Director of Artificial Intelligence (hands-on)

Director of Artificial Intelligence Montreal, QC (Remote) | Full-Time

The Opportunity

Our client is an established AI software company with 50+ US patents and Fortune 500 customers across the insurance and energy sectors. After 15+ years of delivering custom AI solutions, they're now building a library of reusable ML assets to scale their impact.

They're opening a Montreal hub and hiring a Director of AI to lead it. This person will become the primary ML leader for the entire organization, reporting directly to the COO and building a team of 3-4 engineers from scratch.

This isn't a "used to code" management role. You'll be hands-on—architecting solutions, writing production code, and mentoring engineers—while also shaping strategy and engaging directly with customers.

What You'll Do

• Define and execute the company's AI/ML strategy across traditional ML, deep learning, and generative AI
• Build and lead the Montreal team, with input on every hire
• Develop production-grade models: tree ensembles, time-series, transformers, LLMs, agentic workflows
• Design robust MLOps pipelines for training, deployment, and monitoring
• Translate complex ML concepts for customers and executives
• Contribute to the company's patent portfolio

What We're Looking For

• Deep expertise in applied ML: scikit-learn, XGBoost, PyTorch/TensorFlow, and statistical modeling
• Exposure to GenAI and agentic frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar)
• Production deployment experience—you've taken models from notebook to production and kept them running
• 1-2+ years of formal people management or technical leadership with hiring responsibility
• Strong communication skills for customer-facing work
• Bilingual (French/English) required
• Must be based in Quebec

Nice to Have

• Physics-informed ML or experience in energy/industrial applications
• Insurance or financial services domain experience
• PhD in a quantitative field

Compensation

• Base salary: $180,000–$230,000 CAD+ (depending on experience)
• Performance bonus
• Meaningful equity participation
• Competitive benefits package

Why This Role

This is a rare combination: the stability of an established company with enterprise clients, the autonomy of a startup, and the chance to build something from the ground up. You'll own the ML function, shape the product roadmap, and have a direct line to leadership.

If you're a senior ML engineer or lead who's stayed hands-on but wants real ownership and equity exposure, let's talk.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is CA$180,000 – CA$230,000 per year.