Lead AI Engineer

Altus Group; Toronto; On-site; CAD 200,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Altus Intelligence Academy learning

Flexible work model

Job summary

Altus Group is seeking a Lead AI Engineer to shape and build AI capabilities across the ARGUS Intelligence Platform, spanning LLM-powered apps, agentic workflows, data analytics, and domain models. You will drive design, production deployment, and commercialization of AI solutions for commercial real estate.

You will collaborate with Product, Engineering, Architecture, Data and Analytics teams, shaping model strategy, tooling, and AI infrastructure while mentoring engineers and guiding

Qualifications

• Progressive experience building enterprise‑grade AI systems.
• Hands-on software engineering with modern AI architectures.
• Experience moving AI solutions into production environments.
• Ability to mentor engineers and drive technical direction.
• Strong cross‑functional communication with product, data and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build AI‑powered platform capabilities across the ARGUS Intelligence Platform.
• Lead AI innovation and provide technical direction for AI initiatives.
• Move ideas from concept to scalable production deployment.
• Collaborate with Product, Architecture, Engineering, Data and Analytics teams to align AI work with business goals.
• Establish standards, frameworks, and best practices for AI engineering and governance.

Skills

AI/ML expertise

Technical leadership

Systems thinking

Mentoring/people leadership

Communication skills

Hands-on engineering

Job description

Compensation Range: $200,000 - $230,000 Compensation Disclaimer: The salary range listed reflects the base pay for this role at Altus Group and is provided where required by local regulations. Actual offers may differ based on experience, market conditions, and other relevant factors. The range does not include additional compensation such as bonuses, equity, benefits, or other incentives.

Who we need Reporting to the Principal Architect, we are hiring a Lead AI Engineer to help shape and build the next generation of AI capabilities across the Altus Group platform ecosystem.

As our new Lead AI Engineer, you will operate at the intersection of innovation, architecture, and hands‑on engineering, leading the design and commercialization of AI-powered solutions that transform how commercial real‑estate professionals analyze, value, and manage assets across the real‑estate lifecycle.

You will move ideas from concept to production, building intelligent capabilities that customers actively use within the ARGUS Intelligence Platform.

You will work across LLM‑powered applications, agentic workflows, data‑driven analytics, and domain‑specific AI models, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Architecture, Data, and Analytics teams to identify opportunities, solve complex technical challenges, and influence the future direction of AI within one of the world’s leading commercial real‑estate technology organizations.

This is a remote‑first role based in Toronto, with the opportunity to collaborate in person at our downtown Toronto office for team sessions, innovation workshops, and key collaboration moments approximately 1–2 times per month.

What’s in it for you

Help redefine how AI is applied across commercial real estate. You will play a leading role in shaping how artificial intelligence transforms one of the world’s largest and most complex asset classes. From conversational AI experiences for asset valuation and agentic workflows to AI‑driven analytics and domain‑specific models, your work will directly influence how institutional investors, lenders, owners, and operators analyze and manage commercial real estate assets globally.

This is an opportunity to build AI capabilities inside a platform already trusted across the industry, where the outcomes of your work will directly support high‑value, real‑world financial and investment decisions.

Innovation with real ownership and commercialization. This is a newly created role introduced as part of Altus Group’s continued investment in AI and intelligent platform capabilities. Unlike environments focused purely on research or experimentation, this role sits at the intersection of innovation, engineering, and commercialization. You will help define technical direction, influence decisions around model strategy, tooling, architecture, and AI infrastructure, and bring intelligent products from concept through to production deployment. You will have the autonomy to challenge existing approaches, explore emerging technologies, and help determine how a global organization operationalizes AI at scale.

Work on meaningful technical problems at enterprise scale.

You will collaborate across Architecture, Product, Engineering, Data, and Analytics teams while working within one of the most sophisticated commercial real estate data ecosystems in the industry. You will help solve complex challenges involving large‑scale SaaS platforms, AI infrastructure, cloud environments, valuation data, analytics, and evolving agentic systems — all within a culture that values curiosity, experimentation, continuous learning, and pragmatic problem‑solving. You will have the opportunity to move quickly, contribute hands‑on, and see the measurable impact of your work in production environments used daily by customers around the world.

As our new Lead AI Engineer, you will:

Architect and build AI‑powered platform capabilities.

You will design, develop, and deploy intelligent features across the ARGUS Intelligence Platform, including conversational AI experiences for asset valuation, agentic workflows, intelligent data extraction, and AI‑driven analytics capabilities. You will move ideas from concept through to production, building scalable solutions that directly support high‑value commercial real estate investment, valuation, and asset management decisions.

Lead AI innovation and technical direction.

You will help shape the future direction of AI across the organization, influencing decisions around model strategy, architecture, tooling, frameworks, and infrastructure. You will evaluate emerging technologies, contribute to build‑versus‑buy decisions, and guide how Altus Group approaches applied AI, LLMs, domain‑specific models, and intelligent platform experiences.

Lead from concept through commercialization.

You will operate at the intersection of innovation, architecture, and engineering, helping move ideas from ambiguity and experimentation into scalable production capabilities. You will remain deeply hands‑on in code, system design, experimentation and AI solution development while guiding outsourced engineering resources and influencing technical direction across teams.

Drive alignment across complex technical and business environments.

You will collaborate closely with Product, Architecture, Engineering, Data, and Analytics teams to identify opportunities, solve complex technical challenges, and translate evolving business needs into scalable AI solutions. You will operate effectively in environments where priorities evolve quickly, multiple stakeholders bring competing perspectives, and clarity must often be created rather than provided.

Build scalable AI and ML practices.

You will help establish standards, frameworks, and best practices for AI and machine learning development across the organization, including experimentation frameworks, model deployment approaches, governance, testing strategies, and operational reliability. You will contribute to the evolution of AI engineering practices while helping teams balance innovation with responsible AI development.

Mentor and elevate technical capability.

You will contribute to a culture of learning, curiosity, and technical excellence by mentoring engineers, sharing knowledge across teams, and helping strengthen AI and machine learning capabilities throughout the organization. You will play an active role in advancing AI adoption and fostering collaborative problem‑solving across technical teams.

You bring:

• The applied AI and engineering depth. You have progressive experience building and deploying enterprise‑grade AI and machine learning systems. You bring strong software engineering fundamentals alongside hands‑on experience with modern AI architectures and complex systems. You are not just experimenting with AI. You have helped move intelligent solutions into real‑world production environments where performance, scalability, reliability, and business impact matter.
• The builder mindset. You enjoy operating in environments where ambiguity exists, priorities evolve quickly, and innovation happens through rapid iteration and experimentation. You are energized by solving complex technical problems, building new capabilities from the ground up, and balancing long‑term architectural thinking with pragmatic execution. You are comfortable moving from concept and whiteboarding into code, prototypes, and production deployment.
• The AI and machine learning expertise. You bring deep experience with modern AI and ML concepts, frameworks, and tooling, including areas such as transformers, prompt engineering, RAG architectures, embeddings, semantic search, fine‑tuning, agentic systems, distributed training, or model optimization. You understand the broader AI landscape and stay current with emerging technologies, while maintaining a practical perspective on what can realistically deliver value within enterprise environments.
• The technical leadership capability. You can guide technical direction, influence architecture decisions, and establish engineering standards while remaining hands‑on and highly credible with technical teams. You are comfortable mentoring engineers, leading through influence rather than hierarchy, and collaborating across Product, Engineering, Data, and Architecture teams to align technical execution with business outcomes. Experience operating at a Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead, or similar level is strongly valued.
• The systems thinking and communication skills. You can break down complex technical challenges, evaluate trade‑offs, and communicate ideas clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences. You ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions constructively, and operate effectively in environments where multiple stakeholders bring competing priorities or perspectives. You know how to create clarity, build alignment, and move work forward.
• The curiosity, adaptability, and drive. You are naturally curious, motivated by continuous learning, and excited by how quickly AI and engineering practices are evolving. You are open to new technologies, new approaches, and new ways of solving problems. Most importantly, you bring the humility, resilience, and ownership mindset required to succeed in a highly collaborative environment where innovation, experimentation, and execution happen in parallel.

What Altus Group offers:

• Rewarding performance: competitive compensation, incentive and bonus plans, and a total rewards package prioritizing mental, physical, and financial well‑being.
• Growth and development: we invest in your professional learning. Our Altus Intelligence Academy offers over 150,000 hours of learning content.
• Flexible work model: our Activity‑Based Work model provides flexibility to align your work location to the needs of the work — use the office for collaboration and remote work for focused tasks.

Inclusivity & Accessibility

Altus Group is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where all clients and employees feel welcomed, accepted and valued. We provide an atmosphere free from barriers to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and encourage equal opportunities for all employees. We’re seeking candidates with diverse experiences and provide accessible candidate experiences throughout the selection process. If you need accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail] or [phone].

Use of Artificial Intelligence AI tools may be used to support the initial stages of screening for this role; however, all assessments and final hiring decisions are reviewed and made by Altus Group hiring professional.

Background Checks Please note that as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure workplace, Altus Group may conduct background checks on candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment. These checks may include, but are not limited to, verification of employment history, education credentials, criminal records, credit history (where relevant), and reference checks. The scope and nature of background checks may vary depending on role, location, and applicable laws. All background checks will be conducted in compliance with local laws and regulations, and candidates will be informed of any checks required as part of the recruitment process.

Other Notes / Application Process

We appreciate all applicants; however, only those selected to move forward will be contacted. Thank you for your interest in Altus Group. We work with the most influential Commercial Real Estate firms around the world providing you exposure to some of the most significant CRE and proptech mandates. We offer boundless ...