Principal Ai Engineer (winnipeg)

Overview

Be the organization’s foremost technical authority on AI platform engineering, setting the long‑term technical trajectory for enterprise AI systems. As Principal AI Engineer, you'll operate with high autonomy to design systems that will underpin the organization for years, serve as a multiplier across engineering teams, and make complex technical decisions legible to senior stakeholders. This role combines architectural vision with hands‑on engineering depth—owning foundational infrastructure choices, mentoring senior engineers, and ensuring the AI platform remains resilient, scalable, and strategically differentiated at enterprise scale. Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise's foremost technical authority on AI platform architecture, owning foundational decisions on infrastructure design, component composition, and platform evolution. Define and maintain reference architectures covering API gateway design, LLM access patterns, model serving infrastructure, orchestration layers, and integration frameworks. Design, build, and own the enterprise AI API layer including internal APIs and SDKs providing standardized, secure access to AI capabilities across the organization. Lead multi‑year platform roadmap planning with senior leadership, translating enterprise AI ambitions into phased, executable architecture decisions with defined success criteria. Design and implement API gateway, rate‑limiting framework, and authentication/authorization standards for LLM access, balancing cost controls, fairness, and reliability. Own the platform's non‑functional requirements—performance, reliability, observability, security—and drive engineering decisions ensuring enterprise‑grade service standards. Mentor and coach senior engineers, provide hands‑on technical guidance, conduct architecture reviews, and sponsor deep engineering expertise development. Lead technical due diligence for strategic vendor and tooling decisions, synthesizing evaluations into explicit recommendations that weigh capability, cost, and long‑term fit. Qualifications

10+ years software or platform engineering experience, with at least 5 years focused on AI/ML infrastructure, API platform engineering, or large‑scale distributed systems. Demonstrated track record designing and delivering enterprise‑grade AI platforms with direct, hands‑on engineering contribution at the most complex levels. Deep expertise in LLM API integration and production deployment (Anthropic Claude, Open AI, Azure Open AI, or equivalent at enterprise scale). Strong proficiency in API design and gateway engineering including RESTful patterns, authentication/authorization (OAuth2, JWT), rate limiting, and observability. Hands‑on experience with vector databases and RAG pipeline architecture (Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector, Chroma, or equivalent). Nice‑to‑have

Experience operating in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare) with familiarity of compliance and security constraints for AI infrastructure. Hands‑on experience implementing AI security controls including prompt injection mitigation, output filtering, and PII detection. Familiarity with AI governance frameworks and responsible AI engineering practices including model audit logging and fairness monitoring. Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction at organizational level through architecture reviews and cross‑functional stakeholder engagement. Contributions to open‑source AI/platform engineering projects, technical publications, or conference presentations at recognized forums. Benefits

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. Location

RBC WATERPARK PLACE, 88 QUEENS QUAY W: TORONTO, Toronto, Canada.