WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY?
We are seeking a highly experienced strategic leader to join our Transformation and Chief Operating Office. The Strategic Initiatives & Enablement team operates in a dynamic, high-visibility environment across Technology & Operations (T&O) and RBC, driving transformational change by translating strategy into actionable plans and ensuring scalability. In this role, you will serve as a trusted strategic advisor to C-suite and senior technology leaders, leveraging deep technical credibility grounded in hands-on experience designing and building data platforms, AI/ML systems, and large-scale data engineering solutions. You will lead the continuous evolution of RBC's Technology Strategy through structured review cycles that respond to market disruptions and emerging technologies, while translating high-level strategic direction into horizontal initiatives across T&O. Your technical foundation will be critical to bridging business strategy and technology execution—ensuring strategic initiatives reflect realistic technical feasibility, architecture best practices, and the operational realities of scaling data and AI capabilities at enterprise scale. Working closely with senior leadership and cross-functional partners (Enterprise Strategy, Innovation, HR, Communications, Real Estate, and Finance), you will develop and execute strategic initiatives that drive business outcomes, foster collaborative relationships, and bolster RBC's competitive position.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
Strategic Initiatives and Enablement
- Consult and support RBC's Technology Strategy through regular refresh & review cycles, adapting to changing internal & external forces —drawing on deep technical expertise in data platforms, AI/ML engineering, and large-scale system architecture to inform strategic technology choices and competitive positioning
- Translate your hands-on experience building and scaling data engineering and AI systems into strategic guidance on technology investments, architecture patterns, and capability prioritization that drive competitive advantage
- Develop and execute strategic initiatives that drive business outcomes and support company goals. This includes non-recurring initiatives such as Return to Office and M&A activities. Ensure technical feasibility and architecture coherence across strategic initiatives through active engagement in design and implementation planning.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and prioritize strategic initiatives, including process improvements, technology enablement, and change management. Leverage your technical background to challenge assumptions, identify hidden dependencies, and ensure technology strategy aligns with execution realities.
- Provide enablement and support to ensure successful execution of strategic initiatives, including training, communications, and change management. Translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and help technology teams understand strategic business drivers.
Location Strategy & Real Estate
- Develop and execute a comprehensive Global location strategy that aligns with the T&O and RBC's objectives and growth plans, balancing talent access, cost effectiveness, and strategic business alignment.
- Architect distinctive identities and value propositions for each technology location that reflect their specialized technical capabilities—such as AI/ML centers of excellence, data engineering hubs, or cloud infrastructure centers—enhancing both external talent attraction and internal resource allocation decisions.
- Develop and implement strategies to establish and grow innovation hubs, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation.
- Develop performance measurement systems that evaluate each technology hub's contribution to RBC's strategic objectives and operational excellence. Lead regular assessment cycles that inform decisions about hub expansion, contraction, or capability evolution, ensuring optimal return on the bank's global footprint investments while maintaining organizational agility in response to changing market conditions. Include metrics on technical capability maturity, architecture contribution, and innovation output alongside business metrics.
- Build and maintain relationships with key regional stakeholders, including startups, academia, and industry partners. Prioritize relationships that provide access to cutting-edge data engineering, AI/ML, and cloud architecture expertise and talent.
- Develop and implement real estate strategies that support T&O's Location Strategy, growth and transformation. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and prioritize real estate needs, including office space globally and other facilities. Ensure real estate strategies support co-location of technical teams working on interconnected architecture initiatives and enable effective collaboration across distributed engineering centers.
- Influence and manage real estate decisions, ensuring alignment with company goals and objectives. Apply your understanding of how physical space impacts technical team productivity, architecture collaboration, and capability development.
Change Management
- Design and orchestrate comprehensive change management frameworks tailored specifically for transformations across RBC stemming from Strategic changes, ensuring strategic alignment between technical implementations and human adoption, minimizing disruption, ensuring seamless transition, and maximizing benefits realization. Ensure frameworks account for the unique challenges of scaling data platforms, AI/ML systems, and modern architecture patterns—including technical debt management, architecture migration, and capability ramp-up timelines.
- Lead the development of implementation playbooks, capability maturity models, and change acceleration tools that enable business units to adopt new technologies, processes, and initiatives at scale.
- Create technical onboarding pathways, architecture governance models, and engineering best practice playbooks that accelerate adoption of strategic technology initiatives.
- Equip senior technology and business leaders with the tools, messaging, and strategic guidance needed to serve as visible, credible champions for transformational change initiatives.
- Pioneer advanced analytics approaches that measure change readiness, adoption velocity, and value realization across complex technology initiatives. Track technical adoption metrics including architecture implementation fidelity, platform utilization, and capability maturity progression alongside business metrics. Leverage data-driven insights to dynamically adjust change tactics, reallocate resources to high-risk areas, and accelerate adoption through targeted interventions that address specific resistance patterns.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and prioritize change management needs, including training, communications, and stakeholder engagement. Ensure technical training and enablement pathways reflect real-world engineering requirements and architecture complexity.
Technology Ecosystem Partnerships
- Steward major investments and build relationships with select academic institutions and tech organizations that provide T&O with access to talent to address current and future workforce needs and help build the Tech@RBC brand externally. Prioritize partnerships focused on data science, AI/ML, and cloud engineering talent; engage directly with academic programs that develop the technical capabilities RBC needs.
- Establish and nurture strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in hub locations including universities, government entities, innovation ecosystems, and industry consortiums. Leverage your technical credibility to engage with technology consortiums, open-source communities, and industry groups; negotiate access to emerging technologies, technical talent pipelines, and research collaborations that provide competitive advantage in data and AI capabilities. Negotiate beneficial arrangements that create sustainable talent pipelines, provide access to emerging technologies, secure advantageous operating conditions, and position RBC as a technology employer of choice in each strategic location.
- Keep leadership abreast of developments in academia and across the tech sector, trends impacting talent attraction and our employee value proposition. Actively monitor emerging technologies in data engineering, AI/ML, cloud architecture, and modern software development practices; translate industry trends into strategic implications for RBC's technology roadmap.
- Develop and execute strategies to establish and grow technology ecosystem partnerships, including partnerships in academia. Build partnerships with organizations advancing data platform architecture, AI/ML infrastructure, and cloud-native engineering—positioning RBC as a thought leader and employer of choice for world-class technical talent.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SUCCEED?
- 8+ years of hands-on technical leadership in data engineering, AI/ML systems, platform architecture, or large-scale software engineering, with clear progression from individual contributor through technical leadership roles
- Proven track record architecting, building, and scaling data platforms, AI/ML systems, or enterprise technology solutions in complex environments—with ability to speak credibly to technical feasibility, architecture trade-offs, and implementation challenges
- Deep understanding of modern data stack, cloud architecture patterns, AI/ML infrastructure, APIs/microservices, and emerging technologies reshaping financial services—grounded in hands-on experience, not just theoretical knowledge
- Demonstrated ability to translate technical strategy into business outcomes and business strategy into coherent technical roadmaps; experience serving as a bridge between technology teams and business leadership
- Strong executive influencing skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders across the organization. Credibility derived from technical expertise and proven ability to lead large-scale technology initiatives.
- Proven people leadership skills, with experience building and scaling technical teams; mentoring emerging engineering leaders.
- Ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics, with a strong understanding of the company's culture, values, and priorities.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders at all levels. Ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences and business strategy to technical audiences.
- Prior experience in strategic roles or consulting engagements with C-suite executives at large enterprises, ideally in financial services or technology-heavy industries
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or equivalent technical discipline (or demonstrated equivalent technical depth through professional experience).
- Minimum 10 years of experience in a leadership role, with a focus on technology strategy, data platform architecture, AI/ML engineering, location strategy, technology ecosystem partnerships, and change management.
- Comprehensive understanding of the banking technology landscape, including core banking systems, fintech partnerships, regulatory requirements, and emerging technologies reshaping the industry
- Understanding of data architecture, AI/ML capabilities, cloud computing, APIs/microservices, mainframes, and how these technologies are reshaping financial services—informed by hands-on experience scaling these technologies
- Proven track record of developing and executing strategic initiatives that drive business outcomes.
- Previous application of architecture principles with proven experience designing, building, and operationalizing scalable data and AI systems; demonstrated ability to translate business strategies into cohesive technology roadmaps within complex banking environments
Nice-to-have
- Background as a developer, engineer, or data scientist early in career, progressing through technical leadership to strategic roles
- Experience leading data engineering, AI/ML, or platform architecture teams through periods of significant growth or transformation
- Track record of open-source contributions, speaking at technical conferences, or thought leadership in data engineering or AI/ML
- Experience working in a technology company or industry.
- Experience in fintech, financial services technology, or regulated industries where architecture and scalability are critical
- Change management certification or experience with change management methodologies.
- Experience with enterprise architecture governance, technology roadmap development, or strategic technology planning
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
- 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
Adaptability, Commercial Acumen, Creative Visioning, Decision Making, Long Term Planning, Organizational Leadership, Organizational Savvy and Politics, Strategic Thinking
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: 2026-06-29
Application Deadline: 2026-8-21
Note: 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.
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