Director, Product Owner – Applied AI Data Integration

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Please note this role is Hybrid (3 days per week in office) subject to company policy changes.

We accelerate BMO’s AI journey by building enterprise-grade, cloud-native AI solutions. Our team combines engineering excellence with cutting-edge AI to deliver scalable, secure, and responsible solutions that power business innovation across the bank. We enable and accelerate our partners on their AI journeys across the enterprise, helping teams across BMO unlock value at scale. We are engineers, AI practitioners, platform builders, thought leaders, multipliers, and coders. Above all, we are a global team of diverse individuals who enjoy working together to create smart, secure, and scalable solutions that make an impact across the enterprise. Our ambition is bold: deploy our capital and resources to their highest and most profitable use through a digital-first operating model, powered by data and AI-driven decisions.

About the Role

As Director, Product Owner - Applied AI Data Integration, you will play a senior leadership role within BMO’s ARC/Applied AI organization, accountable for shaping and delivering data integration and platform capabilities, accelerating scalable and responsible AI solutions that enable strategic value creation. This role blends hands-on Product Ownership with strategic leadership, ensuring data is accessible, governed, and fit-for-purpose to unlock measurable business value.

You will lead one or more cross-functional pods of engineers, data engineers, and data scientists while partnering closely with other ARC/Applied AI Product Owners and delivery stakeholders. You will be a key driver product market fit, adoption, and commercialization, operating in a highly regulated financial services environment.

Key Responsibilities

Product Ownership & Delivery (Primary Accountability)

• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle for Applied AI data integration capabilities, from strategy and roadmap through delivery, scaling, and optimization.
• Lead cross-functional teams to design, build, and operate data pipelines, feature stores, and integration services that support AI/ML and GenAI use cases.
• Ensure data is “fit for purpose”, enabling superior results as measured by contextual evaluation standards and thresholds.
• Translate business and analytic needs into clear product requirements, epics, and prioritized backlogs.
• Ensure platforms are designed for scalability, reliability, security, and reuse across the ARC/Applied AI product, feature, and service portfolio.
• Embed Agile and modern product management practices to enable rapid iteration and continuous improvement.

Responsible AI, Data Governance & Risk

• Champion responsible AI and data practices, ensuring compliance with BMO’s data governance, privacy, security, and ethical AI standards.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Data Governance teams to ensure data integration solutions meet regulatory and audit expectations.
• Design products with explainability, lineage, quality, and controls by default.

Strategy, Roadmap & Value Realization

• Define and continuously evolve a clear product vision and multi-year roadmap for Applied AI data integration capabilities.
• Identify, validate, and scale high-impact use cases aligned with BMO’s strategic priorities.
• Establish success metrics and OKRs tied to outcomes spanning customer, financial, data, risk, and a winning culture.
• Communicate progress and outcomes to senior executives, translating technical capabilities into business value narratives.

People & Leadership

• Recruit, lead, and develop high-performing, multidisciplinary teams across data engineering, platform engineering, and data product management.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, accountability, and continuous learning aligned with BMO’s Winning Culture.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and succession planning to ensure sustainable team performance and growth.

Partner & Vendor Management

• Collaborate with internal technology teams and external vendors to deliver platform capabilities while effectively managing supplier risk.
• Ensure appropriate governance, financial stewardship, and performance management of third-party solutions.

Key Success Measures

• Scalable, reliable data integration platforms enabling AI/GenAI delivery at enterprise scale.
• Measurable acceleration of AI product delivery and business value realization.
• Strong adoption of data platforms across Applied AI use cases.
• High team engagement, capability growth, and talent retention.
• Demonstrated leadership in responsible data and AI practices.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Deep expertise in data integration, data platforms, and AI/ML enablement within large, complex environments.
• Strong product management and Agile delivery experience.
• Executive-level stakeholder engagement and influence skills.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes.
• Experience with cloud platforms and data services (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS).
• Strong understanding of data governance, security, and regulatory considerations in financial services.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in technology, data, or AI product leadership, including senior management roles.
• Proven track record delivering enterprise-scale data and AI platforms in regulated industries (financial services strongly preferred).
• Experience operating within modern data architectures and cloud ecosystems.
• University degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field; advanced degree (PhD) considered an asset.

The above represents BMO Financial Group’s 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 Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group’s 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: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About 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. We’ll 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, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.

BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s 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.