Director, Head of Compliance Technology

Description and Requirements
The Team You Will Join
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 Director, Head of Compliance Technology, is accountable for technology strategy, product management, delivery execution, and operational performance for the Compliance & Tax technology portfolio. This role serves as the primary technology partner to Compliance and Tax leadership, shaping strategic technology investments, driving business transformation, and ensuring technology capabilities effectively enable regulatory, governance, and operational objectives.
The Director works closely with business executives, enterprise architecture, information security, risk management, operations, and external partners to establish modern, data-driven solutions and effective operating models that improve decision-making, strengthen controls, increase operational efficiency, and support regulatory compliance.
The successful candidate will lead a diverse team of product managers, business analysts, engineers, and delivery professionals while overseeing a portfolio of critical enterprise platforms and strategic initiatives. This leader is expected to balance business strategy, product vision, governance, risk management, vendor management, financial stewardship, and organizational leadership while delivering measurable business outcomes aligned with MetLife's enterprise priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Product Strategy & Portfolio Management
• Define and execute a multi-year technology strategy and product roadmap supporting Compliance & Tax business capabilities, aligned with enterprise priorities and regulatory requirements.
• Act as product portfolio owner for Compliance & Tax technology, ensuring investment decisions are aligned to business value, strategic objectives, and risk management priorities.
• Partner with senior business leaders to shape future-state operating models, identify technology-enabled transformation opportunities, and establish long-term strategic priorities.
• Drive portfolio prioritization, investment planning, demand management, capacity planning, and value realization across multiple strategic initiatives.
• Establish measurable success metrics and business outcomes for products, ensuring technology investments deliver tangible operational and strategic value.
• Lead product lifecycle governance, including modernization, rationalization, platform optimization, and decommissioning activities.
• Maintain a forward-looking view of industry, regulatory, and market developments to proactively evolve product strategy.
Technology Leadership
• Lead multiple product and delivery teams responsible for development, implementation, integration, support, and continuous improvement of Compliance & Tax technology solutions.
• Establish and drive adoption of product management, delivery, governance, and engineering best practices across the portfolio.
• Translate business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps and delivery plans executed across multiple Agile teams.
• Partner closely with Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, Infrastructure, Data, and Operations teams to ensure solutions align with enterprise standards and long-term technology strategy.
• Drive modernization initiatives including cloud adoption, platform simplification, automation, AI-enabled capabilities, and advanced analytics where appropriate.
• Ensure technology solutions are scalable, resilient, maintainable, and capable of supporting evolving business and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain technology portfolio currency and continuously assess capabilities against business needs and vendor roadmaps.
Business Partnership
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Compliance and Tax executives on technology strategy, innovation opportunities, industry trends, and emerging regulatory expectations.
• Facilitate strategic planning, governance, prioritization, and investment discussions with executive stakeholders.
• Influence decision-making across cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between business priorities and technology investments.
• Drive transparency through executive reporting, portfolio reviews, roadmap updates, and business outcome measurements.
• Build consensus across diverse stakeholders and effectively navigate competing priorities in a complex global environment.
Vendor & Financial Management
• Own financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and investment management for the Compliance & Tax technology portfolio.
• Develop business cases and investment proposals supporting strategic initiatives and modernization programs.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with software vendors, managed service providers, and consulting organizations.
• Lead vendor governance, contract negotiations, performance management, risk assessments, and service reviews.
• Ensure optimal utilization of technology investments while balancing cost, risk, innovation, and operational effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization, process efficiency, and increased business value realization.
Risk, Security & Compliance
• Ensure technology strategies, platforms, and processes meet enterprise governance, security, privacy, compliance, and regulatory standards.
• Support regulatory examinations, internal audits, external audits, and compliance assessments.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, Audit, Information Security, and Enterprise Architecture organizations to proactively identify and manage technology, operational, and vendor risks.
• Establish effective governance frameworks, controls, and reporting mechanisms supporting regulatory and risk management objectives.
• Ensure technology solutions strengthen the overall control environment while enabling efficient business operations.
• Champion a culture of accountability, control effectiveness, risk awareness, and regulatory readiness.
Innovation, Data & AI Strategy
• Develop and execute innovation strategies that leverage data, analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and Generative AI to improve business outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, eliminate manual activities, enhance controls, and improve employee experience through technology.
• Evaluate emerging industry trends, technology capabilities, and vendor solutions to ensure continued competitiveness and innovation.
• Promote data-driven decision making by enhancing data quality, reporting, analytics, and insights capabilities across Compliance & Tax functions.
• Partner with enterprise AI and data organizations to responsibly implement innovative solutions aligned with organizational policies and governance standards.
People Leadership
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing organization of product managers, analysts, engineers, and delivery professionals.
• Create an environment of engagement, accountability, continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation.
• Establish talent strategies that build future-ready capabilities across product management, business analysis, data, AI, and technology disciplines.
• Drive succession planning, organizational design, workforce planning, and capability development.
• Foster an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are valued and employees are empowered to contribute and grow.
Inspire teams through clear strategic direction, effective communication, and alignment to organizational goals.
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, Business, Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience within Financial Services technology organizations.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing large, cross-functional geographically distributed teams, external vendors, and strategic technology partners.
• Demonstrated success defining and executing business-aligned technology strategies and multi-year roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of Compliance business processes and operating models.
• Proven experience leading large-scale transformation, modernization, and business enablement initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, and influencing skills, including interaction with senior executives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive organizational change.
• Experience, exposure, or curiosity to use AI to improve speed, quality, and efficiency across a broad range of day-to-day tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of / Experience with technology platforms (Actimize, OneTrust, ProofPoint, Navex, Star Compliance)

• Strong financial acumen including budgeting, investment planning, forecasting, and business case development.

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 $160 ,000 - $200,000 . 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! For more information regarding MetLife's U.S. benefits, please click here .
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 [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.
This posting is for a current vacancy and is anticipated to remain open for at least 30 days from the listed posting date.
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