Sr. Software Platform Engineer II - Pune, India

The MetLife EMEA Technology organization is evolving to enable MetLife’s New Frontier strategy. With a strong vision in place, we are a function focused on driving digital technology strategies for key technology functions within MetLife including.  In partnership with our business leaders, we develop and deliver seamless technology experiences to our employees across the entire employee lifecycle. Our vision and mission is to create innovative, transformative and contemporary technology solutions to empower our leaders and employees so they can focus on what matters most, our customers. We are technologists with strong business acumen focused on developing our talent to continually transform and innovate. 

We are seeking a highly skilled Sr. Software Platform Engineer (AS400 / COBOL) to support and modernize critical business applications within the Egypt market. This role is mission-critical, ensuring the stability, performance, and continuous evolution of core insurance platforms. The selected candidate will play a key role in designing, developing, maintaining, and supporting AS400-based systems, while contributing to the organization’s broader digital transformation agenda.

The role requires a hands-on expert with deep technical knowledge, strong ownership mindset, and the ability to operate within a high-dependency environment, where reliability and knowledge continuity are essential.

Key Relationships:

• Technology Leadership (Egypt & EMEA)
• Business Product Owners and Stakeholders
• Agile Release Train (ART) Teams
• Infrastructure and Platform Teams
• External vendors and partners (where applicable)

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain COBOL-based applications on AS400 (IBM i-Series) platforms.
• Ensure high availability, performance, and stability of business-critical production systems.
• Take full ownership of assigned systems, including incident resolution, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with business, product, and engineering teams to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Support end-to-end delivery including development, testing, deployment, and post-production support.
• Participate in code reviews, system design discussions, and architectural decisions.
• Lead and support production deployments, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.
• Drive knowledge documentation and transfer to reduce single points of failure within the organization.
• Contribute to modernization initiatives, integration efforts, and optimization of legacy systems.
• Work within an Agile framework, contributing to user stories, estimations, and sprint deliveries.

Operating Model & Working Conditions:

• This role supports the Egypt business, and therefore follows:
  • Working days: Sunday to Thursday
  • Standard working hours: Aligned with Egypt business hours
• Production deployments and critical releases are typically scheduled during:
  • Weekends (Friday & Saturday)
• Flexibility is required, as working hours may vary depending on project needs, releases, and production support activities.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or equivalent.
• Strong hands-on experience in:
  • COBOL programming
  • IBM AS400 / IBM i-Series platform
• Proven experience in production support and incident management for critical systems.
• Solid understanding of:
  • Application design and architecture
  • System integration and data flows
• Experience working in Agile environments.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and collaboration tools is a plus.
• Prior experience in the insurance or financial services domain is highly preferred.

Technical Capabilities:

• AS400 / IBM i-Series ecosystem (CL, RPG are a must)
• COBOL development and maintenance
• Batch processing and job scheduling
• System performance tuning and optimization
• Integration with external systems and platforms
• Understanding of cloud and hybrid architectures is an advantage

Soft Skills:

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Clear and effective communication skills
• High level of accountability and ownership
• Ability to work independently in a high-responsibility role
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement
• Communication: Ability to communicate effectively to ensure results are achieved
• Collaboration: Proven track record collaborating and working effectively in a global and multi-cultural environment
• Diverse environment: Can-do attitude and ability to work in a high paced environment

What Success Looks Like

• Stable and reliable operation of AS400-based critical systems
• Reduced dependency on single individuals through proper documentation and knowledge sharing
• Efficient handling of incidents with minimal business disruption
• Continuous enhancement and optimization of legacy platforms
• Strong alignment with business needs and delivery timelines.