Senior Director, AI Research

RBC; Toronto; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Flexible benefits

Bonuses

Job summary

RBC is seeking a Senior Director of AI Research in Toronto to lead world‑class researchers and engineers, developing AI algorithms that power RBC products and services. You will set roadmaps, mentor top talent, and partner with business units to translate breakthroughs into production‑ready solutions.

In this leadership role, you will drive responsible AI practices, publish findings, and advance RBC's strategic priorities while delivering measurable ROI and leveraging premier data assets and

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, ML, statistics, math or equivalent industry experience.
• 10+ years building and deploying ML models in industry.
• Production-scale deployment experience in regulated environments preferred.
• Strong publication record and leadership in AI/ML.
• Ability to communicate complex AI concepts to senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of AI researchers and engineers to deliver impact‑driven AI solutions.
• Define AI roadmaps balancing state‑of‑the‑art advances with business outcomes.
• Mentor and develop top AI talent and foster a collaborative culture.
• Collaborate with RBC businesses to operationalize breakthroughs and ensure production readiness.

Skills

AI Leadership

Mentoring

ML Research

Production ML

Stakeholder comms

Education

PhD or equivalent

Job description

What is the opportunity

RBC's AI Group is building the future of AI‑powered banking, and our research teams are at the forefront of this transformation. Reporting to the VP, Applied AI Research & Solutions, the Senior Director, AI Research will lead a team of world‑class machine learning researchers and research engineers to develop cutting‑edge AI algorithms that directly power RBC's products and services.

What will you do

AI Research Leadership

• Lead and mentor a high‑performing team of AI researchers and research engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and impact‑driven solutions.
• Direct the development of novel machine learning algorithms and models across one or more domains: credit risk, fraud detection, market prediction, pricing & optimization, or generative/agentic AI. Leverage RBC and external data to deliver differentiating solutions and intellectual property to the business.
• Define AI roadmaps with ML models that balance advancing the state‑of‑the‑art with delivering tangible business outcomes aligned to RBC's strategic priorities.
• Build and retain top‑tier AI talent by creating an environment that attracts leading researchers from both academia and industry.
• Act as a thought leader and partner to RBC businesses and functions and advise on the art of the possible for AI in these domains.
• Evaluate new areas for AI investment, complete proof of concept testing and evaluation.

Applied Research & Business Impact

• Partner closely with the VP, AI Research and Innovation team to operationalize frontier research and translate breakthroughs into applied solutions.
• Collaborate with VP, Solutions Engineering & Delivery to ensure AI algorithms are production‑ready, scalable, and integrated seamlessly into RBC's enterprise platforms.
• Drive rapid experimentation and iteration to test and validate models against real‑world business problems, ensuring measurable ROI.
• Develop intellectual property and publish research findings that position RBC as a thought leader in AI innovation.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Act as a trusted technical advisor to business partners across RBC's lines of business, translating complex AI concepts into actionable insights.
• Work with platform teams to leverage RBC's AI & data infrastructure (Lumina) for model development, training, and deployment.
• Partner with AI Governance & Evaluation teams to ensure all models meet regulatory, ethical, and compliance standards.
• Engage with external research communities, academic institutions, and industry partners to stay ahead of emerging AI trends and technologies.
• Champion responsible AI practices, embedding fairness, transparency, and bias mitigation into the research lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to advance RBC's AI capabilities through experimentation with emerging technologies (e.g., foundation models, multimodal AI, reinforcement learning).
• Contribute to RBC's AI thought leadership through publications, patents, conference presentations, and community engagement.

What do you need to succeed

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 10+ years of experience developing and deploying machine learning models in industry settings, with at least 3‑5 years in leadership roles and people management.
• Experience translating research prototypes into production‑grade solutions at scale, preferably in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, etc.).
• Strong publication record and recognized thought leadership in AI/ML (conference papers, patents, technical blogs, or open‑source contributions).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across technical and non‑technical stakeholders, communicating complex concepts clearly to senior leadership.

What's in it for you

• Work at the cutting edge of AI: Access to RBC's unique data assets, world‑class compute infrastructure, and strategic partnerships with leading AI research institutions.
• Industry‑leading research environment: Publish your work, attend top‑tier conferences, and collaborate with renowned researchers from RBC Borealis and beyond.
• Real‑world impact: Your research will directly power products and services used by millions of clients across Canada and globally.
• Comprehensive Total Rewards Program including competitive compensation, bonuses, flexible benefits, and stock options.
• Talent development: Leaders who support your growth through coaching, mentorship, and opportunities to shape RBC's AI strategy.
• Dynamic, high‑performing team: Work alongside some of the brightest minds in AI, machine learning, and financial services.
• Opportunities for progressively greater impact: Shape the future of AI at one of the world's leading financial institutions.

Job Skills

Data Science, Decision Making, Emerging Technologies, Group Problem Solving, Machine Learning (ML), Multi‑Level Communication, Programming Languages

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: 2026-05-24

Application Deadline: 2026-09-07

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.