Lead Machine Learning Engineer AI Innovation Teams

As one of the worlds top three credit ratings agencies Fitch Ratings plays a critical role in global capital markets by providing credit analysis ratings research and commentary to financial market participants. For over 100 years Fitch Ratings has been creating value for global markets through its rigorous analysis and deep expertise which have resulted in a variety of market leading tools methodologies indices research and analytical products. Fitch Ratings is part of Fitch Group a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries which also includes Fitch Solutions. With dual headquarters in London and New York Fitch Group is owned by Hearst.

Join our fastgrowing Toronto innovation hub where were building productiongrade AI to reshape global credit decisions. Here you wont just ship featuresyoull help reinvent an industry using decadesdeep proprietary data and a modern tech stack free from heavy legacy. Backed by full enterprise support youll build reliable explainable intelligence at real scale within a collaborative outcomedriven community. If youre looking for purposeful work constant learning and a place where your impact and growth acceleratethis is where youll thrive.

Want to learn more about our Toronto Innovation Hub Visit:

Fitch Ratings is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer to join our new AI Innovation teams in Torontoa bold initiative building the AI-powered future of financial analysis. Were not fine-tuning existing models or optimizing yesterdays algorithms. Were architecting the next generation: sophisticated agentic AI systems intelligent automation that thinks and ML capabilities that will redefine how credit analysis happens and how global financial markets consume insights.

This is AIs moment at Fitch and were moving decisively. We have executive sponsorship significant investment and were establishing Toronto as our AI innovation center. As a Lead ML Engineer youll be a technical champion driving this transformationbuilding breakthrough ML systems that others will study mentoring engineers who will become tomorrows AI leaders and establishing patterns that will scale across the organization. Youre joining at the perfect inflection point: early enough to architect foundational decisions resourced enough to execute boldly.

We need ML technologists who see greenfield opportunities as fuel rather than fearwhether youre an ML architect ready to design intelligent systems from first principles an AI engineering leader who translates research breakthroughs into production reality or a seasoned practitioner who recognizes that this moment demands courage over caution. If youre motivated by lets prove this is possible rather than we need more data before we decide this is a high-impact leadership role where youll spend less time justifying AIs potential and more time realizing italongside exceptional engineers who share your conviction that were building something significant.

What We Offer:

• Ground-floor ML leadership with enterprise resources Define the ML architecture technical standards and engineering practices for Fitchs AI future while having the compute research budgets and organizational backing that most AI startups would kill for; lead and mentor a team of 4-5 ML engineers while remaining hands-on with the most challenging technical problems
• Build breakthrough ML systems that matter Develop net-new generative AI platforms multi-agent orchestration systems and intelligent automation that will process billions in credit decisions; experiment with frontier models novel architectures and unconventional approaches; see your ML innovations directly impact how global financial markets operate
• Access to cutting-edge ML infrastructure and research Work with the latest LLMs fine-tune foundation models leverage enterprise-scale GPU clusters experiment with emerging frameworks before theyre mainstream and collaborate with academic ML researchers; substantial conference and training budgets to stay at the forefront of AI innovation
• Toronto as Fitchs AI center of excellence Join our strategic investment in Torontoone of the worlds premier AI research hubswhere youll connect with Vector Institute researchers attend cutting-edge ML meetups and be part of the ecosystem thats defining the future of applied AI
• Shape ML governance and standards for an organization Establish the ML engineering practices model governance frameworks and AI integration patterns that will guide Fitchs AI transformation; your architectural decisions will influence how a global financial services leader approaches intelligent systems
• Real production impact with sophisticated ML challenges Build ML systems that analysts and financial professionals actually use daily; solve hard problems at the intersection of NLP document intelligence reasoning systems and production-scale deployment; measure your impact in both model performance and business outcomes
• Accelerated career trajectory in AI leadership High visibility to C-suite executives making billion-dollar strategic decisions; clear advancement paths to Principal ML Architect or AI Research Lead roles; opportunity to establish yourself as a recognized voice in financial AI and earn a reputation that opens doors across the industry

Well Count on You To:

• Build transformative ML systems from the ground up Design and architect net-new generative AI solutions agentic workflows and intelligent platforms using advanced ML frameworks (PyTorch etc.) large language models and emerging AI technologies that fundamentally change how analysts work and how Fitch operates
• Drive breakthrough AI innovation and experimentation boldly Lead exploration of generative AI multi-agent systems RAG architectures model fine-tuning prompt engineering and other emerging ML technologies; create cutting-edge proofs-of-concept; evaluate whats transformative versus whats hype; and turn research into production-quality AI capabilities
• Define ML technical vision and architecture for the future Shape architectural decisions for ML systems establish ML engineering standards drive technology and framework choices and influence how Fitch approaches intelligent platforms and AI governance across the organization
• Lead through innovation influence and people management Manage and mentor a team of 4-5 ML engineers while partnering with product squads business stakeholders and cross-functional teams to translate ambitious AI ideas into elegant technical solutions; foster a culture of experimentation continuous learning and calculated risk-taking
• Champion ML excellence while moving fast Balance innovation velocity with ML engineering best practices; implement robust CI/CD pipelines for ML systems; develop scalable APIs (FastAPI etc.) for model deployment; solve novel technical challenges at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and production systems; and build solutions that are both breakthrough and reliable
• Drive ML governance and operational excellence Ensure adherence to AI/ML governance guidelines monitor SLAs for AI solutions optimize model performance and reliability and translate complex ML concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences across distributed teams
• Shape team culture and technical direction Help define how our AI innovation teams operate what good looks like for ML engineering and how we balance exploration with delivery; model the curiosity boldness and technical rigor needed to succeed in a greenfield ML innovation environment

What You Need to Have:

• Deep ML technical expertise 12 years of professional experience building production AI/ML systems with strong proficiency in Python ML algorithms (from classical techniques to deep learning) and modern ML frameworks; proven track record of delivering advanced generative AI and ML solutions
• ML architectural mastery and greenfield experience Demonstrated experience designing scalable ML systems from scratch; deep understanding of ML system architecture model deployment patterns and the ability to make bold architectural decisions for AI platforms in ambiguous environments
• Advanced generative AI expertise Extensive hands-on experience developing and integrating generative AI solutions working with large language models building agentic systems implementing RAG architectures and training/fine-tuning neural networks using frameworks like PyTorch
• Bachelors degree in Machine Learning Computer Science Data Science Applied Mathematics or related field (Masters or PhD is strongly preferred)
• Production ML engineering excellence Deep understanding of ML operations including containerization (Docker Kubernetes/AWS EKS) cloud platforms (AWS/Azure) workflow orchestration (Airflow) automated testing for ML systems and API development for model deployment
• Leadership and people management Track record of managing and mentoring technical teams driving ML initiatives in fast-moving environments balancing hands-on technical contributions with team leadership and building credibility through results and vision
• Innovation and experimentation mindset Demonstrated history of exploring emerging ML technologies building AI proofs-of-concept learning from failures and translating cutting-edge research into production systems; comfort with ambiguity and rapid technological change
• Outstanding collaboration and communication Ability to articulate ML technical vision to diverse audiences work effectively with product squads and business partners translate complex AI/ML concepts for non-technical stakeholders and bring your whole self while remaining open to others perspectives

What Would Make You Stand Out:

• Cutting-edge AI research to production experience Track record of taking breakthrough AI capabilities from research/prototype to production-scale deployment; experience supporting seamless transitions from experimentation to enterprise-grade ML systems with real users
• ML thought leadership and technical strategy History of establishing technical direction for ML initiatives contributing to open source ML projects speaking at AI/ML conferences publishing research or writing about practical applications of emerging AI technologies
• Multi-agent and agentic systems expertise Hands-on experience building multi-agent systems agentic workflows tool-using AI systems or complex AI orchestration platforms that go beyond simple LLM integrations
• Advanced cloud-native ML infrastructure Deep expertise building sophisticated ML infrastructure MLOps pipelines model serving platforms and cloud-native AI systems at scale; experience optimizing cost and performance of production LLM deployments
• Financial services or analytical domain knowledge Understanding of analytical workflows credit analysis processes regulatory requirements financial data products or how ML enables better financial decision-making; familiarity with credit ratings agencies is a significant advantage
• Startup or innovation team experience History of building greenfield ML products working in fast-paced AI innovation environments or being part of 0-to-1 ML initiatives within larger organizations where you shaped technical direction
• Toronto AI/ML community connection Active participation in Torontos AI/ML research or engineering communities connections to academic ML research groups or strong interest in being part of Torontos world-class AI ecosystem

If youre ready to build transformative ML systems with organizational backing talented colleagues and the resources to succeedthis is the moment to join us.

Why Fitch

At Fitch Group the combined power of our global perspectives is what differentiates us. Our global network of colleagues comes together to accomplish things greater than they ever could alone.

Every team member is essential to our business and each perspective is critical to our success. We embrace a diverse culture that encourages a free exchange of ideas guaranteeing your voice will be heard and your work will have an impact regardless of seniority.

We are building incredible things at Fitch and we invite you to join us on our journey.

About Fitch Group

Fitch Group is a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries. Wholly owned by the Hearst Corporation we are comprised of three main businesses: Fitch Ratings Fitch Solutions Fitch Learning.

For more information please visit our websites:

Fitch is committed to providing global securities markets with objective timely independent and forward-looking credit opinions. To protect Fitchs credibility and reputation our employees must take every precaution to avoid conflicts of interests or any appearance of a conflict of interest. Should you be successful in the recruitment process at Fitch Ratings you will be asked to declare any securities holdings and other potential conflicts prior to commencing employment. If you or your immediate family have any holdings that may conflict with your work responsibilities you may be asked to divest yourself of them before beginning work.

Fitch Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race color national origin religion sex sexual orientation gender identity disability protected veteran status and other statuses protected by law.

FOR TORONTO ROLES ONLY:Expected base pay rates for the role will be between 200000 CAD and 250000 CAD. Actual salaries will be determined on an individualized basis and may vary based on factors including but not limited to education training experience past performance and other job-related factors. Base pay is one part of Fitchs total compensation package which depending on the position may also include commission earnings discretionary bonuses long-term incentives and other benefits sponsored by Fitch.