Senior Forward-Deployed AI Engineer & Practice Lead

Socket.dev; Toronto; On-site; CAD 112,000 - 149,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Retirement savings benefits

Leave support including medical and p—

Job summary

McCain Foods (Canada) is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to lead the FDE practice, elevating capability across AI-driven initiatives. This player-coach role blends hands-on delivery with talent development, reporting to the Vice President of AI.

You will establish competency frameworks, mentor the FDE community, drive staffing and performance, and partner with AI and business leaders to deliver measurable value.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience managing complex engagements.
• 3+ years leading a professional practice or team of senior contributors.
• Demonstrated hands-on delivery with coaching and talent development responsibilities.
• Proven ability to establish a high-performance culture among senior practitioners.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain the FDE competency framework, role definition, and development pathways across McCain.
• Build, coach, mentor, and develop the FDE community through structured feedback, training, and professional development initiatives.
• Lead hiring, talent calibration, workforce planning, and performance management activities for the portfolio FDE team.
• Own the allocation and assignment of FDE resources across business portfolios, aligning talent to business priorities and development objectives.
• Personally lead selected business engagements as a player-coach, providing hands‑on guidance and in‑flight coaching to FDE team members.
• Partner with Commercial, Marketing, and Manufacturing FDE leaders to build consistency in standards, practices, and outcomes across the broader FDE community.
• Collaborate with AI Platform & Engineering, Knowledge Engineering, AI Deployment & Enablement, and Governance leaders to drive alignment and delivery success.
• Develop and maintain FDE playbooks, engagement models, operating standards, and reusable methodologies that improve efficiency and business outcomes.
• Ensure all FDE‑led initiatives adhere to McCain Responsible AI, security, governance, and risk management requirements.
• Represent the FDE practice with senior leadership teams, executive sponsors, and business stakeholders to drive alignment and adoption of AI‑enabled solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Player-coach

Stakeholder management

Executive presence

AI transformation experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred

Job description

McCain Foods (Canada) is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to lead the FDE practice, elevating capability across AI-driven initiatives. This player-coach role blends hands-on delivery with talent development, reporting to the Vice President of AI.

You will establish competency frameworks, mentor the FDE community, drive staffing and performance, and partner with AI and business leaders to deliver measurable value.