Machine Learning Research Team Lead

RBC; Toronto; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Stock options

Flexible benefits

Job summary

RBC Borealis seeks an accomplished Research Team Lead to steer machine learning projects from scoping to production, tackling challenging financial services problems with data-driven approaches.

You will collaborate with top ML researchers, access large datasets and substantial compute, mentor junior researchers and engineers, and shape the research agenda while delivering high‑impact ML products and IP.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field.
• At least 2 years of experience as a ML researcher/engineer in product settings.
• Experience as a people manager.
• Expertise in machine learning; LLM/NLP experience is a plus.
• Track record delivering high‑impact ML products.
• Mentorship experience with junior researchers and engineers.
• Involvement across the research and development lifecycle from prototyping to production.
• Ability to independently formulate and drive a research project.
• Exceptional communication skills and publications in venues like NeurIPS/ACL/etc.

Responsibilities

• Technical leadership and scientific guidance across AI projects.
• Develop innovative ML approaches and IP.
• Refine and deliver ML concepts from concept to product.
• Contribute to research vision and publish findings.
• Mentor researchers and engineers to grow AI capabilities.

Skills

LLMs

Machine Learning

Data Science

Natural Language Processing

Programming Languages

Project Management

People Management

Multi-Level Communication

Decision Making

Emerging Technologies

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Job Description

RBC Borealis is looking for an enthusiastic Research Team Lead who’s excited by the opportunity of being at the forefront of machine learning technology and working on extremely challenging problems in the financial services industry. As a Research Team Lead, you’ll be part of a collaborative team delivering AI projects end to end – everything from scoping and defining the AI problem, to data pre-processing and exploration, to prototyping novel algorithmic solutions, to software implementations of machine learning-based products.

At RBC Borealis you’ll be joining a team that works directly with leading researchers in machine learning; and you’ll have access to rich and massive datasets and to the computational resources that support cutting-edge machine learning R&D.

Your responsibilities include

• Technical Leadership. Provide technical leadership and scientific guidance to AI projects, working within and across teams;
• Research Innovation. Develop innovative machine learning approaches and novel intellectual property;
• Product Delivery. Iteratively refine and deliver machine learning concepts from proof of concept through to product delivery;
• Research Leadership. Contribute to defining our research vision, publish papers, and communicate internally and externally around machine learning research;
• Mentorship. Collaborate with team members including other researchers, engineers, and interns to grow and develop their skills in AI research and solutioning.

We’re looking for someone with

• A Ph.D. degree in Computer Science or a related technical field;
• At least 2 years of experience as a machine learning researcher or engineer in a product-centric environment or equivalent experience;
• Experience as a people manager;
• Expertise in machine learning, with experience with large language models and natural language processing being a plus;
• Experience delivering high-impact machine learning products;
• Experience of mentorship including junior researchers and engineers and experienced high-performance researchers;
• Involvement across the research and development lifecycle, from prototyping to production, engaging with stakeholders to develop solutions that meet business needs;
• The ability to formulate and drive a research project independently;
• Exceptional communication skills;
• A history of high-quality academic publications (e.g., NeurIPS, ACL, EMNLP, CVPR, ICLR, ICML etc.).

What’s in it for you

• Lead a team that thinks progressively and works collaboratively. We care about seeing each other reach full potential;
• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock options where applicable;
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities;
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact from a local-to-global scale.

Job Skills

Data Science, Decision Making, Emerging Technologies, Large Language Models (LLMs), Machine Learning (ML), Machine Learning Model Development, Multi-Level Communication, People Management, Programming Languages, Project Management

Additional Job Details

Address: 777 BAY ST, TH 27:TORONTO

City: Toronto

Country: Canada

Work hours/week: 37.5

Employment Type: Full time

Platform: TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS

Job Type: Regular

Pay Type: Salaried

Posted Date: 2025-09-23

Application Deadline: 2026-10-05

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above

Our Employment Opportunities

At RBC, we are guided by living shared values of Client First, Integrity, Collaboration, Respect and Excellence and winning together as One RBC. We believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.