Founding AI Engineer (Forward Deployed)

Role overview

Work arrangement

• Hybrid role requiring attendance at the downtown Toronto office and/or a client office at least 2–3 days per week; this may change.

Responsibilities

• Design production AI systems, including full-stack applications, agents, and supporting services.
• Set AI engineering patterns; build shared tools, harnesses, and evaluations.
• Lead embedded client delivery from idea to production and mentor developers and co-ops.
• Own shipped system quality, security, and reliability; shape roadmaps with leadership.
• Keep learning and introduce new AI tools and ideas to the team.

Required qualifications

• 5–12 years building and shipping software, with recent hands-on AI work.
• Strong Java and Node.js; ability to design front ends, APIs, and data together.
• Strong PostgreSQL and MongoDB design and performance experience.
• Production experience with LLM or agent products; daily full-stack development using AI coding tools.
• Deep prompt, context, harness, and loop engineering knowledge; ability to evaluate and make AI systems safe and dependable.
• Cloud deployment experience with Azure, AWS, or GCP; ability to lead delivery, mentor, and set technical direction.
• Clear written and spoken English and ability to explain technical work to developers and business leaders.

Assets

• Banking, insurance, or wealth management background.
• RAG, vector databases, agent frameworks, or MCP experience.
• MLOps, observability, monitoring, and regulated-industry security, privacy, or compliance experience.
• Experience establishing a team, practice, or product from scratch; AI thought leadership through speaking, writing, or open source.

Compensation

• Estimated compensation range is CAD 95,000–CAD 145,000; the description does not specify a pay cadence.
• Posting states this is an existing vacancy.