ASSISTANT VICE-PRESIDENT, DATA & AI

We are banking at another level.

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that puts forward the best conditions to bring together unique teams where employees are empowered to act. It also means being at the centre of ambitious economic and financial projects to see further and to do things differently, to fuel the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

• Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few   

• In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days, sick days as necessary, and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1

• A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life

• Opportunities for learning, training and development, and much more... 

Explore the BDC Way in our Culture Book

POSITION OVERVIEW

BDC views data and AI as critical enterprise assets and capabilities that must be managed, governed and continuously evolved to create value for Canadian entrepreneurs and for the organization. Reporting to the Chief Data and AI Officer, the AVP, Data & AI is a senior Data Office leader accountable for building and leading the capability chapters that enable BDC’s data, analytics and AI ambitions. 

This role is a leader of leaders. The incumbent leads, coaches and aligns Chapter Leads, SMEs and Delivery Leads across core capability areas, including Data Engineering, Analytics & BI Engineering, Advanced Analytics & AI, and Intelligent Automation. The AVP establishes the leadership routines, standards, talent practices and capability roadmaps required to develop high-performing chapters and to ensure that expertise is deployed effectively in support of enterprise priorities. 

The AVP is also responsible for supporting and shaping the technical vision for their sphere of expertise. In close collaboration with the CDAIO, IT leaders, Product/Program Delivery Managers, Data & AI Governance, business partners, risk, legal and compliance stakeholders, the incumbent ensures that technical direction, architecture choices, engineering standards and delivery practices are coherent, scalable, secure and aligned with BDC’s transformation agenda. 

The role enables delivery units and squads, including Horizon / Data Hub Platform and AI Transformation initiatives, by ensuring they have access to the right chapter capabilities, technical guidance, reusable patterns and delivery support. The AVP champions a culture where data and AI are treated as enterprise capabilities, where teams are empowered by clear guardrails, and where analytics, automation and AI generate tangible business outcomes while managing risk appropriately. 

The incumbent is expected to be a visible champion of collaboration, technical excellence, pragmatic innovation and BDC’s cultural norms. They must build trusted relationships across the organization and translate strategic priorities into capability development, execution discipline and measurable value. 

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Leadership and capability chapters 

• Lead, coach and develop Chapter Leads and senior specialists responsible for Data Engineering, Analytics & BI Engineering, Advanced Analytics & AI, and Intelligent Automation capabilities. 
• Establish clear chapter mandates, leadership routines, capability roadmaps, talent plans, communities of practice and performance expectations for each capability area. 
• Create the conditions for technical leaders to scale their expertise across squads and initiatives rather than operating as isolated delivery resources. 
• Build a strong culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and pragmatic delivery excellence. 

Technical vision, standards and architecture alignment 

• Support the CDAIO in defining and communicating the technical vision for data, analytics, AI and automation capabilities within the Data Office. 
• Partner with IT architecture, security, risk, privacy, governance and platform leaders to ensure that solution patterns, technology choices and engineering practices are scalable, secure, sustainable and aligned with enterprise standards. 
• Oversee the evolution of technical standards, reusable patterns, delivery playbooks, data and AI engineering practices, and quality expectations across chapters. 
• Provide senior technical guidance and decision support for priority initiatives, including Data Hub / platform modernization, AI Transformation and intelligent automation capabilities. 

Delivery enablement and enterprise value 

• Ensure squads and delivery teams have access to the right chapter capabilities, technical expertise and delivery support to execute roadmap priorities. 
• Collaborate with PDMs, business partners and transformation leaders to translate business outcomes into practical capability needs, sequencing decisions and delivery plans. 
• Enable analytics, BI, AI and automation solutions that improve decision-making, client experience, operational efficiency and risk management. 
• Identify opportunities to leverage internal and external data, structured and unstructured information, analytics and AI to create measurable value for BDC and Canadian entrepreneurs. 

Governance partnership and operating model maturity 

• Work in close partnership with the Data & AI Governance leader to ensure technical delivery practices support responsible data use, data quality, stewardship, policy, controls and model or algorithm governance expectations. 
• Promote data literacy and technical fluency across stakeholders by explaining trade-offs, delivery implications and capability maturity in business terms. 
• Contribute to the evolution of the Data Office operating model, including chapter/squad ways of working, intake, prioritization, technical reviews and adoption routines. 
• Champion BDC’s mission, values and cultural norms while building trusted relationships with IT, Digital, Risk, Legal, Compliance and business units. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration, computer science, engineering, data science, information systems, analytics or a related field, or equivalent work experience. 
• Extensive senior leadership experience in data, analytics, AI, automation, enterprise architecture, technology delivery or a related transformation environment. 
• Proven experience leading leaders, building management routines, developing senior technical talent and aligning multi-disciplinary teams around enterprise priorities. 
• Demonstrated ability to define or influence technical strategy, architecture direction, engineering standards and reusable delivery patterns in a complex organization. 
• Experience supporting large data, analytics, BI, AI, automation or platform modernization programs, including delivery through squads, chapters, communities of practice or agile operating models. 
• Strong stakeholder management experience, with the ability to influence executives, technology leaders, risk/control partners and business teams. 
• Banking, financial services, risk, regulatory, privacy or responsible AI experience is a strong asset. 
• Bilingualism in French and English is required.
• Leader of leaders: able to coach Chapter Leads, align senior experts, create clarity, and build strong leadership discipline across capability areas. 
• Technical depth and breadth across data engineering, analytics and BI, advanced analytics, AI, intelligent automation, data platforms and modern delivery practices. 
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate enterprise objectives into capability roadmaps, technical direction and practical execution plans. 
• Strong business acumen and fluency in explaining complex data, AI, architecture and delivery concepts to non-technical stakeholders. 
• Excellent collaboration, communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills across IT, Digital, Risk, Legal, Compliance and business teams. 
• Sound judgment in balancing innovation, speed, reuse, scalability, security, governance and operational risk. 
• Strong problem-solving orientation, with the ability to simplify ambiguity and make pragmatic decisions in a maturing operating model. 
• Commitment to talent development, data literacy, continuous improvement, communities of practice and a healthy team culture. 

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.