership audiences.

Required Qualifications

• 8- 10 years of overall experience.
• Strong experience in security architecture, enterprise architecture, security engineering, or cyber risk roles with demonstrated responsibility for reviewing or designing complex technology solutions.
• Demonstrated expertise in threat modeling, risk assessment, attack path analysis, trust-boundary assessment, control gap analysis, and security remediation planning.
• Deep understanding of security architecture patterns, including identity-centric security, zero trust, least privilege, defense-in-depth, segmentation, secure access, data protection, secure integration, and secure-by-design principles.
• Ability to evaluate security controls and technologies, determine control applicability, assess architecture fit, and provide risk-based recommendations that balance protection, usability, delivery speed, and operational feasibility.
• Broad knowledge across IAM, network security, endpoint/device security, application security, data security, cloud security, SOC/security operations, governance/risk/compliance, and/or AI security.
• Experience developing reference architectures, security standards, guardrails, architecture decision records, or reusable design patterns for enterprise teams.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture practices, including current-state assessment, target-state architecture, roadmap planning, maturity modeling, capability modeling, and transformation leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Security Architecture Review, Architecture Review Board, technology governance, cloud governance, or risk acceptance processes in a large enterprise environment.
• Hands‑on or architecture experience with identity platforms, privileged access management, conditional/risk-based access, role-based access control, federation, secrets management, and workload/non‑human identity patterns.
• Experience with secure access service edge, zero trust network access, micro segmentation, API security, B2B connectivity, cloud connectivity, and secure hybrid network architecture.
• Experience with cloud-native architectures, container platforms, Kubernetes, DevSecOps pipelines, infrastructure as code, policy‑as‑code, vulnerability management, posture management, logging, monitoring, detection, and response integration.
• Familiarity with AI security risks and controls, including model misuse, sensitive data exposure, excessive agency, prompt injection, insecure integrations, supply chain risk, AI governance workflows, and secure AI deployment patterns.
• Experience influencing cross-functional architecture decisions and leading stakeholders toward target-state designs, standard patterns, measurable maturity improvements, and practical implementation roadmaps.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, SABSA, TOGAF, Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect, cloud security certifications, or other security architecture credentials are a plus.

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 $120,000 - $190,000. 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.

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.