Staff Engineer – Software Development, Architecture, Security & Governance

RBC; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Toronto is seeking a highly skilled Staff Engineer to join their Enterprise Architecture team. This role involves leading the design and development of production-grade applications integrating AI capabilities, collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive innovation. Candidates should have a degree in Computer Science or Engineering and substantial experience in software engineering and AI technologies, particularly Python and distributed systems.

Benefits

Comprehensive Total Rewards Program

World-class training program in financial services

Opportunities for challenging work

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 2 years in a senior technical role.
• Proficient in AI/ML technologies and systems involving distributed frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable backend services integrating AI capabilities.
• Lead architectural design efforts and collaborate with teams on AI-powered application development.

Skills

Full-stack development

Backend engineering

API design

Artificial intelligence

Python

Deep understanding of system design

Team-centric attitude

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Python

FastAPI

MongoDB

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Engineer to join our Enterprise Architecture team, leveraging expertise in full-stack development, backend engineering, API design, and artificial intelligence to drive innovation and deliver cutting-edge solutions. As a Staff Engineer, you will work on and lead complex projects, collaborating with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deploy production-grade applications that integrate AI capabilities, including RAGs and chatbots. The solutions you develop will be used by all applications across the enterprise, impacting thousands of users and systems. You will play a critical role in ensuring the organization meets regulatory requirements and maintains the trust of customers and stakeholders.

What will you do?

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services using Python, FastAPI, and MongoDB, integrating AI orchestration systems and LLMs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and other providers.
• Develop and deploy AI-powered applications, including RAGs and chatbots, using frameworks like LangChain or similar.
• Collaborate with AI researchers, Software Architects, DevOps engineers, and product teams to translate AI capabilities into real-world applications, fostering a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement.
• Lead the architecture, design, and delivery of resilient, scalable systems and infrastructure that power production-grade applications, including those based on large language models.
• Set technical direction for complex projects, owning outcomes end-to-end from inception to deployment and iterative improvement.
• Act as a force multiplier, mentoring engineers, setting engineering best practices, and elevating the technical bar across the organization.

Must-have

• Degree in Computer Science or Engineering with a focus on software development.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 2 years in a Staff or equivalent senior technical leadership role.
• Deep expertise in building and scaling distributed systems, frameworks, and internal platforms with a focus on reliability, observability, and performance.
• Proven experience in driving complex technical initiatives across teams or domains, with strong system design skills and clear trade-off thinking.
• High standards for code quality, system design, and software architecture, along with a track record of mentoring others to meet those standards.
• Strong proficiency in Python and/or experience in additional languages such as NodeJS, Java, or C++.
• Experience with AI/ML technologies, including LLMs, RAGs, and chatbots.
• Knowledge of software design patterns and coding best practices.
• Willingness to take on challenges and enthusiasm for learning.
• Team centric attitude.

Nice-to-have

• Experience working with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes).
• Knowledge with designing and building AI Agents.
• Experience with MLOps pipelines and products.
• Knowledge of data security and permissioning within AI systems.
• Knowledge of enterprise-level security concepts and methodologies, including SSO, SSL, encryption, API security, authentication and entitlements.

What is 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.
• Opportunities to do challenging work.

Note: Applications will be accepted until the specified deadline.

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: 2025-08-05

Application Deadline: 2025-10-15

Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Employment

At RBC, we believe an inclusive workplace with diverse perspectives is core to our growth. We strive to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.