Principal, Financial Engineering

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) offers an exceptional opportunity to work at a world-class organization while living in a west coast setting. With $313.7 billion of gross assets under management, as of March 31, 2026, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) is the provider of investment management services for British Columbia’s public sector and one of the largest asset managers in Canada. BCI seeks investment opportunities around the world and across a range of asset classes that convert savings into productive capital. Our investment returns play a significant role in helping our institutional clients build a financially secure future for their beneficiaries.

POSTING CLOSE DATE: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Many quant roles split you into either the quantitative finance side or the coding side; this one asks you to be genuinely fluent in both — valuation and risk management, plus real software architecture and production code, in a single seat. If you've been doing the technical work for years but want the next step to be leading a team without giving up the modeling and coding that got you into this field, this role is built for exactly that move.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Financial Engineering branch operates as a business team embedded within Investment Operations, distinct from BCI’s Technology department. It is a specialist quantitative and software engineering group that partners with Technology for infrastructure and enterprise systems support while retaining direct ownership of its own model development, analytical platforms, and deployment pipelines. Every member of the team, including senior leadership, is directly and actively involved in hands-on model development, maintenance, and deployment. The branch drives innovation and the adoption of advanced technologies including AI-enabled tooling, high-performance computing, and modern DevOps practices delivering equitable, objective support across all Investment Operations functions.

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH

Reporting to the Senior Principal, Financial Engineering, the Principal, Financial Engineering is a senior leadership role within the branch. The successful candidate will both lead a team of Financial Engineers and Analysts and contribute directly as a practitioner, personally engaged in the design, development, and production support of quantitative models and software platforms across Investment Operations. This is not a purely managerial role: a genuine passion for software development and financial modelling is essential.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 7+ years of progressive experience in financial engineering, quantitative finance, or a closely related discipline, preferably within a large asset management, investment firm, or banking institution.
• Demonstrable passion for software development and solution architecture design: a proven history of personally writing and shipping production-grade financial models and analytical tools, not solely in an oversight capacity.
• Strong hands-on proficiency in R and/or Python for financial modelling and data engineering; experience with SQL, non-SQL databases (e.g., MongoDB), and version control (Git/Bitbucket).
• Experience designing or deploying AI agents or LLM-enabled tooling within an operational finance setting preferred.
• Practical experience with CI/CD tooling, containerisation (Docker), and cloud platforms (AWS or equivalent).
• Demonstrated track record of leading and developing high-performing engineering or quantitative teams while remaining an active technical contributor.
• Relevant degree in a quantitative discipline: STEM, finance, economics, computer science, or equivalent. An advanced degree (MSc, PhD) or professional designation (CFA, FRM, CQF, MBA, CPA) is a strong asset.
• Working knowledge of derivatives markets including OTC and exchange-traded products, FX, and fixed income; familiarity with valuation, hedging, and lifecycle management concepts.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, lead through ambiguity, and deliver results in a fast-paced, regulated environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both specialist and non-specialist business audiences.

HELPFUL/PREFERRED

• Experience with Bloomberg AIM / BQUANT, ICE Data Services, TriOptima, or MarkitWire preferred.
• Exposure to securities lending, collateral management, or cash liquidity modelling preferred.
• Familiarity with Posit Connect, Jupyter Notebooks, or similar analytical publishing platforms used within a business team context preferred.
• Background in enterprise integration patterns, microservices architecture, or iPaaS platforms (e.g., MuleSoft) preferred.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

The Principal oversees the branch's operational framework while remaining hands-on: managing CI/CD pipelines and release processes, contributing to derivatives, cash, securities lending, and settlements models, leading multi-product portal and analytics delivery, and embedding AI and cloud-native practices into the team's engineering culture. They serve as the primary escalation point for technical risk and model quality, and as a key stakeholder across the Architecture Working Group and Innovation Council.

• Actively develops, validates, and maintains financial models in R and/or Python, covering derivatives valuation, FX hedging, cash liquidity forecasting, securities lending, and collateral management.
• Explores and prototypes emerging technologies, including AI agent frameworks and LLM-enabled tooling, to advance the branch's innovation agenda.
• Writes production-quality code, participates in peer code review, and contributes directly to the design and implementation of analytical platforms and business-facing portals.
• Personally contributes to CI/CD pipeline management, release engineering, and deployment processes across Posit Connect, Docker, and MongoDB Atlas environments.
• Leads by example as a developer: champions engineering best practices, clean code standards, automated testing, and documentation within the team.
• Directly manages a team of Financial Engineers and Associates; sets clear objectives, coaches performance, and fosters a culture of continuous learning and high standards.
• Builds team capability by identifying skill gaps, sponsoring stretch assignments, and supporting each team member's individual development plan.
• Acts as a cultural role model: fosters a collaborative, inclusive, high-trust environment where intellectual honesty is expected, individual strengths are developed, and feedback is given and received in good faith.
• Manages resource allocation and workload across concurrent development projects, ensuring sustainable delivery without compromising quality.
• Owns and actively contributes to the branch's CI/CD pipeline strategy and release management practices across Posit Connect, Jupyter, Docker, and MongoDB Atlas environments.
• Provides architectural input and governance across microservices, data integration, and API design to ensure scalability, resilience, and maintainability.
• Partners with BCI's Technology department to coordinate infrastructure support, environment provisioning, and enterprise systems alignment while maintaining the branch's autonomy over its analytical toolchain.
• Collaborates with the Architecture Working Group and Architectural Review Board to align branch initiatives with enterprise standards.
• Serves as the primary liaison between the Financial Engineering branch and its business clients across Derivatives, Collateral, Cash, Trade Management, and Business Solutions.
• Manages delivery of strategic programmes including client portals, cash exposure modelling, reconciliation platforms, and inflows management systems.
• Prepares and presents business cases, programme updates, and risk escalations for senior leadership and governance forums.
• Maintains effective working relationships with technology vendors, external counterparties, and custodians in support of branch objectives.
• Develops and maintains the branch's operational and data quality frameworks, monitoring adherence to policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Identifies and mitigates technical and model risk across the platform estate; escalates material issues with appropriate urgency.
• Drives a culture of continuous improvement: benchmarks processes, introduces efficiency initiatives, and ensures the team adopts best practices in software engineering and financial modelling.
• Contributes to and oversees compliance with BCI's risk management, records management, and business continuity requirements.

WHERE YOU WILL WORK

BCI’s Headquarters in Victoria, BC, Canada

SALARY RANGE

The annualized salary range for this role is CAD $135,000 - $160,000

Our recruitment process requires that the successful candidate agrees to undergo a criminal record search, education and designation verification; to provide a declaration of no previous or current criminal status; and to comply with our corporate Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.

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