Senior Director, Data Science & AI Enablement

Aviso:

At Aviso, we are dedicated to improving the financial well-being of Canadians. As a leading wealth management organization, we are committed to leadership, innovation, partnership, responsibility, and community. Working with talented and energetic professionals who exemplify our values every day, you will quickly notice that our people and dynamic ‘oneaviso’ culture sets us apart. If you are looking for interesting and challenging work, at a company committed to its people, find out more about what Aviso has to offer at www.aviso.ca.

The Opportunity:

We’re looking to fill an opening for a Senior Director, Data Science & AI Enablement to join our Data and Artificial Intelligence team.

Reporting to the VP, Data and Artificial Intelligence, the Senior Director, Data Science & AI Enablement will build, buy and/or take a hybrid approach, to scale Aviso’s enterprise data science, advanced analytics, and applied AI capabilities—taking priority use cases from problem framing and experimentation through to production‑grade, governed AI capabilities that are trusted, adopted, and measurable. You will lead a multidisciplinary team, ensuring solutions are delivered as enabling Data & AI capabilities with clear outcomes, lifecycle ownership, and embedded governance. Success is measured by time‑to‑value, delivery predictability, adoption and engagement, model and product quality, and governance and control outcomes.

At Aviso, we’re building a modern Data & AI capability that delivers trusted, measurable outcomes in a highly regulated environment. The Senior Director, Data Science & AI Enablement will lead enterprise delivery of advanced analytics, ML, and GenAI—from problem framing and experimentation through to production‑grade AI capabilities that are adopted, governed, monitored, and scaled. This includes determining the right build, buy, or hybrid approach for each use case, including evaluating and integrating third‑party platforms, models, and partners where appropriate. You’ll lead a multidisciplinary team and partner across the business and with engineering to scale reusable patterns on Databricks and with our cloud partners.

If you’re passionate about turning data science into real‑world impact while embedding responsible AI by design, this role is for you.

Who you are:

• Service – You put your clients’ needs first. You advocate service excellence, and work to deliver client-centric solutions, and proactively develop strategic partnerships that allow Aviso Wealth to become a trusted advisor and partner
• Execution – You are committed to achieving your goals and to succeed. This includes focusing on “getting things done”, as well as recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. You are consistently looking for ways to improve your personal best and see value in continuous improvement. You take accountability for your actions and learn from mistakes
• Collaboration – You work collaboratively with others with the common goal of driving positive results. Making meaningful contributions to your team to achieve organizational goals is a priority. You proactively encourage collaboration, build trust and inclusion, and work to establish effective relationships both inside and outside of the organization
• Leadership – You lead your team and provide regular direction, guidance, coaching, and motivation, all while striving for peak performance. You assist them in overcoming obstacles through additional resources, removal of roadblocks, and providing the level of support required for their success. You delegate and deliver feedback based on the in-depth understanding of your individual team members

What your day looks like:

• Lead the enterprise roadmap for data science, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled capabilities—from discovery through production scale
• Establish research, experimentation, and measurement standards (hypothesis framing, A/B tests and bandits where appropriate, evaluation, and impact measurement)
• Lead and coach multidisciplinary teams to drive discovery, prioritization, adoption, and lifecycle management
• Partner with engineering and architecture to deliver reusable, production-grade patterns on Databricks across Azure and/or AWS (pipelines, scoring/services integration, reliability, monitoring)
• Drive build / buy / partner / hybrid decisions and structure external engagements with clear outcomes and knowledge transfer
• Embed responsible AI and governance by design—privacy, security, compliance, documentation, and audit-ready delivery—plus ongoing monitoring and lifecycle management (performance, drift, stability, and guardrails).
• Lead, develop, and grow a high-performing team and culture grounded in rigor, collaboration, and measurable impact

Your experience and skills:

Education

• Graduate degree in Business Analytics, Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering, or a related STEM field (or equivalent combination of education and experience)

Certifications / training

• Relevant certifications in AI/ML, cloud, data engineering, or product leadership (preferred), or equivalent advanced accredited training
• Scrum / Agile certification is an asset (CSM, PSM I/II, SAFe Agilist, or equivalent)

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in data science, analytics, and applied AI delivering measurable business outcomes
• 5+ years of experience leading and scaling data science and analytics teams
• Proven experience taking work from research/insight through to production-grade solutions with adoption and performance ownership
• Experience leading cross-functional delivery with business and functional partners, including executive stakeholder management
• Experience delivering AI solutions in regulated, high-trust environments (privacy, security, compliance, audit expectations)

Skills

• Strong grounding in experimentation and evaluation (A/B testing, bandits where appropriate, uplift measurement, guardrails) and model validation/monitoring
• Strong product-oriented mindset; ability to translate insights into AI-enabled capabilities people adopt
• Experience with or strong interest in learning GenAI / LLM solutions (e.g., RAG, copilots/agentic), including LLM evaluation and LLMOps concepts (versioning, monitoring, operational ownership)
• Expert proficiency with Python and/or R and modern ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn; familiarity with Keras or mLlib is an asset)
• Strong experience with large-scale data processing and modern data platforms, including Databricks
• Experience delivering in cloud environments such as Azure and/or AWS
• Strong ability to partner with engineering/architecture on production-grade delivery (APIs/services integration, CI/CD/ML alignment, reliability, monitoring)
• Advanced data storytelling and visualization experience; strong BI tool fluency (Power BI/Tableau) and ability to coach standards
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts and analyses to non-technical audiences and influence decisions with clarity and credibility
• Comfort with ambiguity and evolving priorities; ability to lead teams while aligning across business and functional partners

Language

• Fluent communication skills in English are required and bilingual skills in French are an asset

Why Aviso?

At Aviso, you will find a dynamic and inclusive culture that rewards innovation and celebrates success.
Here are a few things that set us apart:

• Competitive compensation package that rewards and recognizes individual contributions
• Excellent health, dental and insurance benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees
• Generous vacation time, fitness benefit, parental leave top-up options
• Matching contributions to our retirement program
• Commitment to the continuous improvement of our staff through learning & development and an education assistance program
• Regular social events to foster teamwork

Your Information

By submitting your application, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your provided personal information for the purposes of assessing your qualifications and suitability for employment with Aviso. Your information will be handled in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and relevant provincial legislation. Your data may be shared with authorized personnel involved in the recruitment process and retained only as long as necessary to fulfill these purposes or as required by law.

Further information is available on the Privacy link on our Career Page – Privacy Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity

Aviso welcomes and encourages applications from all qualified individuals including persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs in all stages of the hiring process.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

No recruiters or agencies, please.

Company Overview:

Aviso is a leading wealth management and investment services provider for the Canadian financial industry, with approximately $145 billion in total assets under administration and management, and over 1,000 employees. We’re building a comprehensive, technology-enabled, client-centric wealth services ecosystem. Our clients include our partners, advisors, and investors. We’re a trusted partner for nearly all credit unions across Canada, in addition to a wide range of portfolio managers, investment dealers, insurance and trust companies, and introducing brokers. Our partners depend on Aviso for specific solutions that give them a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving, highly competitive industry. Our investment dealer and mutual fund dealer and our insurance services support thousands of investment advisors. Our asset manager, NEI Investments, specializes in investing responsibly. Our online brokerage, Qtrade Direct Investing®, empowers self-directed investors, and our fully automated investing service, Qtrade Guided Portfolios®, serves investors who prefer a hands-off approach. Aviso Correspondent Partners provides custodial and carrying broker services to a wide range of firms. We have offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Winnipeg. Aviso is backed by the collective strength of our owners: the credit union Centrals, Co-operators/CUMIS, and Desjardins. We’re proud to power businesses that empower investors.

A career with Aviso means being part of a group of talented, energetic professionals who live their values every day, and belonging to an organization dedicated to your success and career development. If you’re looking for interesting and challenging work, at a company committed to its people, apply to join our team.

Salary

This position is posted with an expected salary range of $160,000 - $180,000 CAD annually. Individual compensation packages are based on various factors unique to each candidate and the requirements of the position.