MetLife

Sells life insurance and workplace benefits

Assistant Vice President – Federal Government Relations

Business & StrategyPosted on Nov 9

Full-timeWashington, DC, USA

About the Job

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and approximately 10+ years of relevant experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, a federal regulatory agency, corporate government affairs, a trade association, or a comparable public policy environment.
Significant experience engaging federal policymakers and a sophisticated understanding of legislative, regulatory, and Executive Branch policymaking processes.
Demonstrated experience building an advocacy strategy in an emerging or unsettled policy area where the framework is still forming, the company position is not yet written, and the coalition does not yet exist.
Working command of technology, artificial intelligence, data privacy, or cybersecurity policy, and ability to explain technical subject matter credibly to non-technical policymakers while translating policy developments to technical, legal, and business teams.
Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior policymakers and stakeholders across the political spectrum.
Connectivity to the financial services industry and ability to surface emerging issues and early indicators before they are widely recognized.
Experience developing and executing sophisticated advocacy strategies on complex legislative, regulatory, or public policy matters.
Strong political judgment and demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a bipartisan and bicameral environment.
Written and verbal communication skills and ability to translate complex policy developments into clear business implications and recommendations.
Executive presence and demonstrated ability to establish credibility with senior business leaders and represent an organization effectively with senior external stakeholders.
Hands-on use of artificial intelligence tools, with judgment to recognize when an output is not accurate or reliable enough for external use.
Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, collaborate across a complex organization, and manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary Federal Government Affairs partner to Retirement and Income Solutions and its senior leadership team, owning the federal advocacy portfolio across pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional income annuities, retirement risk, and benefit funding solutions.
Build and maintain the company's federal advocacy plan across artificial intelligence, data privacy, and cybersecurity; monitor and interpret Congressional, Executive Branch, and agency activity as governance frameworks evolve; and recommend when, where, and how the company engages.
Work with business leaders and functional partners, including Communications, Legal, Regulatory Policy, and Risk, to understand business priorities, develop well-supported policy positions, resolve differing perspectives, and ensure the company presents a consistent, credible voice to policymakers and other external stakeholders.
Originate strategies that advance the company's agenda; lead engagement with the Senate HELP and House Education and Workforce Committees; build coverage of the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, and House and Senate Judiciary Committees; and support engagement with the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and other relevant federal agencies.
Develop and maintain relationships with Members of Congress and senior congressional staff, Executive Branch officials, federal regulators, and other policymakers.
Bring forward issues, ideas, and early indicators of legislative, regulatory, and political trends that may impact the business; anticipate and assess developments; identify risks and opportunities; and provide timely, actionable advice to senior business leaders and Government & Legal Affairs colleagues.
Represent the company with relevant trade associations, industry coalitions, and other external stakeholders, leveraging third-party relationships to advance policy objectives.
Use approved artificial intelligence and workflow tools in monitoring, tracking, first-draft briefing, and material development; build and document reusable assets for team use.
Collaborate across Global Government Affairs, Legal, and the company's businesses on global policy issues, including market access, trade, sanctions, and geopolitical and regional priorities.

Desired Qualifications

Experience working directly for a Member of Congress or a congressional committee, the Executive Branch, or a federal regulatory agency.
Corporate government affairs or major industry trade association experience.
Experience leading a technology, artificial intelligence, data privacy, cybersecurity, workforce, insurance, or retirement public policy portfolio, including familiarity with employer-sponsored retirement plans, ERISA, pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional annuities, lifetime income policy, or related Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation matters.
Established relationships with the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, House or Senate Judiciary, Senate HELP, or House Education and Workforce Committees, Executive Branch officials, or federal regulatory agencies.
Experience advising senior business executives and translating business priorities into public policy strategy.
Experience representing a company's technology, data, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity practices to external audiences, including regulators, coalitions, or the press.

The Team You Will Join

In Government & Legal Affairs, you'll be an engaged and trusted partner - empowered to deliver innovative solutions, influence public policy, and achieve results that enable MetLife’s growth and protect its global interests. Applying a commercial and contemporary mindset, you'll advocate for what’s possible, overcome challenges, and embrace different perspectives. If you also pride yourself on acting with accountability, transparency, and respect, apply to join our Government & Legal Affairs team today.

The Opportunity

In Government & Legal Affairs, the Federal Government Affairs team represents MetLife before Congress, the Executive Branch and federal regulatory agencies — advancing the company's public policy priorities, advising senior leaders on political and policy developments, and managing relationships with policymakers, trade associations and industry coalitions.

MetLife is seeking an experienced government affairs professional to join its Washington, D.C. team as Assistant Vice President, Federal Government Relations reporting to the VP U.S. Government Relations. The role carries two primary portfolios.

The AVP serves as the primary Federal Government Affairs partner to MetLife’s Retirement and Income Solutions business (RIS), translating institutional retirement business priorities into effective advocacy before Congress, the Executive Branch and federal regulators — spanning pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional income annuities and other retirement risk and benefit funding solutions.

As MetLife expands its use of responsible AI and manages a growing set of technology-driven risks, this role owns the company's federal technology policy portfolio — spanning artificial intelligence, data privacy and cybersecurity — building the advocacy plan, representing MetLife's technology governance and practices to policymakers and other stakeholders, and coordinating across Legal and enterprise functions.

The AVP applies the same advocacy skill set to the team's broader policy priorities, including Group Benefits, tax, trade and international issues before federal legislators and regulators.

Key Responsibilities

Lead federal advocacy for Retirement & Income Solutions. Serve as the primary Federal Government Affairs partner to RIS and its senior leadership team, owning the federal advocacy portfolio across pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional income annuities, retirement risk and benefit funding solutions.
Own MetLife's federal technology policy agenda. Build and maintain the company's federal advocacy plan across AI, data privacy and cybersecurity; monitor and interpret Congressional, Executive Branch and agency activity as governance frameworks evolve across these areas; and recommend when, where and how MetLife engages.
Build and align MetLife advocacy positions. Work closely with business leaders and functional partners — including Communications, Legal, Regulatory Policy, Risk and other enterprise teams — to understand business priorities, develop well-supported policy positions, resolve differing perspectives and ensure MetLife presents a consistent, credible voice to policymakers and other external stakeholders.
Develop and execute federal advocacy strategy. Originate the strategies that advance MetLife's agenda across these issues; lead MetLife's engagement with the Senate HELP and House Education and Workforce Committees, build coverage of the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, and House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and support engagement with the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal agencies with jurisdiction over key policy areas impacting MetLife.
Build trusted relationships with policymakers. Develop and maintain strong relationships with Members of Congress and senior congressional staff, Executive Branch officials, federal regulators and other policymakers.
Provide strategic counsel and political intelligence. Proactively bring forward issues, ideas and early indicators of legislative, regulatory and political trends that will impact the business; anticipate and assess these developments; identify risks and opportunities; and provide timely, actionable advice to senior business leaders and Government & Legal Affairs colleagues.
Mobilize the broader policy ecosystem. Represent MetLife with relevant trade associations, industry coalitions and other external stakeholders, and leverage third-party relationships to advance policy objectives.
Work in an AI-enabled way. Use approved AI and workflow tools in the team's own work — monitoring, tracking, first-draft briefing and material development — and build and document the reusable assets behind them, so the capability belongs to the team rather than to one person.
Lead with a global mindset. Collaborate across Global Government Affairs, Legal and MetLife's businesses on global policy issues facing the enterprise, including market access, trade, sanctions, and geopolitical and regional priorities.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and approximately 10+ of relevant experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, a federal regulatory agency, corporate government affairs, a trade association or a comparable public policy environment.
Significant experience engaging federal policymakers and a sophisticated understanding of legislative, regulatory and Executive Branch policymaking processes.
Demonstrated experience building an advocacy strategy on an emerging or unsettled policy area — where the framework is still forming, the company position is not yet written, and the coalition does not yet exist.
Working command of technology, AI, data privacy or cybersecurity policy, and the ability to explain technical subject matter credibly to non-technical policymakers while translating policy developments back to technical, legal and business teams.
Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior policymakers and stakeholders across the political spectrum.
A proactive self-starter with connectivity to the financial services industry, able to surface emerging issues and early indicators before they are widely recognized.
Experience developing and executing sophisticated advocacy strategies on complex legislative, regulatory or public policy matters.
Strong political judgment and demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a bipartisan and bicameral environment.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate complex policy developments into clear business implications and recommendations.
Executive presence and demonstrated ability to establish credibility with senior business leaders and to represent an organization effectively with senior external stakeholders.
Hands-on use of AI tools in your own work, with the judgment to recognize when an output is not accurate or reliable enough to use externally.
Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, collaborate across a complex organization and manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working directly for a Member of Congress or a congressional committee, the Executive Branch or a federal regulatory agency.
Corporate government affairs or major industry trade association experience.
Experience leading a technology, AI, data privacy, cybersecurity, workforce, insurance or retirement public policy portfolio, including familiarity with employer-sponsored retirement plans, ERISA, pension risk transfer, stable value, institutional annuities, lifetime income policy or related Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation matters.
Established relationships with the Senate Commerce, House Energy and Commerce, House or Senate Judiciary, Senate HELP or House Education and Workforce Committees, Executive Branch officials and/or federal regulatory agencies.
Experience advising senior business executives and translating business priorities into public policy strategy.
Experience representing a company's technology, data, AI or cybersecurity practices to external audiences, including regulators, coalitions or the press.

Location Expectation: This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in office.

The expected salary range for this position is164,200 - 218,900. 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.

About the Company

MetLife

Sells life insurance and workplace benefits

MetLife sells life, dental, disability and other insurance, along with annuities and retirement products, to individuals and to employers that offer them as workplace benefits. It is one of the largest US life insurers and a major supplier of group benefits to American employers, with insurance businesses across Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Customers pay premiums for coverage, and MetLife invests those funds and also manages money for outside clients through its asset management arm. Its retirement business takes over pension obligations from employers and pays the monthly benefits owed to their retirees. MetLife was founded in 1868 and is based in New York City.

Company size: 10,001+
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 1868

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