Director, Strategy and Practice Management - Digital, Data & AI

Scotiabank; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Toronto is seeking a Director for Strategy and Practice Management in Digital, Data & AI. This role involves driving strategies that enhance client experiences and defining enterprise-level roadmaps for digital transformation. The ideal candidate must have 10 years of experience in strategy roles and a strong understanding of wealth management products. This position promises a dynamic work environment, excellent growth opportunities, and the chance to influence key strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• 10 years of experience in strategy-focused roles.
• Proven experience developing strategic roadmaps.
• Strong knowledge of wealth management concepts.

Responsibilities

• Define a vision for enhancing client experiences with digital, data, and AI.
• Develop the strategic blueprint for a modern competitor.
• Conduct analysis of digital, data, and AI maturity against benchmarks.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Knowledge of financial services

Business acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or Economics

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

Title: Director, Strategy and Practice Management - Digital, Data & AI

Requisition ID: 245344

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader for the role of Director, Strategy & Practice Management – Digital, Data & AI. This individual will drive the strategic perspective of digital platforms, data capabilities, and artificial intelligence to enhance client experiences, empower advisors, and unlock new avenues for growth. They will help define, build and maintain strong product practice across digital, data and AI product owners. Bringing strong knowledge of the wealth management space and a solid understanding of the financial services industry, they will lead the evolution of our product practice, fostering consistency in product development, ways of working, capability reuse and practice management.

Is this role right for you? In this role you will:

• Define and articulate a compelling vision for the future-state, detailing how digital, data, and AI will fundamentally enhance the client and advisor experience.
• Develop the strategic blueprint that guides the evolution into a modern, data and AI-driven competitor.
• Architect a multi-year strategic roadmap that outlines the key initiatives, investment priorities, and logical sequencing required to achieve the future-state vision.
• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current digital, data, and AI maturity against industry benchmarks and key competitors.
• Identify critical capability gaps, strategic opportunities, and business risks that need to be addressed.
• Act as the primary expert on emerging digital, data & AI trends, fintech innovations, and competitive dynamics shaping the wealth management industry.
• Translate external insights into actionable strategic recommendations to ensure the firm remains ahead of the curve.
• Partner with finance and business units to develop business cases and ROI analyses for proposed strategic initiatives.
• Help champion the strategy across the organization, fostering buy-in from the executive team, business leaders, and other key stakeholders.
• Oversee the end-to-end strategy and execution of the product owner practice. Owning the Product Owner COE, enabling consistency in product development, ways of working, capability reuse and practice management.
• Partner with Business SMEs, Technology and Functional partners to optimize our product owner practices.
• Foster a culture of innovation, client centricity and collaboration with digital practice and with partners.
• Direct day-to-day activities in a manner consistent with the Bank’s risk culture, with day-to-day obligations to meet operational, compliance, AML/ATF/sanctions and conduct risk.

Do you have the skills that will enable you to succeed in this role? – We’d love to work with you if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field. MBA or other advanced degree preferred
• 10 years of experience in strategy-focused roles, such as management consulting (with a focus on financial services), corporate strategy, or business transformation
• Proven experience developing enterprise-wide strategic roadmaps for digital, data, or technology-driven change
• Strong knowledge of wealth management concepts, products, and customer needs and competitive landscape
• Experience working in or with financial institutions or fintech organizations, with a clear understanding of regulatory considerations and industry best practices
• Expert abilities to think strategically, analyze complex business problems, and develop clear, compelling strategic plans
• Strong communication, storytelling, and influencing skills, with the ability to gain alignment from senior executives and stakeholders without direct authority
• Strong business and financial acumen, with experience building business cases and justifying strategic investments
• Expertise in market analysis and translating emerging trends into strategic opportunities

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Toronto

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products, and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.