Sr Principal Enterprise Data Architect- AI & Innovation

Description and Requirements
Sr Principal Enterprise Data Architect- AI & Innovation
Location: Cary, NC, Tampa, FL, or New York, NY
The Sr Principal Enterprise Data Architect - AI & Innovation is responsible for shaping, governing, and advancing the enterprise data architecture strategy, with a strong focus on enabling analytics, AI, and emerging intelligent capabilities across MetLife. This senior leadership role ensures that data assets, platforms, and architectural patterns are designed to support scalable innovation while meeting enterprise standards for security, resiliency, and compliance.
This role operates at the intersection of enterprise architecture, applied AI, and business partnership, working closely with senior leaders to translate business priorities into durable architectural direction. The position requires deep architectural expertise, strong executive presence, and the ability to guide complex initiatives in a highly matrixed environment. While not primarily a hands-on engineering role, the architect is expected to engage meaningfully in solution design, prototype validation, and architectural decision making.
Department:
Enterprise Architecture ensures a holistic strategy and approach to technology solutions by working broadly across the company. We drive MetLife toward a simplified, consistent, and forward-looking architecture globally enabling quality, agility, innovation, and cost effectiveness. We partner with Business Units, Global Operations, Application Development, Data & Analytics, Information Security, and Infrastructure teams to advance MetLife's business and technology strategy.
Key Responsibilities:
Data Architecture & Strategy

• Develop, maintain, and communicate the enterprise data architecture blueprint, including data models, platforms, integration patterns, standards, and policies.
• Define and evolve the enterprise data strategy to support analytics, business intelligence, AI/ML, and generative AI initiatives.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in cloud native data architectures and platforms, including hybrid and multi cloud hosting environments.
• Establish multi year architecture roadmaps for data platforms and capabilities, balancing modernization, innovation, resiliency, and risk.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior technology and business leaders on data and AI architecture decisions.

AI Enablement & Innovation

• Partner with business and technology teams to identify high impact opportunities where data and AI can improve decision making, streamline workflows, or unlock new enterprise capabilities.
• Guide the architectural design and validation of AI enabled solutions, including analytics accelerators, intelligent assistants, and data driven platforms.
• Support the transition of successful proofs of concept and pilots into production ready, enterprise grade solutions.

Governance & Compliance

• Lead and evolve data governance practices, including metadata management, data quality, lineage, classification, and stewardship.
• Leader at Architecture Review Boards to ensure alignment with data architecture standards, best practices, reuse, resiliency and products/tooling.
• Establish and promote best practices for data management and architectural consistency across the enterprise.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Act as a bridge between business leaders, data owners, architects, engineers, and governance partners.
• Influence architecture, investment, and prioritization decisions through clear communication, evidence, and business impact.
• Mentor and guide architects and senior technologists, raising architectural maturity and consistency across the organization.
• Operate effectively in a global, matrixed environment, aligning diverse stakeholders around shared outcomes.

Solution Architecture & Design

• Architect data solutions supporting internal and external applications, analytics, AI/ML, and reporting use cases.
• Define data integration and access patterns, including APIs, pipelines, and event driven architectures.
• Engage in architecture reviews and design discussions, providing hands on guidance at critical decision points.

• Innovation & Thought Leadership
• Stay current with industry trends in cloud data platforms, AI architectures, data mesh/fabric, and real time analytics.
• Exposure to industry forums, public speaking and ability to author architectural guidance, position papers, and reference materials on data and AI as catalysts for business innovation.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and approaches, guiding informed experimentation and adoption.

Key Relationships:
Global Enterprise Architects, Data & Analytics Leadership, Data Engineering, Information Security, Privacy and Legal partners and strategic external partners
Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills:

• Extensive experience in data architecture, data engineering, or enterprise architecture, with leadership responsibility in large scale, complex environments.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy into actionable architectural direction and enterprise roadmaps.
• Strong background in enterprise data platforms, including cloud-based data lakes, warehouses, and integration architectures.
• Solid understanding of AI and generative AI concepts, architectures, and enablement patterns, including how data architecture supports these capabilities.
• Demonstrated success influencing senior leaders and cross functional teams without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts clearly to executive and non-technical audiences.
• Experience operating in regulated environments with strong security, privacy, and compliance requirements.

Preferred

• Ability to get hands on and lead POCS and prototypes to demonstrate and accelerate proof of value
• Advanced degree in engineering, computer science, mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience in insurance or financial services environments.

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 $185K to $225K. 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.
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 [email protected]. 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.
$185K to $225K
#BI-Hybrid