AI Solution Architect

Canada Life; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 119,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education reimbursement

Mental health benefit

Volunteer day

Pension plan

Employee discounts

Job summary

Canada Life is seeking a senior architect to design secure, scalable AI solutions and provide architecture leadership through delivery. You will translate business needs into end-to-end architectures and ensure alignment with enterprise standards and governance.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with AI/Data teams, and define patterns for generative AI, RAG, and automation while evaluating new technologies for enterprise adoption.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in CS/engineering.
• 7+ years in solution architecture or related tech.
• 3+ years delivering AI or analytics solutions.
• Experience in regulated/financial environments preferred.
• Cloud, API, security and data architecture knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture and solution design quality for AI initiatives from concept through production deployment.
• Create candidate architectures, end-to-end solution sketches and target-state designs.
• Produce architecture deliverables including context, logical/physical diagrams and ADRs.
• Define non-functional requirements for security, privacy, resiliency, scalability and cost.
• Align solutions with architecture standards and governance controls.
• Lead architecture reviews, governance forums and production readiness.
• Design reusable patterns for generative AI, RAG and intelligent automation.
• Define architecture standards and implementation guidance for AI teams.
• Establish guardrails for security, privacy and monitoring.
• Evaluate emerging AI tech for enterprise adoption.

Skills

Solution architecture

Software engineering

Cloud engineering

Leadership

AI governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

TOGAF or Azure certs

Tools

Azure AI Foundry

Azure OpenAI

Azure ML

Databricks

AWS Bedrock

Job description

Permanent Full Time

Design secure, scalable and governed AI solutions for Canada Life. Translate business requirements into end-to-end solution architectures and provide architecture leadership through delivery. Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture standards, security requirements, operational objectives and AI governance principles.

What you will do:

• Own architecture and solution design quality for AI initiatives from concept through production deployment.
• Create candidate architectures, end-to-end solution sketches and target-state solution designs.
• Produce architecture deliverables including system context, logical architecture, physical architecture, security, sequence and data flow diagrams, integration specifications and ADRs.
• Define non-functional requirements for security, privacy, resiliency, scalability, observability, performance, maintainability, supportability and cost efficiency.
• Ensure delivered solutions align with approved architecture, enterprise standards, operational requirements and AI governance controls.
• Support architecture reviews, governance forums, design walkthroughs and production readiness assessments.
• Design reusable architecture patterns and reference architectures for generative AI, agentic AI, RAG, intelligent automation, machine learning and knowledge management solutions.
• Design application, integration, data, deployment and security architectures for AI platforms and AI-enabled business solutions.
• Define architecture standards, design principles, approved technology patterns and implementation guidance for AI engineering teams.
• Establish architecture guardrails for security, privacy, responsible AI, monitoring, auditability, compliance and operational support.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies, platforms, frameworks and architecture approaches for enterprise adoption.

Innovation and proof of value

• Lead proof of concept and proof of value initiatives for new tools, platforms, AI services and emerging technologies.
• Validate technical feasibility, business value, security considerations, operational readiness, support models and integration requirements.
• Produce architecture recommendations, adoption guidance and target-state architecture based on proof of concept outcomes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Canada Life AI architecture standards, reference architectures and engineering practices.

Collaboration and leadership

• Partner with AI Engineering, Data Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Security, Risk, Privacy, Platform Engineering and Product teams.
• Communicate architecture decisions, design trade-offs and technology recommendations to technical and business stakeholders.
• Escalate architecturally significant decisions, risks, standards gaps and exception requests through architecture governance processes.
• Mentor engineers and solution designers on architecture practices, documentation standards and AI solution design patterns.

What will you bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in solution architecture, software engineering, application architecture, data engineering, cloud engineering or related technology disciplines.
• 3+ years designing and delivering AI, machine learning, generative AI, intelligent automation or advanced analytics solutions.
• Experience creating architecture artefacts, solution blueprints, technical specifications, ADRs and architecture diagrams.
• Experience working in large, complex and regulated environments, preferably financial services or insurance.
• Strong knowledge of cloud architecture, application architecture, API design, integration patterns, security architecture and data architecture.
• Knowledge of Azure AI Foundry Services and Azure AI Foundry architecture patterns.
• Experience with Azure OpenAI, Azure Machine Learning, Databricks, AWS Bedrock and modern AI engineering platforms.
• Experience with AI observability, model evaluation, vector databases, enterprise search and knowledge management solutions.
• Hands-on experience with Python, AI frameworks, agent orchestration frameworks and RAG implementation patterns.
• Architecture, cloud, security or data certifications such as TOGAF or Microsoft Azure certifications.
• Reliability Status Security Clearance - this can only be completed with candidates who receive an offer of employment. This is a personal security status that is required as a condition of employment before an employee can gain access to Protected B information, assets or work sites as outlined by the Government of Canada website. The cost of submitting these checks will be covered by Canada Life.

The base salary for this position is between $119,300 - $169,300 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc).

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Grow with Canada Life

We’re united by a shared purpose: to improve the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians. Our company is trusted by 1 in 3 Canadians and contributes to the strength of communities across the country.

We’re looking for people who live our values everyday: we step up, we do the right thing, and we deliver – for our customers, communities and each other. Are you someone who always strives to do the right thing, who steps up for themselves and others, and who delivers with impact? Then we want to hear from you!

What we offer

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness:Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off:In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security:Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program and additionalinvestment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

Learn more about Canada Life.

We’re committed to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [e-mail]. All information provided will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and Canada Life policies.