Lead Research Engineer

TRSS; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Toronto is looking for a Lead Research Engineer to spearhead AI and Deep Learning initiatives. You will lead large-scale AI/ML projects, mentor team members, and drive technical innovation to enhance data-driven capabilities. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of software engineering experience, proficiency in Python, and expertise in machine learning frameworks. This position offers a hybrid work model and promotes continuous learning and career development.

Benefits

Flexible hybrid work model

Career development programs

Comprehensive benefit plans

Social Impact initiatives

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of software engineering experience.
• Experience in building large-scale data processing pipelines.
• Ability to provide technical leadership and influence without authority.
• Familiarity with Natural Language Processing tasks.

Responsibilities

• Lead significant AI/ML projects from concept to deployment.
• Drive technical innovation and establish team best practices.
• Take operational responsibility and set measurable goals.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues and share knowledge.

Skills

AI and Deep Learning expertise

Large-scale data processing

Cross-functional collaboration

Python software development

Agile Methodologies

Cloud computing development (AWS preferred)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Deep learning frameworks

Graph databases (e.g., Neo4j)

Job description

Do you love creating innovative solutions for customers? We are seeking a passionate Lead Research Engineer who will bring expertise in AI and Deep Learning and is interested in building data‑driven capabilities that drive transformation. As a member of Thomson Reuters Labs you will have a direct impact on our company by helping to create new and innovative capabilities that will delight our customers.

What does Thomson Reuters Labs do?

We experiment, we build, we deliver. We support the organization and our customers through applied research and the development of new products and technologies. TR Labs innovates collaboratively across our core segments in Legal, Tax & Accounting, Government, and Reuters News.

About the Role

• Lead and Deliver Large-Scale AI/ML Solutions: Lead significant AI/ML projects from concept to deployment, designing and developing end‑to‑end solutions including large‑scale data processing pipelines, distributed search/retrieval systems, and LLM‑powered applications. Deliver high‑quality software features that meet release commitments using modern development practices and agile methodologies.
• Drive Technical Innovation and Excellence: Demonstrate creativity and ingenuity in solving complex problems with little precedent. Evaluate and advise on emerging technologies to drive business growth. Contribute innovative ideas, propose new approaches, and establish team standards and best practices for scalable system development in large online delivery environments.
• Provide Strategic Direction and Ownership: Take operational responsibility by setting and meeting measurable goals for the team. Determine work priorities based on general direction from senior leadership. Break down business requirements into functional specifications and be accountable for end‑to‑end deliveries.
• Influence and Mentor Across Teams: Influence and collaborate effectively with cross‑functional and remote teams through dynamic communication. Mentor less experienced colleagues and share knowledge as a thought leader in company‑wide forums. Value diverse ideas and partner effectively in a team‑oriented environment.
• Execute with Quality and Agility: Write high‑quality code for complex software programs and build high‑performing, scalable systems. Actively lead agile ceremonies and SDLC processes with a strong sense of urgency. Deliver timely solutions in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment while maintaining exceptional quality standards.

About You

Required Skills and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science, related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 7 years of software engineering experience.
• At least 2 years of building large‑scale data processing pipelines, distributed search and retrieval systems.
• At least 2 years of working on Deep Learning or LLM related products or solutions.
• Demonstrate ability to provide technical leadership and influence without formal authority.
• Have a deep understanding of Python software development stacks and ecosystems.
• Demonstrate ability to write clean, reusable, maintainable and well‑tested code.
• Demonstrate a desire to learn and embrace new and emerging technology.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Keen interest in real‑world applications and impact.
• Strong experience with cloud computing development (AWS preferred).
• Have experience with Agile Methodologies.
• Have experience implementing CI/CD, DevOps, and SDLC concepts in the development of an application.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Have experience integrating Deep Learning and LLM solutions into production‑grade software and have an understanding of ModelOps and MLOps principles.
• Had previous exposure to Natural Language Processing (NLP) problems and have familiarity with key tasks such as Named Entity Recognition (NER), Information Extraction, Information Retrieval, etc.
• Can understand and translate between language and methodologies used both in research and engineering fields.
• Hands‑on experience in other programming language/scripting language and development stack (Java, Rust, Scala, TypeScript, etc.).
• Expertise with modern deep learning frameworks for distributed training (Transformers, Accelerate, DeepSpeed, FSDP, PyTorch DDP, TorchTune, LLamaFactory), optimizing large‑scale model training on multi‑GPU/multi‑node clusters.
• Experience identifying and resolving bottlenecks in training and inference pipelines, familiarity with GPU memory management, OOM debugging and compute‑communication overlap.
• Experience optimizing LLM inference for throughput and latency, hands‑on with inference frameworks (vLLM, TensorRT, TensorRT‑LLM, DeepSpeed Inference) and knowledge of quantization techniques (INT8, GPTQ, bitsandbytes).
• Experience with graph database technologies like Neo4j, Amazon Neptune.

What’s in it For You?

• Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2‑3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office‑based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
• Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work‑life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real‑world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills‑first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI‑enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company‑wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
• Culture: Globally recognized, award‑winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work‑life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
• Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro‑bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Making a Real‑World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

About Us

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world‑leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug‑free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com.