Manager, Desjardins Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence

Desjardins; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and annual bonus

4 weeks of flexible vacation starting

Defined benefit pension plan

Group insurance including telemedicine

Health and telework expenses reimburse

Eligibility-based benefits

#LI-Hybrid

Job summary

Desjardins is seeking a Manager of the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence to lead a team of data scientists and AI experts. You will define the Centre’s vision, set priorities, and guide innovation initiatives that deliver scalable, secure, reliable, and responsible AI solutions across the organization.

You will collaborate with business, project, and technology teams to translate innovative ideas into tangible value, drive performance management, and cultivate talent to advance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics or a related field
• Nine years of relevant experience in advanced analytics, data science or AI, including at least five years in managing specialized teams
• Experience leading strategic initiatives from exploration to production and scaling
• Experience defining standards for AI governance, security and responsible use
• Fluent in French and English, written and spoken
• Ability to translate complex concepts into plain language for partners across the organization
• Expertise in data science, ML/AI including generative AI and LLMs
• Proven strategic communication, team mobilization and change management skills
• Knowledge of modern engineering practices for AI (MLOps, LLMOps, AgentOps) and cloud environments

Responsibilities

• Define vision, directions and priorities for the AI Centre of Excellence
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation and experimentation of emerging AI technologies
• Lead incubation and prototyping of innovative AI solutions
• Support strategic projects with AI capabilities
• Advance best practices in data science, analytics, ML and AI
• Facilitate transfer of expertise and build capabilities for teams
• Advise partners on AI directions and governance
• Drive standards in performance, security, governance and responsible AI
• Track performance and value of AI initiatives
• Develop and grow a team of specialized AI experts

Skills

Bilingual communication

Strategic leadership

Change management

Team development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in AI, data science, CS, engineering, maths or related field

Tools

MLOps

LLMOps

AgentOps

Cloud platforms

Job description

As Manager of Desjardins's Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence, you'll lead a team of data scientists and AI experts. You set the Centre’s vision and priorities, guiding innovation initiatives, experimentation efforts and the continued growth of AI expertise across the organization. Through your strategic leadership and advanced knowledge of the AI landscape, you identify emerging trends and opportunities and help turn innovative ideas into concrete, value-generating solutions for the organization. Working in close collaboration with business sector, project and technology teams, you will help the Centre design and deliver AI solutions that are scalable, secure, reliable and responsible. You also play a key role in advancing artificial intelligence practices across all of Desjardins Group. You facilitate the transfer of expertise, strengthen team competencies, and establish consistent standards and practices for the organization. Lastly, you rally your team around ambitious objectives, cultivate talent, and maintain rigorous performance management practices to maximize the Centre’s contributions to the Desjardins’s strategic priorities.

Responsibilities

• Define the vision, strategic directions and priorities of the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence.
• Oversee the monitoring, evaluation and experimentation of emerging AI technologies, including generative AI and agentic AI.
• Lead the incubation and prototyping of innovative solutions to evaluate their feasibility and potential business value.
• Support strategic projects by leveraging the Centre’s expertise to design and deploy artificial intelligence solutions.
• Advance best practices in data science, advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
• Support the transfer of expertise and the development of capabilities for business and technology teams.
• Influence and advise business and technology partners on AI directions, opportunities, and best practices.
• Drive the adoption of strong standards and practices in performance, security, governance and responsible AI across the organization.
• Track the performance and value created by the Centre’s initiatives.
• Mobilize, develop, and grow a team of highly specialized experts.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• 4 weeks of flexible vacation starting in the first year
• Defined benefit pension plan that provides predictable, stable income throughout retirement
• Group insurance including telemedicine
• Reimbursement of health and wellness expenses and telework equipment
• Benefits apply based on eligibility criteria.
• #LI-Hybrid

What you bring to the table

• Bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics or a related field
• A minimum of nine years of relevant experience in advanced analytics, data science or artificial intelligence, including at least five years in managing specialized teams Please note that other combinations of qualifications and relevant experience may be considered
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic and transformational initiatives, from technological exploration to production and scaling
• Experience in defining standards, best practices and approaches that promote the quality, security, governance and responsible use of artificial intelligence
• Strong communication skills in both French and English, both oral and written due to the nature of the duties or work tools or because the position involves interactions with english-speaking partners, members and/or clients
• Strong ability to translate complex concepts into plain language and support business and technology partners across all levels of the organization

• Expertise in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence, including generative AI and large language models (LLM)
• Proficiency in strategic communications, team mobilization, and change management
• Knowledge of modern engineering and operational practices for AI solutions (MLOps, LLMOps, AgentOps), as well as cloud environments and data and AI platforms
• Action oriented
• Collaborates
• Communicates effectively
• Decision quality
• Develops talent
• Drive results
• Teams
• Trust Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

At Desjardins, we believe in equity, diversity and inclusion. We're committed to welcoming, respecting and valuing people for who they are as individuals, learning from their differences, embracing their uniqueness, and providing a positive workplace for all. At Desjardins, we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. We believe our teams should reflect the diversity of the members, clients and communities we serve. If there's something we can do to help make the recruitment process or the job you're applying for more accessible, let us know. We can provide accommodations at any stage in the recruitment process. Just ask!

Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America. We're the choice for over 52,000 employees and we're named one of Canada's top employers by Mediacorp and Forbes. We offer a full range of financial products and services and share our expertise in personal services, business services, wealth management, life and health insurance, and property and casualty insurance. Pursuing a career at Desjardins means being part of an organization that puts people first.