Senior Manager, AI Engineering Operations

Who we are:

Fairstone Bank and its family of brands are united in delivering innovative, accessible and reliable financial solutions that enable Canadians to reach their goals.

Over the years, our brand family has grown. In 2024, Home Trust Company, Home Bank and Oaken Financial became part of the Fairstone Bank family of brands, alongside Fairstone, EdenPark and Fig.

Together, we are the leading alternative lending bank in Canada. We have the collective experience and expertise to better serve our customers and foster our partners’ growth. With a diverse suite of products—residential and commercial mortgages, consumer deposits and GICs, credit cards, retail and automobile financing, personal loans and digital lending—we offer financial solutions tailored to all Canadians, including newcomers, small-business owners, smart investors and savvy consumers.

Backed by nearly a century of lending experience through its legacy companies, Fairstone Bank and its brand family are proud to be Canada’s leading alternative lending bank.

Join Fairstone as a Senior Manager, AI Engineering Operations, reporting to the VP of technology strategy and data, and be part of our talented and growing team!

About the role:

the Senior Manager of AI Engineering Operations is a strategic and hands-on role responsible for overseeing the deployment, integration, and ongoing operational management of AI technologies across the organization. This role blends technical insight with strong operational management to ensure AI systems run efficiently, remain aligned with evolving business goals, and consistently meet compliance and ethical standards. The manager has the discipline to incorporate aspects of software engineering and apply them to infrastructure and operations challenges. The main goal is to create scalable and highly reliable software systems to support AI development and production operations in a multi-cloud environment.

You will guide the full lifecycle of AI initiatives—from initial deployment through optimization and continuous improvement—and work cross-functionally to ensure AI capabilities deliver measurable business value. Your cross-functional leadership will play a key role in transforming how teams operate through scalable, responsible, and innovative AI solutions.

Operational Strategy & Governance

• Develop and execute operational strategies for managing and enhancing enterprise AI systems.
• Establish frameworks, best practices, and governance models to ensure consistent, ethical, and compliant AI operations.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with AI deployment, model behavior, and system dependencies.
• Ensure AI systems comply with evolving policies and guidelines.

AI System Management

• Oversee installation, configuration, maintenance, and performance optimization of AI models and applications.
• Manage the rollout of AI system updates, model retraining cycles, and platform upgrades.
• Ensure high availability, reliability, and scalability of AI systems across business units.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with IT, data science, engineering, cybersecurity, compliance, data governance and business stakeholders to ensure seamless AI integration.
• Collaborate with the AI Business Strategy team to estimate, track and expand business value.
• Coordinate with data teams to ensure proper data pipelines, quality standards, and infrastructure readiness.
• Partner with business leaders to align AI capabilities with organizational goals and operational needs.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams involved in AI operations, engineering, and support.
• Champion adoption of AI operational best practices across the organization.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and responsible AI use.

Key Success Metrics

• Production model uptime and reliability
• Time to deploy and rollback models
• Reduction in model incidents and failures

What we’re looking for:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Related Experience:

• 5-7 years of proven experience managing complex systems or large-scale operations in a corporate environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of AI trends, industry leading practices and pitfalls.
• Agile methodology experience is an asset.
• Deep understanding of AI/ML models, deployment pipelines, monitoring tools, and operational infrastructure.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, MLOps workflows, data engineering practices, and system integration.
• Demonstrated leadership ability with experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience defining operating models, runbooks, and support processes
• Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deliver results.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical teams.
• Strong stakeholder management capabilities and a strategic mindset.
• Compliance audit success
• AI platform adoption and reuse across teams
• ITIL Framework knowledge

What you’ll love about working here:

• Award-Winning Culture: We’re proud to be recognized as a and one of by Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy flexibility with our hybrid work model designed to support your lifestyle.
• Time to Recharge: Generous vacation based on your role, statutory holidays, plus 6 wellness days to prioritize your well-being.
• Compensation Package: Competitive base salary plus an annual incentive bonus tied to performance.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Robust health and dental coverage through Manulife, as well as virtual healthcare through Dialogue.
• Future-Ready Savings: Group Retirement Savings Plan with up to 7% employer match.
• Exclusive Perks: Discounts from top retailers via WorkPerks, plus location-based perks like gym memberships and Toronto Bike Share.
• On-Site Fitness: Gym access at our London and Montreal offices.
• Continuous Growth: Education Assistance Program and Fairstone Academy for training and skill development.
• Family Support: Parental leave top-up program to help you during life’s big moments.
• Community Impact: One paid volunteer day to give back to causes that matter to you.

What you can expect - pay & process:

• Expected base salary range is 130,000$ - 140,000$ , plus the opportunity to earn an annual incentive bonus tied to performance.
• This posting is for an existing vacancy within our organization.
• Artificial intelligence may be used in parts of the recruitment process.
• All candidates considered for hire must successfully pass a criminal background check, credit check, and validation of their work experience to qualify for hire.

If what you read excites you, we’d like to hear from you! Please submit your application and we’ll contact you if you become selected for first stages of the interview process.

Learn more: