Senior Director, Program Delivery

Royal Bank of Canada · Toronto

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What is the opportunity?

RBC's AI Group is scaling rapidly to deliver on our $1 billion AI ambition, deploying transformative AI solutions across credit, fraud detection, market intelligence, pricing optimization, and generative AI applications. As the AI Solutions portfolio expands across multiple lines of business, we need a strategic leader who can blend technical depth with program execution excellence to drive delivery at scale.

As a member of RBC Borealis AI, reporting to the VP, Solutions Engineering & Delivery, the Senior Director, Program Delivery will lead the strategic planning, execution, and governance of large-scale AI solution delivery programs across RBC's enterprise. You'll bring both technical credibility and program management expertise to ensure AI initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives while managing dependencies across research teams, engineering teams, platform groups, and business stakeholders.

This is a unique opportunity to shape how RBC delivers AI at scale. You'll establish program delivery excellence across the AI Group, build governance frameworks, and drive a culture of ownership and continuous improvement. Your combination of technical understanding and delivery leadership will enable RBC to accelerate AI adoption and deliver measurable business value across the organization.

What will you do?

Strategic Program Leadership:

• Lead the execution of the AI Group's most strategic and complex programs, ensuring alignment with RBC's $1 billion AI ambition and organizational goals.
• Partner with VP, Solutions Engineering & Delivery and senior AI Group leadership to translate strategic priorities into actionable program plans with clear roadmaps, milestones, and deliverables.
• Oversee multiple large-scale AI delivery programs simultaneously, managing interdependencies across ATOM Engineering, AI Solutions Engineering, platform teams, and business lines.
• Work with senior leadership to define business cases, program objectives, scope, timelines, and budgets for major AI initiatives.
• Translate program vision into detailed execution plans with associated financial targets, delivery design, and measurable key performance indicators.

Program Management Excellence & Delivery Operations:

• Establish and mature program management practices across the AI Solutions organization, creating standardized processes, methodologies, and tools.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities for process optimization and implementing best practices to enhance delivery effectiveness.
• Manage and facilitate the execution of scaled Agile delivery including dependencies across programs and initiatives, technology prioritization, resource planning, and platform capabilities.
• Leverage OKRs and KPIs to track program health, delivery velocity, and business outcomes, establishing data-driven decision-making practices.
• Provide executive-level reporting for Executive Steering Committees and senior stakeholders with timely updates on program status, risks, and mitigation strategies.

Technical Leadership & Engineering Collaboration:

• Apply technical expertise to understand AI solution architectures, platform dependencies, and engineering constraints that impact program delivery.
• Partner closely with engineering leaders (ATOM Engineering, AI Solutions Engineering, Platform teams) to balance technical excellence with delivery timelines.
• Navigate complex technical trade-offs and help teams make informed decisions on architecture, tooling, and delivery approaches.
• Establish technical governance processes that ensure quality, scalability, and reliability without compromising delivery speed.
• Serve as a credible technical voice in stakeholder discussions, translating technical concepts for business audiences and business needs for technical teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:

• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across AI Research, Applied AI, platform teams (Lumina, AI Architecture), business line CIOs, and enterprise partners.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among program teams, technology partners, and senior leadership to drive alignment and remove blockers.
• Partner with AI Governance, Model Risk, and compliance teams to ensure program deliverables meet regulatory and ethical AI standards.
• Collaborate with business line leaders to understand requirements, manage expectations, and ensure AI solutions deliver measurable business value.
• Drive cultural transformation by fostering a program mindset, shared ownership, and user-centric delivery practices across delivery teams.

Team Leadership & Capability Building:

• Build and lead a high-performing team of program managers and delivery leads responsible for executing AI solution programs.
• Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, accountability, and continuous learning within the delivery team.
• Mentor and develop program management talent, creating career pathways and building organizational capability.
• Empower delivery teams with the tools, processes, and support needed to succeed in a fast-paced, complex delivery environment.
• Champion strategic storytelling and change management to drive adoption of new delivery practices and cultural mindsets.

Risk, Financial & Resource Management:

• Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate program risks, developing contingency plans and ensuring effective risk management across the portfolio.
• Drive issue resolution and escalation management, ensuring obstacles are addressed quickly and effectively.
• Manage program budgets and financial planning in collaboration with finance and business management teams.
• Optimize resource allocation across programs, balancing capacity, skills, and priorities to maximize delivery throughput.
• Track program spend, forecast future needs, and ensure cost efficiency across the AI solutions delivery portfolio.

What do you need to succeed?

Must Have:

• 12+ years of experience in technology delivery with a strong technical foundation (software engineering, platform engineering, or infrastructure engineering background preferred).
• 7+ years in program management, delivery leadership, or technical leadership roles managing large-scale, complex technology programs.
• Deep technical understanding of software delivery, platform engineering, cloud architectures, and modern engineering practices.
• Proven track record delivering complex AI, ML, data, or platform programs in production environments, preferably in financial services or regulated industries.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence technical teams while driving program execution and accountability.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML solution delivery including model development, engineering, platform integration, and production deployment.
• Experience establishing program governance, delivery frameworks, and operational excellence in fast-paced, complex environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with ability to influence senior executives, technical leaders, and business partners.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills with experience using OKRs, KPIs, and metrics to drive delivery outcomes.

Nice to Have:

• Background as a software engineer, platform engineer, or distinguished engineer who transitioned into delivery leadership.
• Experience leading platform engineering teams or building platform-as-a-product capabilities.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile, SAFe, or Scrum Master certifications.
• Experience driving cultural transformation and organizational change in engineering organizations.
• Understanding of generative AI, foundation models, MLOps, and AI solution delivery at enterprise scale.
• Experience managing programs with budgets of $10M+ and cross-functional teams of 50+ people across multiple workstreams.
• Familiarity with digital banking platforms, online/mobile systems, or customer-facing technology delivery.
• Computer Science degree or equivalent technical background; Master's degree in technology management or related field is a plus.
• Track record of thought leadership through conference speaking, technical writing, or community engagement.

What's in it for you?

We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• Strategic impact: Drive the delivery of RBC's most transformative AI programs, directly contributing to the bank's $1 billion AI ambition.
• Leadership opportunity: As a member of RBC Borealis AI, build and lead a program delivery team while shaping AI delivery practices and standards across the organization.
• Technical and strategic blend: Leverage your engineering background while driving organizational delivery excellence.
• Diverse and complex portfolio: Manage cutting-edge AI initiatives spanning ATOM deployment, generative AI, fraud detection, credit optimization, and more.
• Cross-functional influence: Partner with leading AI researchers, engineers, platform teams, and business leaders across RBC.
• Comprehensive Total Rewards Program including competitive compensation, bonuses, flexible benefits, and stock options.
• Talent development: Leaders who support your growth through coaching, mentorship, and opportunities to expand your delivery expertise.
• Dynamic, high-performing team: Work alongside some of the brightest minds in AI, technology, and financial services.
• Opportunities for progressively greater impact: As RBC's AI portfolio scales, so will your scope, influence, and career opportunities.

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