Job Specifications
Job Description
We are currently seeking a Director, AI Technology to join our team.
The Director, AI Technology provides technical leadership for the design, development, and delivery of advanced AI capabilities across the organization. This role leads the evolution of AI ‑ enabled systems—including intelligent automation, agentic AI experiences, retrieval ‑ based intelligence, and secure AI application components—ensuring solutions are scalable, safe, compliant, and aligned with business strategy.
Here’s what would be included as a part of your typical day
AI Technology Strategy & Architecture: Define the reference architecture for the AI technology components, including development tools and best practices (multi ‑ agent orchestration, RAG pipelines, tool interfaces, policy enforcement layers). Makes recommendations on models, retrieval, observability, and rollout patterns to meet reliability, safety, and compliance requirements.
Technical Leadership & Mentoring: Provide day ‑ to ‑ day technical leadership to AI engineers; run design reviews, provide feedback and coaching. Establish reusable libraries, templates, and standards align to overall Enterprise Architecture and build a culture of engineering rigor and continuous learning.
Delivery & Roadmap Alignment: Translate ideas and opportunities into executable AI technology solutions. Prioritize work across team members and ensure dependencies across data, platform, and application teams are resolved.
Hands-On Engineering: Contribute sleeves ‑ rolled ‑ up to complex components (e.g., multi ‑ agent planning, high ‑ risk RAG flows, performance tuning, observability). Troubleshoot production issues and participate in incident response and post ‑ mortems activities.
Enterprise AI Ecosystems: Leads the build, implementation, and optimization of AI technology components. Creates, delivers, and supports the handover of solutions, tools, and integrations with the appropriate IT support groups and resources. Develops processes around AI technology consumption, usage, and access.
Team Support and Collaboration: Work closely with internal IT groups, including Cyber Security, Data, Cloud Infrastructure, Architecture, Software Development, and IT Operations to ensure successful, secure, and scalable operationalization of AI technology solutions. Partner with business stakeholders, product teams, and subject-matter experts to ensure AI solutions are aligned with desired business outcomes and deliver measurable value.
Risk and Compliance: Maintains compliance with audit and risk management requirements. Stays familiar with guidelines from regulatory bodies such as OSFI and FCAC. Assists IT leaders in identifying risks and opportunities.
Research & Continuous Improvement: Monitor AI technology solutions, frameworks, and governance trends. Evaluate platform and vendor capabilities and recommend upgrades or deprecations as needed. Measure gains in performance, reliability, and cost.
Required Skills, Experience & Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (Master’s an asset).
8 years of experience in software engineering, AI engineering, or advanced technical roles, with at least 3–5 years in technical leadership, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience designing and delivering production AI systems in enterprise environments (financial services experience preferred)
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong planning and project management skills.
Experience with interpreting and authoring software architecture documents.
Ability to think both strategically and tactically.
High-energy, “can-do” attitude with strong relationship-building skills.
Deep understanding of industry trends and client needs.
Expertise in modern AI engineering patterns (e.g., retrieval ‑ augmented intelligence, agentic workflows, prompt and reasoning design, secure model integration).
Strong grounding in cloud architecture, identity/security best practices, and application observability.
Ability to mentor engineers and elevate the technical bar across the team.
Excellent leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.
Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on implementation.
Displays an understanding of risk and risk ownership by being able to demonstrate adherence to policies and procedures.
About Us
What’s in it for you:
First, we strive to make our team members feel genuinely rewarded. You’ll have:
Mental health coverage and resources
Customizable health benefits, as well as topped-up parental leave
Performance-based compensation, employee banking advantages and group RRSP matching
Vacation time and flexible work arrangements to support your lifestyle
We are committed to providing a fair, equitable, and competitive rewards package that reflects the value an individual brings to our organization. The compensation mentioned in this job posting should serve as a guide. The total cash compensation
About the Company
We are one of Canada's leading member-owned financial co-operatives, rooted deep in communities throughout British Columbia but extending wherever life takes our members. For more than 15 years, First West has proven that credit unions can remain ultra-local through our multi-brand model, while having the combined strength of a larger co-operative financial institution.
Our core business is traditional banking (personal, commercial, and business) and wealth management, delivered through community brands Island Savings, En...
Know more