Top Benefits
About the role
Job Description
Director, Innovation Engineering Building RBC's Future: A Strategic Technology Investment Role What Makes This Role Different? This is not a traditional Director of Engineering role focused on maintaining existing applications or delivering predictable BAU work. This is a strategic technology investment position accountable for: Building enterprise-wide platforms and capabilities that don't yet exist—not running existing systems De-risking emerging technologies (quantum, quantum-hybrid solutions, GenAI, ML platforms) and making them production-ready before product teams need them Operating as RBC's internal innovation catalyst—bridging the gap between startup agility and enterprise scale Creating reusable assets that accelerate delivery across all lines of business, multiplying engineering productivity bank-wide Success in this role is measured differently: Time-to-market acceleration across the enterprise, platform adoption rates, cost avoidance through reusable capabilities, and speed of innovation-to-production—not application uptime or feature velocity. What Is the Opportunity? RBC is making a deliberate investment in innovation infrastructure—the foundational capabilities that allow the bank to experiment faster, scale smarter, and compete with digital-native fintechs. The Director of Engineering, Innovation leads RBC's enterprise Innovation Engineering function within Technology and Operations. This role requires startup thinking at enterprise scale—the ability to move fast, experiment, fail forward, and pivot, while ensuring everything you build meets the bank's rigorous standards for security, compliance, and resilience. What Will You Do?
Strategic Platform Leadership
Define and execute the enterprise Innovation Engineering strategy and multi-year roadmap, converting business opportunities into scalable platforms, services, and capabilities Stand up net-new, reusable capabilities (e.g., quantum-hybrid solution frameworks, GenAI guardrails, developer experience tooling, experimentation sandboxes, MCP/event-streaming platforms) that accelerate delivery for product teams bank-wide Establish the discovery-to-delivery pipeline with clear stage gates: ideation → proof of concept → pilot → production rollout → adoption & scaling; define success metrics and benefit realization frameworks Cross-Enterprise Orchestration Partner with all Lines of Business, Enterprise Architecture, Global Security, Risk, AI Group, and Digital channels to surface demand, prioritize innovation investments, and ensure alignment to target-state architecture Act as RBC's innovation broker—translating emerging tech trends (GenAI, distributed ledger technology, open banking, quantum) into concrete opportunities and socializing new capabilities across the bank to drive adoption Technology Evaluation & Partnerships Evaluate cutting-edge technologies from startups, vendors, and academic institutions; assess technical feasibility, security implications, and build-vs-buy trade-offs Stay ahead of the curve—attend conferences, engage with open-source communities, and identify emerging trends early Engineering Excellence & Risk Embed engineering excellence into every innovation: SDLC compliance, architecture patterns, privacy-by-design, responsible AI, and security-first development Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, model risk frameworks, and information security controls; manage audits, remediation, and control attestation Team Building & Culture Build, coach, and inspire a high-performing, diverse team of senior engineers and architects who think like founders but operate at enterprise scale Attract top talent from startups, scale-ups, and leading tech companies—people who have built 0-to-1 products and want to apply that mindset in a bank Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and intelligent failure—where teams ship fast, measure, iterate, and aren't afraid to kill ideas that don't work Measurement & Accountability Establish OKRs and KPIs specific to innovation: time-to-first-value, platform adoption/reuse rates, experimentation velocity, cost efficiency, reliability, and downstream productivity gains Report progress to senior leadership with a portfolio governance lens—tracking investments, ROI, and strategic alignment Oversee budgets and program execution to deliver outcomes on time, on scope, and on budget What Do You Need to Succeed?
Must-Have
Startup or 0-to-1 Product Experience You've built something new from the ground up—ideally in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth environment where you wore multiple hats, moved fast, and shipped products customers loved. You understand what it takes to go from idea to production quickly while managing uncertainty.
Enterprise-Scale Production Engineering
You've taken innovations from PoC to production at scale in complex, regulated, or high-stakes environments (financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure). You know how to balance speed with high availability, performance, security, observability, and compliance.
Deep Technical Fluency
Cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP), Kubernetes, microservices, APIs, MCPs, event streaming Data & AI platforms: ML Ops, feature stores, model governance, LLM/GenAI deployment and guardrails Modern SDLC: CI/CD, GitOps, SRE, platform engineering, developer experience tooling An interest in new technologies and the initiative to try new frameworks out for yourself e.g., early quantum software, or building MCP tooling Strategic & Financial Acumen You think like a Chief Technology Strategist—balancing experimentation with risk, cost, and value. You can build roadmaps, prioritize a portfolio of bets, and articulate ROI to executives.
Cross-Functional Leadership
You’ve led across silos—partnering with product, architecture, security, risk, data science, and business stakeholders. You’re equally comfortable presenting to a CTO and pair-programming with an engineer.
People Leadership
7+ years of progressive leadership in software/platform engineering with 5+ years managing senior engineers and architects. You've built teams from scratch, attracted top talent, and developed future leaders.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.
Nice-to-Have
Graduate degree in a related field (Computer Science, Engineering, Business) Financial services experience in large-scale, global organizations; familiarity with regulatory frameworks (OSFI, model risk, SOX, privacy laws) Startup ecosystem exposure: worked at or with startups, VCs, accelerators; understand how to evaluate early-stage tech and de-risk partnerships Open-source contributions, patents, or publications—evidence of thought leadership and technical depth Design Thinking / human-centered design expertise; product management exposure Track record of platform adoption: you've built tools or platforms that were voluntarily adopted by hundreds of engineers What's in it for you? We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual. A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities Ability to make a difference and lasting impact Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team A world-class training program in financial services Opportunities to do challenging work. #LI-Post #TechPJ Job Skills Application Development, Application Maintenance, Applications Architecture, Commercial Acumen, Enterprise Application Delivery, Information Technology Management, Information Technology Trends, Programming Languages, System Applications Additional Job Details Address: RBC WATERPARK PLACE, 88 QUEENS QUAY W:TORONTO City: Toronto Country: Canada Work hours/week: 37.5 Employment Type: Full time Platform: HUMAN RESOURCES & BMCC Job Type: Regular Pay Type: Salaried Posted Date: 2026-07-20 Application Deadline: 2026-08-21 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above Our Employment Opportunities At RBC, we are guided by living shared values of Client First, Integrity, Collaboration, Respect and Excellence and winning together as One RBC. We believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.
Join our Talent Community
Stay in-the-know about great career opportunities at RBC. Sign up and get customized info on our latest jobs, career tips and Recruitment events that matter to you.
Expand your limits and create a new future together at RBC. Find out how we use our passion and drive to enhance the well-being of our clients and communities at jobs.rbc.com. RBC is presently inviting candidates to apply for this existing vacancy. Applying to this posting allows you to express your interest in this current career opportunity at RBC. Qualified applicants may be contacted to review their resume in more detail.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 94,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at www.rbc.com/community-social-impact.
La Banque Royale du Canada est une institution financière mondiale définie par sa raison d'être, guidée par des principes et orientée vers l'excellence en matière de rendement. Notre succès est attribuable aux quelque 94 000+ employés qui mettent à profit leur créativité et leur savoir faire pour concrétiser notre vision, nos valeurs et notre stratégie afin que nous puissions contribuer à la prospérité de nos clients et au dynamisme des collectivités. Selon la capitalisation boursière, nous sommes la plus importante banque du Canada et l'une des plus grandes banques du monde. Nous avons adopté un modèle d'affaires diversifié axé sur l'innovation et l'offre d'expériences exceptionnelles à nos plus de 17 millions de clients au Canada, aux États Unis et dans 27 autres pays. Pour en savoir plus, visitez le site rbc.com/francais
Nous sommes fiers d'appuyer une grande diversité d'initiatives communautaires par des dons, des investissements dans la collectivité et le travail bénévole de nos employés. Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez le site www.rbc.com/collectivite-impact-social.
Similar Jobs
Top Benefits
About the role
Job Description
Director, Innovation Engineering Building RBC's Future: A Strategic Technology Investment Role What Makes This Role Different? This is not a traditional Director of Engineering role focused on maintaining existing applications or delivering predictable BAU work. This is a strategic technology investment position accountable for: Building enterprise-wide platforms and capabilities that don't yet exist—not running existing systems De-risking emerging technologies (quantum, quantum-hybrid solutions, GenAI, ML platforms) and making them production-ready before product teams need them Operating as RBC's internal innovation catalyst—bridging the gap between startup agility and enterprise scale Creating reusable assets that accelerate delivery across all lines of business, multiplying engineering productivity bank-wide Success in this role is measured differently: Time-to-market acceleration across the enterprise, platform adoption rates, cost avoidance through reusable capabilities, and speed of innovation-to-production—not application uptime or feature velocity. What Is the Opportunity? RBC is making a deliberate investment in innovation infrastructure—the foundational capabilities that allow the bank to experiment faster, scale smarter, and compete with digital-native fintechs. The Director of Engineering, Innovation leads RBC's enterprise Innovation Engineering function within Technology and Operations. This role requires startup thinking at enterprise scale—the ability to move fast, experiment, fail forward, and pivot, while ensuring everything you build meets the bank's rigorous standards for security, compliance, and resilience. What Will You Do?
Strategic Platform Leadership
Define and execute the enterprise Innovation Engineering strategy and multi-year roadmap, converting business opportunities into scalable platforms, services, and capabilities Stand up net-new, reusable capabilities (e.g., quantum-hybrid solution frameworks, GenAI guardrails, developer experience tooling, experimentation sandboxes, MCP/event-streaming platforms) that accelerate delivery for product teams bank-wide Establish the discovery-to-delivery pipeline with clear stage gates: ideation → proof of concept → pilot → production rollout → adoption & scaling; define success metrics and benefit realization frameworks Cross-Enterprise Orchestration Partner with all Lines of Business, Enterprise Architecture, Global Security, Risk, AI Group, and Digital channels to surface demand, prioritize innovation investments, and ensure alignment to target-state architecture Act as RBC's innovation broker—translating emerging tech trends (GenAI, distributed ledger technology, open banking, quantum) into concrete opportunities and socializing new capabilities across the bank to drive adoption Technology Evaluation & Partnerships Evaluate cutting-edge technologies from startups, vendors, and academic institutions; assess technical feasibility, security implications, and build-vs-buy trade-offs Stay ahead of the curve—attend conferences, engage with open-source communities, and identify emerging trends early Engineering Excellence & Risk Embed engineering excellence into every innovation: SDLC compliance, architecture patterns, privacy-by-design, responsible AI, and security-first development Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, model risk frameworks, and information security controls; manage audits, remediation, and control attestation Team Building & Culture Build, coach, and inspire a high-performing, diverse team of senior engineers and architects who think like founders but operate at enterprise scale Attract top talent from startups, scale-ups, and leading tech companies—people who have built 0-to-1 products and want to apply that mindset in a bank Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and intelligent failure—where teams ship fast, measure, iterate, and aren't afraid to kill ideas that don't work Measurement & Accountability Establish OKRs and KPIs specific to innovation: time-to-first-value, platform adoption/reuse rates, experimentation velocity, cost efficiency, reliability, and downstream productivity gains Report progress to senior leadership with a portfolio governance lens—tracking investments, ROI, and strategic alignment Oversee budgets and program execution to deliver outcomes on time, on scope, and on budget What Do You Need to Succeed?
Must-Have
Startup or 0-to-1 Product Experience You've built something new from the ground up—ideally in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth environment where you wore multiple hats, moved fast, and shipped products customers loved. You understand what it takes to go from idea to production quickly while managing uncertainty.
Enterprise-Scale Production Engineering
You've taken innovations from PoC to production at scale in complex, regulated, or high-stakes environments (financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure). You know how to balance speed with high availability, performance, security, observability, and compliance.
Deep Technical Fluency
Cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP), Kubernetes, microservices, APIs, MCPs, event streaming Data & AI platforms: ML Ops, feature stores, model governance, LLM/GenAI deployment and guardrails Modern SDLC: CI/CD, GitOps, SRE, platform engineering, developer experience tooling An interest in new technologies and the initiative to try new frameworks out for yourself e.g., early quantum software, or building MCP tooling Strategic & Financial Acumen You think like a Chief Technology Strategist—balancing experimentation with risk, cost, and value. You can build roadmaps, prioritize a portfolio of bets, and articulate ROI to executives.
Cross-Functional Leadership
You’ve led across silos—partnering with product, architecture, security, risk, data science, and business stakeholders. You’re equally comfortable presenting to a CTO and pair-programming with an engineer.
People Leadership
7+ years of progressive leadership in software/platform engineering with 5+ years managing senior engineers and architects. You've built teams from scratch, attracted top talent, and developed future leaders.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.
Nice-to-Have
Graduate degree in a related field (Computer Science, Engineering, Business) Financial services experience in large-scale, global organizations; familiarity with regulatory frameworks (OSFI, model risk, SOX, privacy laws) Startup ecosystem exposure: worked at or with startups, VCs, accelerators; understand how to evaluate early-stage tech and de-risk partnerships Open-source contributions, patents, or publications—evidence of thought leadership and technical depth Design Thinking / human-centered design expertise; product management exposure Track record of platform adoption: you've built tools or platforms that were voluntarily adopted by hundreds of engineers What's in it for you? We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual. A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities Ability to make a difference and lasting impact Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team A world-class training program in financial services Opportunities to do challenging work. #LI-Post #TechPJ Job Skills Application Development, Application Maintenance, Applications Architecture, Commercial Acumen, Enterprise Application Delivery, Information Technology Management, Information Technology Trends, Programming Languages, System Applications Additional Job Details Address: RBC WATERPARK PLACE, 88 QUEENS QUAY W:TORONTO City: Toronto Country: Canada Work hours/week: 37.5 Employment Type: Full time Platform: HUMAN RESOURCES & BMCC Job Type: Regular Pay Type: Salaried Posted Date: 2026-07-20 Application Deadline: 2026-08-21 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above Our Employment Opportunities At RBC, we are guided by living shared values of Client First, Integrity, Collaboration, Respect and Excellence and winning together as One RBC. We believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.
Join our Talent Community
Stay in-the-know about great career opportunities at RBC. Sign up and get customized info on our latest jobs, career tips and Recruitment events that matter to you.
Expand your limits and create a new future together at RBC. Find out how we use our passion and drive to enhance the well-being of our clients and communities at jobs.rbc.com. RBC is presently inviting candidates to apply for this existing vacancy. Applying to this posting allows you to express your interest in this current career opportunity at RBC. Qualified applicants may be contacted to review their resume in more detail.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 94,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at www.rbc.com/community-social-impact.
La Banque Royale du Canada est une institution financière mondiale définie par sa raison d'être, guidée par des principes et orientée vers l'excellence en matière de rendement. Notre succès est attribuable aux quelque 94 000+ employés qui mettent à profit leur créativité et leur savoir faire pour concrétiser notre vision, nos valeurs et notre stratégie afin que nous puissions contribuer à la prospérité de nos clients et au dynamisme des collectivités. Selon la capitalisation boursière, nous sommes la plus importante banque du Canada et l'une des plus grandes banques du monde. Nous avons adopté un modèle d'affaires diversifié axé sur l'innovation et l'offre d'expériences exceptionnelles à nos plus de 17 millions de clients au Canada, aux États Unis et dans 27 autres pays. Pour en savoir plus, visitez le site rbc.com/francais
Nous sommes fiers d'appuyer une grande diversité d'initiatives communautaires par des dons, des investissements dans la collectivité et le travail bénévole de nos employés. Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez le site www.rbc.com/collectivite-impact-social.