Ottawa (Downtown), ON, CA
Principal Consultant, AI Technology
Take a central role
The Bank of Canada has a vision to be a leading central bank—dynamic, engaged and trusted—committed to a better Canada. No other employer in the country offers you the unique opportunity to work at the very center of Canada’s economy, in an organization with significant impact on the economic and financial well-being of all Canadians. You will be challenged, energized and motivated to excel in our environment.
Building on the principles that have always guided us – excellence, integrity and respect – we strive to be forward-looking and innovative, to welcome people with diverse perspectives and talents, and to earn trust by living up to our commitments and by clearly explaining the intent of our policies and actions.
With our defined-benefit pension plan, benefits, and high flexibility for work life balance - find out more about why we are annually ranked as one of Canada's top employers: Working Here - Bank of Canada
Find out more about the next steps in our Recruitment process.
Shaping the Future of AI
A career in AI Technology at the Bank means helping shape the future of Canada’s central bank. As artificial intelligence transforms the global financial landscape, the Bank is embracing these technologies to drive innovation, strengthen decision-making, and serve Canadians with responsibility and integrity.
What you need to know
We are seeking a Principal Consultant to provide senior technical leadership in advancing the Bank’s AI strategy. In this role, you will lead and collaborate with cross‑functional teams spanning technology, data, security, and risk to design, deliver, and scale enterprise AI solutions from concept through production.
You will define and steward AI standards and reference architectures, with accountability for establishing guardrails across the AI lifecycle. This includes managing model risk, performance, security, and responsible use, and ensuring solutions are production‑ready, scalable, and resilient.
Reporting to the Managing Deputy Director, you will serve as a senior technical authority within a high‑impact team modernizing the technology foundations that support a secure and resilient Canadian economy
What you will do
You will serve as a trusted expert on the Bank’s unified Microsoft AI platform, translating complex business needs into scalable and actionable AI roadmaps. Working across data engineering, cloud infrastructure, and emerging agentic AI capabilities, you will provide strategic technical guidance while mentoring and developing the next generation of AI specialists.
More specifically you will:
- Architect the AI Ecosystem: Lead the design and evolution of the Bank’s platform using Azure AI Foundry to manage model lifecycles and Microsoft Fabric and Databricks to deliver reliable, high-quality data for AI consumption.
- Drive the Copilot Strategy: Establish the roadmap for M365 Copilot and Copilot Studio, empowering teams to build secure custom agents that connect directly with Bank data and workflows.
- Drive Enterprise Integration: Integrate Copilot Studio and Azure AI with core enterprise platforms, including SAP, ServiceNow, and Databricks Lakehouse to automate complex business processes and enhance operational efficiency through AI.
- Lead Strategic Implementation: Implement Generative AI and RAG architectures, ensuring AI agents are securely grounded in the Bank’s unified data environment including OneLake and Delta Lake.
- Bridge Technical & Business Worlds: Communicate AI insights, risks, and innovation opportunities to stakeholders, highlighting how the "Data + AI" stack drives value for the Bank.
- Ensure Governance & Ethics: Keep AI implementation reliable, unbiased, and compliant by tracking trends and enforcing the Bank's rigorous security standards.
- Develop Talent: Guide junior engineers and data scientists in MLOps and LMOps , helping them reach their full potential.
What you need to succeed
You bring strong technical leadership and excellent interpersonal skills, able to demystify complex AI and data concepts for stakeholders. You communicate clearly, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and manage multiple projects while maintaining high client expectations.
Your work effectively both independently and within multidisciplinary teams, fostering a positive, collaborative work environment. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills round out your ability to deliver reliable, high-impact results, produce concise, decision-ready artefacts, and make technical choices that align with enterprise strategy. You deliver outcomes through influence, ensuring results are measurable, sustainable, and impactful.
Technical skills we are looking for include:
- Advanced AI Platform Expertise: Subject‑matter expertise in enterprise AI platforms and agentic systems, including the design and delivery of complex, multi‑step AI workflows and copilots within secure, regulated environments.
- Enterprise Integration & Data Connectivity: Proven experience integrating AI solutions with core enterprise systems (e.g., ERP, service management platforms) and high‑performance data environments, enabling end‑to‑end AI solutions across business and technology domains.
- Enterprise Data & AI Foundation: Deep understanding of modern data architectures and governance patterns (e.g., Lakehouse architectures, metadata management, data versioning) as the foundation for scalable, production‑grade AI.
- AI Architecture & Lifecycle Governance: Hands‑on experience designing AI architectures and establishing lifecycle controls across model development, validation, deployment, monitoring, and retirement, with clear guardrails for risk, security, performance, and responsible use.
- Cloud & Security Architecture: Strong experience with cloud architecture, identity, networking, and security controls, operating within highly regulated environments and aligning AI solutions with enterprise risk and compliance requirements.
Nice-to-have:
- Experience with Responsible AI Dashboards and AI safety guardrails.
- Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate, Databricks Certified Data Engineer, Pureview or Fabric Analytics Engineer.
- Knowledge of lifecycle of Large Language Model management
Your education and experience
This position requires a degree/diploma in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering or relevant field with a minimum of 8 years of experience in technology consulting or enterprise architecture. A combination of education and experience may also be considered to determine if you have the proficiencies and skills for the role.
Innovative Mindset
We value candidates who demonstrate adaptability, curiosity, and a willingness to learn new technologies, including AI and digital tools. We seek individuals who can think critically about data, question existing processes, and find ways to simplify our work while embracing change and new ways of doing things.
Language requirement
The Bank’s work environment is conducive to the use of both of Canada’s official languages - English and French. Although the position language requirement is English or French essential, we do encourage everyone to improve their second language proficiency for future career growth and to contribute towards fostering a bilingual environment.
What you need to know
- Priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents
- Security level required: Be eligible to obtain Secret
- Relocation assistance may be provided, if required
- Please save a copy of the job poster. Once the closing date has passed, it will no longer be available.
- The official title for this position is “Principal Consultant ”
- Interviews may start as early as 15 April 2026
Hybrid Work Model
The Bank offers work arrangements that provide employees with flexibility, enable high-performing teams, and support an excellent workplace culture. Most employees can telework from home for a portion of each month as part of the Bank’s hybrid work model, and they are expected on site at the Bank location a minimum of 12 days per month to help build connections between colleagues. You must live in Canada, and within reasonable commuting distance of the office.
What you can expect from us
This is a great opportunity to join a leading organization and be part of a high-performing team. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet your needs at every stage of your life and career. For more information on key benefits please visit A great deal to consider.
- Salaries are based on qualifications and experience and typically range from $153,721 to $180,848 (job grade 19)
- The Bank offers an incentive for successfully meeting expectations at 7 to 10% of your base salary. The Bank offers additional performance pay (5%) for those who exceed expectations. Exceptional performers who far exceed expectations may be eligible for higher performance pay.
- Flexible and comprehensive benefits so you can choose the level of health, dental disability and life and/or accident insurance coverage that meets your needs
- Extra vacation days (up to five each year) that you can purchase to add to your vacation entitlement
- Indexed, defined-benefit pension
We wish to thank all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.