Strategy & Planning Business Operations Lead

General Information

Location

Cary, North Carolina

Alternative Location(s)

• Posting Location: New York, New York

Working Schedule

Full-Time

Work Arrangement

Hybrid

Travel Required

10%

Relocation Assistance Available

No

Grade

13M

Posted Date

05-Aug-2026

Job ID

19599

Description and Requirements

The Team You Will Join

Join MetLife's Global Technology and Operations (GTO) team, where what you build truly matters. Here, innovation and collaboration drive everything we do- from developing best-in-class digital solutions to safeguarding customer and employee data. Whether you\''re transforming insights into customer-first strategies, advocating for people in life's most important moments, or simplifying how we serve millions worldwide, your expertise makes a lasting impact. We bring MetLife's purpose to life, shaping a more confident future. Let's build it together.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly organized and strategic Strategy & Planning Business Operations Lead to help drive execution, governance, executive engagement, and communications across MetLife\''s GTO organization.

Operating within the GTO Chief of Staff Office, this role serves as a trusted partner to senior leaders, helping translate business priorities into actionable plans and measurable outcomes. The successful candidate will support enterprise planning, leadership engagement, communications, organizational effectiveness, and key strategic initiatives across GTO.

Working at the center of the organization, this individual will connect leaders, teams and initiatives to drive alignment and execution. The role requires strong business judgment, executive presence, analytical thinking, relationship management, and the ability to drive and influence outcomes in a complex, matrixed environment.

The ideal candidate balances strategic thinking with hands-on execution, thrives in ambiguity, and can synthesize complex information into clear recommendations and executive-ready communications.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Business Operations

• Establish and maintain governance processes, operating rhythms, executive reporting, and performance tracking mechanisms that drive accountability and execution.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve prioritization, strengthen decision-making, and enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Partner with leaders across the organization to align priorities, manage dependencies, and accelerate execution of business objectives.
• Lead annual and multi-year strategic planning activities, helping translate executive priorities into actionable roadmaps and measurable business outcomes.
• Support development, tracking, and communication of strategic priorities across GTO.

Executive Communications & Leadership Engagement

• Prepare executive-ready content that synthesizes complex qualitative and quantitative information into clear, concise messaging.
• Manage content libraries and materials supporting leadership engagements, including Board, ELT, and GTO Senior Leadership Team forums.
• Drive preparation and strategic planning for business reviews, leadership updates, operating reviews, and executive meetings.
• Support executive communications, leadership messaging, presentations, talking points, and strategic narratives.
• Lead planning and execution of leadership engagement events, including leadership conferences, town halls, and strategic leadership forums.

Program Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead enterprise programs, change initiatives, and cross-functional efforts that reinforce business priorities, execution discipline, and operational excellence.
• Drive transformation initiatives that improve organizational effectiveness, streamline processes, and enable new ways of working.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and barriers to execution, proactively driving resolution and alignment across teams.
• Coordinate complex initiatives requiring collaboration across multiple functions, stakeholders, and leadership teams.
• Drive accountability, follow-through, and measurable outcomes through influence rather than direct authority.

Data, Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Collect, analyze, and synthesize business performance data, organizational metrics, and external information to support leadership decision-making.
• Develop actionable insights and recommendations that help leaders identify opportunities, risks, and areas for improvement.
• Leverage tools such as Copilot Studio, Power BI, Power Automate, and other emerging technologies to improve reporting, automation, analytics, and operational efficiency.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and data-driven decision-making.

Relationship Management & Collaboration

• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders, strategy and planning partners, and stakeholders across GTO and the broader enterprise.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner, providing insights, recommendations, and coordination support on business priorities and organizational initiatives.
• Collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization to build alignment and drive results.
• Foster a highly collaborative environment that encourages partnership, transparency, and shared accountability.

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in financial services, insurance, management consulting, technology, business operations, strategy, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading strategic initiatives and complex cross-functional programs within large, global organizations, with the organizational effectiveness to manage multiple priorities, projects, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to translate complex concepts into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent executive-level communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with experience developing executive presentations, leadership communications, and materials for senior leadership forums.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence across all levels and functions, operate effectively in a highly matrixed environment, and drive execution through influence.
• Strong business and financial acumen, analytical problem-solving skills, and sound judgment, with the ability to assess priorities, manage risks, and make practical, informed decisions in complex environments.
• Resourceful, self-directed, and execution-oriented, with a bias for action, strong attention to detail, and the ability to effectively navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and evolving business needs.
• Experience supporting organizational change, transformation, and process improvement initiatives, with the learning agility to quickly understand new business challenges and identify opportunities for improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting executive leadership teams, Chief of Staff organizations, or enterprise governance forums.
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled productivity tools, automation platforms, and business intelligence solutions to improve organizational performance.

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 $130,000 - $180,000. 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, 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 accommodations@metlife.com. 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 45 days from the listed posting date.

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