Principal Architect, AI Platform
BMO · Toronto, Canada · 1mo ago
Application Deadline:
Address:
33 Dundas Street WestJob Family Group:
Senior AI Architect
Description
BMO is establishing a dedicated AI Engineering function, and this role is its singular architectural authority. We are seeking a deeply experienced architect to own architectural coherence for AI across BMO's cloud and workspace estates — spanning AWS, Azure, Microsoft 365, and SaaS AI surfaces, and two regulatory regimes (OSFI, OCC).
You will hold architectural oversight across the AI Platform capabilities including Developer Experience, Security, DevOps, and Data Analytics. You will work across teams and organizations to bring a cohesive and integrated AI Platform build and operations. You will set the architectural direction that keeps teams working on Enterprise AI initiatives aligned, prevent the fragmentation and rework, and serve as the standing architectural authority to the Microsoft AI Council, preparing decisions for ratification and escalating unresolved matters to Engineering leadership and Enterprise Architecture.
You bring the technical depth to earn credibility with principal engineers, the judgment to make defensible architectural decisions under ambiguity, and the influence to align senior leaders on architectural directions.
The Mandate
Singular architectural oversight across the AI Engineering function and across Cloud AI and Workspace Engineering for all AI surfaces.
Standing architectural authority to the Microsoft AI Council: prepare cross-organizational architecture decisions for Council ratification, adjudicate Microsoft AI boundary questions, and evaluate preview features against bank governance. Enterprise Architecture serves as formal arbiter for unresolved disputes.
Architectural coherence across planes and platforms: ensure the Control Plane, Domain Orchestration, and domain-owned execution fit together into one coherent, governed architecture.
Regulatory-defensible architecture: ensure architectural decisions produce model-risk and regulatory evidence (OSFI E-23, OCC) at runtime, by design.
What You'll Do
Define and maintain the target AI architecture for the enterprise: reference architectures, architectural standards, and the guardrails that governed platform capabilities and domain workloads must conform to.
Set architectural direction across the function's Directors and squads (Platform & Fabrics, Developer Experience) and across sibling disciplines (Security, DevOps, Data Engineering), resolving competing approaches into a coherent whole.
Provide architectural governance for major AI initiatives: reviewing designs for coherence, scalability, security, cost, residency, Responsible AI, and regulatory fit and represent them at Architecture Review Board.
Own the architectural coherence of BMO's Microsoft AI surface (Copilot, Copilot Studio, Fabric Copilot, Microsoft Agent 365) across the two operating organizations, including the Three-Zone citizen governance framework and federation with the AI Registry.
Lead assessment of emerging AI capabilities, foundation models, and architectural approaches; translating rapid market change into deliberate, defensible architectural positions for the bank.
Partner with AI Platform & Fabrics to ensure platform capabilities (Gateway, Policy Engine, Identity Fabric, Registry, Guardrails, Observability) realize the target architecture, and with AI Developer Experience / Domain Solution Architects to ensure domain patterns conform to it.
Provide architectural mentorship and technical leadership to architects and principal engineers across the function, growing architectural capability and consistency.
Establish and steward the transition architecture for AI-incubated, bank-wide-eligible platforms (Identity Fabric, Policy Engine) as they mature toward enterprise ownership.
Education & Experience
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline (Master's preferred).
10+ years in software engineering, solution architecture, and enterprise architecture, with substantial time at a principal/senior architect level setting direction across multiple teams.
3+ years focused on AI/ML and GenAI architecture, including hands-on exposure to production GenAI systems (RAG, agentic workflows, model serving, guardrails).
Demonstrated experience holding cross-team or cross-organizational architectural authority — setting standards others must follow, and aligning senior stakeholders without direct reporting lines.
Experience architecting AI in a regulated industry (financial services strongly preferred), with a working understanding of model-risk management and regulatory expectations (OSFI, OCC, or equivalent).
Required Core Skills
Architectural Authority & Leadership
Proven ability to establish architectural coherence across multiple teams and organizations: defining target-state architecture, standards, and governance that hold under contested decisions.
Executive presence and influence: the credibility to advise Directors and senior executives, the judgment to make defensible decisions under ambiguity, and the diplomacy to align organizations with different mandates.
Strong mentoring and technical leadership across architects and principal engineers; ability to raise the architectural bar across a function.
Skilled at chairing/supporting governance forums, preparing decisions for ratification, and managing structured escalation.
AI & Platform Architecture Depth
Deep AI/ML and GenAI solution architecture: RAG, agentic frameworks, prompt patterns, fine-tuning, foundation models, embeddings, and vector stores.
Strong grasp of AI platform architecture: AI gateways, policy-as-code/authorization (Cedar, OPA), workload identity and zero-trust (SPIFFE/SPIRE, federated identity), guardrails, and AI observability.
Multi-cloud architecture across AWS and Azure, plus Microsoft AI surfaces (M365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, Fabric, Agent 365); cloud security and IAM as applied to AI workloads.
Integration architecture connecting AI to enterprise systems via APIs, event-driven patterns, and data services.
Working knowledge of MLOps/LLMOps, CI/CD, and how architectural decisions translate into deployable, operable patterns.
Sufficient hands-on fluency (Python preferred) to prototype, evaluate approaches, and earn engineering credibility.
Governance & Responsible AI
Deep grounding in Responsible AI, AI/data governance, privacy, and evaluation/guardrail design.
Experience embedding regulatory and model-risk evidence requirements into architecture, produced at runtime rather than retroactively.
Certifications (Preferred)
One or more strongly preferred:
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional; AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert; Azure AI Engineer Associate
Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer
TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification
Relevant GenAI/LLM credentials
Other Skills
Strong interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills across technical and business audiences.
A critical thinker with strong research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Self-directed, comfortable operating with broad mandate and ambiguity.
Able to work under tight timelines on complex, high-stakes decisions.
Salary:
Pay Type:
The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type.
Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.
BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards
About Us
At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.
As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one – for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.
To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.
BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s differences, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation, please contact your recruiter.
Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.