Principal Crypto & Digital Assets Architect

RBC; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian financial institution is seeking a Principal Crypto and Digital Assets Architect to guide their strategic innovations in blockchain technology and digital assets. This position requires 8+ years of enterprise architecture experience, particularly within fintech environments. The role involves leading architecture design for crypto initiatives, defining standards, and collaborating with business leaders to influence architectural decisions across the organization. Join a mission-driven, diverse team working at the nexus of traditional finance and decentralized technologies.

Benefits

Comprehensive Total Rewards Program

Competitive compensation

Flexible work/life balance options

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise architecture required, specifically in blockchain.
• Deep technical knowledge in digital assets and blockchain technologies needed.
• Experience with large-scale systems architecture and compliance frameworks mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture design and governance for blockchain initiatives.
• Define architectural standards and best practices for digital assets.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate objectives into architecture roadmaps.

Skills

Application Architecture

Cloud Computing

Enterprise Application Delivery

Critical Thinking

Multi-Level Communication

Education

8+ years of experience in enterprise architecture

3+ years focused on blockchain or digital assets

Tools

Ethereum

Hyperledger

Corda

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Overview

Principal Crypto and Digital Assets Architect

WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY?

Join RBC as a Principal Crypto and Digital Assets Architect, where you will be at the forefront of shaping the bank's strategic direction in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and digital assets. In this pivotal role, you will provide architecture leadership and guidance for cross-line-of-business initiatives spanning stablecoins, blockchain-based payment rails, cryptocurrency trading platforms, and digital asset custody solutions. You'll work at the intersection of traditional finance and decentralized technologies, translating complex business requirements into robust, scalable, and compliant architecture solutions. This is a unique opportunity to establish RBC's technical standards and patterns for digital assets while collaborating with business leaders and technology teams across the enterprise to drive innovation in the rapidly evolving crypto and blockchain ecosystem.

What will you do?

• Lead architecture design and governance for cryptocurrency and blockchain initiatives across multiple lines of business, including stablecoins, trading platforms, custody solutions, and payment rails
• Define and evangelize architectural patterns, standards, and best practices for blockchain technologies, smart contracts, digital wallets, and decentralized systems
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, product teams, and technology leaders to translate strategic objectives into comprehensive architecture roadmaps and technical solutions
• Evaluate emerging blockchain protocols, consensus mechanisms, Layer-2 solutions, and digital asset technologies to assess their applicability to RBC's business objectives
• Ensure architecture compliance with regulatory requirements including AML/KYC, securities regulations, banking standards, and jurisdiction-specific crypto regulations
• Drive cross-functional initiatives for blockchain interoperability, on-chain/off-chain integration, and seamless connectivity between traditional banking systems and digital asset platforms
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to development teams, platform engineers, and architects implementing blockchain and cryptocurrency solutions
• Stay ahead of industry trends in DeFi, tokenization, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), stablecoin frameworks, and institutional crypto adoption to inform strategic decisions

What do you need to succeed?

Must have:

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise architecture with at least 3+ years focused on blockchain, cryptocurrency, or digital assets in financial services or fintech environments
• Deep technical expertise in blockchain platforms (Ethereum, Hyperledger, Corda, Bitcoin), consensus mechanisms, smart contract development, and distributed ledger technologies
• Proven track record architecting large-scale systems for digital asset trading, custody, payment processing, or stablecoin infrastructure with focus on security, scalability, and reliability
• Understanding of cryptocurrency regulations, compliance frameworks (AML/KYC, Travel Rule), custody standards, and risk management for digital assets
• Extensive experience with enterprise integration patterns, API design, microservices architecture, cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), and DevSecOps practices
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with ability to translate complex blockchain concepts to non-technical executives and influence architectural decisions across the organization

Nice-to-have

• Experience with stablecoin architectures, tokenization frameworks, atomic swaps, cross-chain bridges, or Layer-2 scaling solutions (Lightning Network, Polygon, Optimism)
• Knowledge of cryptographic primitives, zero-knowledge proofs, multi-party computation (MPC), hardware security modules (HSMs), and secure key management systems
• Familiarity with DeFi protocols, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), liquidity pools, yield farming, or smart contract security auditing
• Contributions to blockchain open-source projects, published research in digital assets, or active participation in crypto/blockchain technical communities

What’s in it for you?

We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
• A world-class training program in financial services
• Flexible work/life balance options
• Opportunities to do challenging work

Job Skills

Applications Architecture, Application Security, Cloud Computing, Critical Thinking, Data Architecture, Decision Making, Detail-Oriented, Enterprise Application Delivery, Industry Knowledge, Multi-Level Communication

Additional Job Details

Address: RBC WATERPARK PLACE, 88 QUEENS QUAY W: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: 2025-12-16

Application Deadline: 2026-02-27

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

Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Employment

At 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.

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