Description and Requirements The Team You Will Join The SHIELD function is a cornerstone of the enterprise's experience protection strategy. This team is responsible for designing and implementing the protection layer that safeguards applications, data pipelines, infrastructure, and security domains. By partnering with domain architects, SMEs, and cross-functional teams, the SHIELD group ensures operational risks are converted into engineered patterns, enabling proactive detection and containment of drift before it impacts customers or employees.
The Opportunity As the SHIELD Architect, you will serve as the senior technical authority for the enterprise's experience protection layer. You will define guardrails, early-warning logic, cross-domain stabilization patterns, and automated controls that span Application, Data, Infrastructure, and Security. Your work will empower SHIELD Engineers and the broader organization to sense and contain operational drift, drive safe automation boundaries, and uplift the maturity of RUN -> PROTECT -> EVOLVE capabilities. You will collaborate across the enterprise to deliver services that are resilient, adaptive, and aligned with business outcomes.
How You'll Help Us Build a Confident Future (Key Responsibilities) - Architect end-to-end protection patterns across app, data, infra, and security layers.
- Design early-detection logic for drift, latency creep, SLO/SLA degradation, data freshness issues, schema changes, batch/reporting failures, authentication friction, and infrastructure saturation.
- Define control-as-code patterns embedded within ServiceNow workflows for Change, Incident, Problem, Release, and Access Management.
- Create stabilization logic such as autoscale, route shifts, job controls, controlled rollbacks, and safety limits.
- Partner with domain architects and L3 SMEs to align safe automation boundaries and system-level design constraints.
- Develop diagnostic correlation logic to accelerate triage and root-cause identification for SHIELD Engineers.
- Govern the quality of production findings, ensuring high-fidelity evidence, cross-domain correlation, severity scoring, and actionable recommendations.
- Own SHIELD's engineering standards, domain integration patterns, and protection roadmap.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to uplift operational maturity and resilience.
Required Skills: - 7 - 10+ years in engineering across Application, Data, Infrastructure, or Security domains.
- Deep familiarity with observability (logs, metrics, traces), SLO design, automation patterns, and distributed systems.
- Experience with cloud platforms, Kubernetes, CI/CD, messaging systems, and ServiceNow or equivalent tooling.
- Strong diagnostic, analytical, and pattern-recognition capabilities.
- Ability to operate calmly under pressure in critical moments.
Preferred Skills - Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
- Prior experience in leading protection or automation programs within large, regulated, global enterprises.
- Exposure to SRE, MLOps, or AI-driven operational analytics.
- Certifications in relevant infrastructure domains (e.g., AWS/Azure Architect, ITIL).
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate complex technical initiatives into measurable business outcomes.
Success Indicators - Early detection of issues before impact.
- Reduced MTTR and volume of high-severity events.
- High-quality, actionable findings & backlog items for engineering teams.
- Automated controls that improve change safety, stability, and resilience.
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 $140,000 - $208,950. This role may also be eligible for annual short-term incentive compensation. 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, 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.
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 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.
$140,000 - $208,950
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