Director, AI Program Management

RBC•Toronto, ON

11d•Onsite

About The Position

RBC Borealis is seeking an experienced Director of AI Program Management to lead one of RBC Borealis' AI and Digital transformation programs focused on a single line of business. This strategic leadership role will bridge cutting-edge AI research and practical business application, driving the delivery of innovative AI solutions that create measurable value for internal partners across the bank. Reporting to the Senior Director of Research, GRM at RBC Borealis, you will work with a team of approximately 10 researchers, research engineers, and engineers to execute on an ambitious AI transformation agenda while maintaining alignment with both partner needs and technical realities. RBC Borealis is the driving force behind Royal Bank of Canada’s AI and data innovation. As part of Canada’s largest financial institution, we bring together a team of architects, engineers, scientists, and product experts on a mission to revolutionize finance through world-class research, solutions, and a resilient data platform. With locations across Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, we’re at the forefront of AI research and platform development. With a focus on cutting-edge research in areas like time series forecasting, causal machine learning, and responsible AI, we are seamlessly integrating AI research and data engineering, to solve critical challenges in the financial industry. We are building intelligent, and scalable, data-driven solutions that will help communities thrive and drive innovation for our customers across the bank.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive program/product management experience, with at least 3 years leading AI/ML initiatives
Proven track record delivering complex technology programs in enterprise environments, preferably financial services
Strong understanding of AI/ML technologies, development lifecycle, and productionization challenges
Exceptional stakeholder management skills with experience influencing senior executives
Demonstrated ability to translate between technical and business contexts
Experience managing cross-functional teams and navigating matrixed organizations
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience in banking, financial services, or regulated industries
Background in data science, machine learning, or software engineering
Familiarity with responsible AI principles and governance frameworks
PMP, Agile/Scrum certifications, or equivalent
MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end delivery of AI solutions from conception through production deployment
Develop and maintain a strategic roadmap that balances partner business needs with technical feasibility and research innovation
Drive execution excellence through agile program management practices, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery
Establish clear success metrics and accountability frameworks for AI initiatives
Champion best practices in AI development, deployment, and governance
Build and maintain strong relationships with business partners across the Line of Business
Translate complex technical concepts into business value propositions for executive stakeholders
Coordinate cross-functional dependencies with enterprise architecture, data, risk, and compliance teams
Facilitate alignment between research objectives and business priorities
Present program updates, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership
Provide strategic direction and prioritization to the R&D team
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Communicate priorities clearly and ensure team understanding of the "why" behind initiatives
Identify opportunities for AI-driven business transformation within the LoB
Conduct discovery and scoping for new AI use cases
Manage program risks, issues, and dependencies proactively
Ensure alignment with enterprise AI strategy and governance frameworks
Drive adoption and change management for delivered AI solutions