Senior Mainframe Developer

MetLife; Bridgewater (MA); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 141,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

401(k) matching

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Stock-based incentives

Employee assistance program

Tuition assistance

Philanthropy/Volunteer time off

Job summary

MetLife’s Global Technology team is seeking a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer to modernize and support mainframe applications, leveraging COBOL, JCL, CICS, and DB2 while adopting AI-enabled practices.

You will collaborate across product, architecture, and operations to deliver reliable solutions, participate in CI/CD and DevOps, and mentor colleagues in modernization efforts within a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience with mainframe technologies and modernization projects.
• Ability to coordinate across teams and manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead modernization and decommissioning of legacy applications.
• Create and maintain batch processes for mainframe apps.
• Oversee code quality, testing, and production support.
• Manage modernization efforts from ChangeMan to GitHub.
• Develop applications using mainframe languages and GitHub Copilot.
• Coordinate with product owners, architects, and operations to deliver requirements.

Skills

Mainframe development

GitHub Copilot

Cross-functional collaboration

CI/CD & DevOps

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

GitHub

ChangeMan to GitHub

Mainframe tooling

Job description

When you join MetLife’s Global Technology team, you’ll be part of a forward-thinking group dedicated to shaping the future of digital solutions for customers worldwide. You’ll develop, maintain and support technology applications and delivery, leveraging AI, automation, and contemporary ways of working to enhance experiences and drive business outcomes. Your work will simplify complex processes, improve tech resiliency, and ensure high-performing, seamless solutions that power life’s most important moments. In this dynamic environment, you’ll collaborate with talented peers across teams and functions, expanding your skills in impactful ways. Ready to push boundaries and set new industry standards? Join us and help drive the future of technology forward.

The Opportunity

The Senior Full Stack Software Engineer is responsible for modernizing, reimagining, supporting, and retiring mainframe applications across the MetLife Holdings Classic Agile Release Train. The ideal candidate will possess deep mainframe development and engineering capabilities with technologies including COBOL, JCL, CICS, DB2, or similar programming languages. This role plays a key part in maintaining the stability of applications, while advancing MetLife's modernization strategy through the transformation of legacy mainframe platforms, adoption of AI-enabled engineering practices, and retirement of aging technologies. Guided by our purpose – always with you, building a more confident future – and our New Frontier strategy focused on stronger growth, attractive returns and all-weather performance, this is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of MetLife Holdings technology and support the Annuity & Life Insurance Next Evolution migration.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the application modernization and decommissioning initiatives, including application rationalization, dependency analysis, migration activities, and retirement of legacy platforms while ensuring compliance with business, regulatory, and operational requirements.
• Create and maintain mainframe applications’ batch processes to support business functions, improve operational efficiency, and enable the reliable delivery of business capabilities.
• Oversee application quality, code reviews, automated testing, production support, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage technical enhancements, ChangeMan to GitHub modernization efforts, platform currency and security activities, and technical debt reduction across assigned applications.
• Develop and maintain applications using mainframe programming languages and GitHub Copilot with human-in-the-loop processes.
• Coordinate with product owners, architects, business analysts, operations teams, and external partners to ensure successful delivery of requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong mainframe application development experience including COBOL, JCL, CICS, DB2, or similar programming languages.
• Ability to work effectively across technical and business teams while managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Robust analytical and problem-solving skills with experience diagnosing complex production issues and remediating currency and security vulnerabilities.
• Experience participating in application modernization, legacy transformation, and application decommissioning initiatives.
• Effective program management, communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in designing, developing, testing, deploying, and supporting mainframe applications.
• Experience with AI-assisted software engineering tools, such as GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, or similar technologies.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Agile development methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior mainframe engineers, influence technical direction, and drive engineering best practices across teams.
• 3+ years of experience supporting Retail Life and Annuity products.

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 $105,000 - $140,000. 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

• programs for physical and mental health
• financial wellness
• support for families
• comprehensive health plan that includes medical/prescription drug and vision
• dental insurance
• no-cost short- and long-term disability
• company-paid life insurance
• legal services
• a retirement pension funded entirely by MetLife
• 401(k) with employer matching
• group discounts on voluntary insurance products including auto and home
• pet
• critical illness
• hospital indemnity
• accident insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• digital mental health programs
• parental leave
• paid time off
• paid holidays
• volunteer time off
• tuition assistance

For more information regarding MetLife’s U.S. benefits.

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!

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.