Principal Architect, AI Platform

Address:

Senior AI Architect

Description

BMO is establishing a dedicated AI Engineering function and this role is itssingular architectural authority. We are seeking a deeply experienced architect to own architectural coherence for AI across BMOs cloud and workspace estates spanning AWS Azure Microsoft 365 and SaaS AI surfaces and two regulatory regimes (OSFI OCC).

You will hold architectural oversight across the AI Platform capabilities including Developer Experience Security DevOps and Data Analytics. You will work across teams and organizations to bring a cohesive and integrated AI Platform build and operations. You will set the architectural direction that keeps teams working on Enterprise AI initiatives aligned prevent the fragmentation and rework and serve as the standing architectural authority to theMicrosoft AI Council preparing decisions for ratification and escalating unresolved matters to Engineering leadership and Enterprise Architecture.

You bring the technical depth to earn credibility with principal engineers the judgment to make defensible architectural decisions under ambiguity and the influence to align senior leaders on architectural directions.

The Mandate

• Singular architectural oversightacross the AI Engineering function and across Cloud AI and Workspace Engineering for all AI surfaces.

• Standing architectural authority to the Microsoft AI Council: prepare cross-organizational architecture decisions for Council ratification adjudicate Microsoft AI boundary questions and evaluate preview features against bank governance. Enterprise Architecture serves as formal arbiter for unresolved disputes.

• Architectural coherence across planes and platforms: ensure the Control Plane Domain Orchestration and domain-owned execution fit together into one coherent governed architecture.

• Regulatory-defensible architecture: ensure architectural decisions produce model-risk and regulatory evidence (OSFI E-23 OCC) at runtime by design.

What Youll Do

• Define and maintain thetarget AI architecturefor the enterprise: reference architectures architectural standards and the guardrails that governed platform capabilities and domain workloads must conform to.

• Set architectural direction across the functions Directors and squads (Platform & Fabrics Developer Experience) and across sibling disciplines (Security DevOps Data Engineering) resolving competing approaches into a coherent whole.

• Provide architectural governance for major AI initiatives: reviewing designs for coherence scalability security cost residency Responsible AI and regulatory fit and represent them at Architecture Review Board.

• Own thearchitectural coherence of BMOs Microsoft AI surface(Copilot Copilot Studio Fabric Copilot Microsoft Agent 365) across the two operating organizations including the Three-Zone citizen governance framework and federation with the AI Registry.

• Lead assessment of emerging AI capabilities foundation models and architectural approaches; translating rapid market change into deliberate defensible architectural positions for the bank.

• Partner withAI Platform & Fabricsto ensure platform capabilities (Gateway Policy Engine Identity Fabric Registry Guardrails Observability) realize the target architecture and withAI Developer Experience / Domain Solution Architectsto ensure domain patterns conform to it.

• Provide architectural mentorship and technical leadership to architects and principal engineers across the function growing architectural capability and consistency.

• Establish and steward the transition architecture for AI-incubated bank-wide-eligible platforms (Identity Fabric Policy Engine) as they mature toward enterprise ownership.

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Software Engineering or a related technical discipline (Masters preferred).

• 10 years in software engineering solution architecture and enterprise architecture with substantial time at aprincipal/senior architect levelsetting direction across multiple teams.

• 3 years focused on AI/ML and GenAI architecture including hands-on exposure to production GenAI systems (RAG agentic workflows model serving guardrails).

• Demonstrated experience holdingcross-team or cross-organizational architectural authority setting standards others must follow and aligning senior stakeholders without direct reporting lines.

• Experience architecting AI in aregulated industry(financial services strongly preferred) with a working understanding of model-risk management and regulatory expectations (OSFI OCC or equivalent).

Required Core Skills

Architectural Authority & Leadership

• Proven ability to establish architectural coherence across multiple teams and organizations: defining target-state architecture standards and governance that hold under contested decisions.

• Executive presence and influence: the credibility to advise Directors and senior executives the judgment to make defensible decisions under ambiguity and the diplomacy to align organizations with different mandates.

• Strong mentoring and technical leadership across architects and principal engineers; ability to raise the architectural bar across a function.

• Skilled at chairing/supporting governance forums preparing decisions for ratification and managing structured escalation.

AI & Platform Architecture Depth

• Deep AI/ML and GenAI solution architecture: RAG agentic frameworks prompt patterns fine-tuning foundation models embeddings and vector stores.

• Strong grasp of AIplatformarchitecture: AI gateways policy-as-code/authorization (Cedar OPA) workload identity and zero-trust (SPIFFE/SPIRE federated identity) guardrails and AI observability.

• Multi-cloud architecture acrossAWS and Azure plus Microsoft AI surfaces (M365 Copilot Copilot Studio Fabric Agent 365); cloud security and IAM as applied to AI workloads.

• Integration architecture connecting AI to enterprise systems via APIs event-driven patterns and data services.

• Working knowledge of MLOps/LLMOps CI/CD and how architectural decisions translate into deployable operable patterns.

• Sufficient hands-on fluency (Python preferred) to prototype evaluate approaches and earn engineering credibility.

Governance & Responsible AI

• Deep grounding in Responsible AI AI/data governance privacy and evaluation/guardrail design.

• Experience embedding regulatory and model-risk evidence requirements into architecture produced at runtime rather than retroactively.

Certifications (Preferred)

One or more strongly preferred:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional; AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert; Azure AI Engineer Associate

• Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer

• TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification

• Relevant GenAI/LLM credentials

Other Skills

• Strong interpersonal communication and facilitation skills across technical and business audiences.

• A critical thinker with strong research analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Self-directed comfortable operating with broad mandate and ambiguity.

• Able to work under tight timelines on complex high-stakes decisions.

The above represents BMO Financial Groups pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location skills experience education and qualifications for the role and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Groups expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Groups total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives discretionary bonuses as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance tuition reimbursement accident and life insurance and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits please visit: Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting positive change for our customers our communities and our people. By working together innovating and pushing boundaries we transform lives and businesses and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued respected and heard and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one for yourself and our customers. Well support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching to manager support and network-building opportunities well help you gain valuable experience and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at is committed to an inclusive equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each others differences we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation please contact your recruiter.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO directly or indirectly will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.