Royal Bank of Canada

Staff AI Engineer

Royal Bank of Canada$120K — $140K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-8 years of experience in building production software systems.
  • 1-3 years of hands-on experience with LLMs and generative AI in production environments.
  • Proficient with agentic AI patterns such as tool use and multi-step reasoning.
  • Strong Python programming skills with a focus on clean, maintainable code.
  • Experience in building RAG systems, utilizing vector databases and embeddings.
  • Familiarity with agent-tool integration frameworks like MCP.
  • Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerization technologies like Docker/Kubernetes.
  • Proven leadership in technical decision-making and mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Build end-to-end agentic AI systems for reliable production deployment.
  • Set the technical direction by making architecture decisions for AI tools and workflows.
  • Write and ship production-grade, clean Python code for operational systems.
  • Drive quality and safety by developing evaluation frameworks and observability mechanisms.
  • Enable other teams by creating reusable components and mentoring on best practices.
  • Stay updated on emerging AI models and frameworks, integrating the best into team processes.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI projects that impact a large enterprise.
  • Your contributions will directly enhance AI capabilities within RBC.
  • Access to advanced resources like enterprise datasets and significant computational power.
  • Enhance your career by collaborating with seasoned engineers and developing leadership skills.
  • Be part of a collaborative and technically intensive team that prioritizes production AI.
  • Enjoy a competitive rewards package including flexible benefits and performance bonuses.
Full Job Description
Job Description

What is the Opportunity?

As a Staff Engineer on the ASEDA team, you'll be at the center of RBC's most ambitious AI bet - building the agentic AI and generative AI systems that are transforming how the enterprise operates. Think AI agents that can reason, plan, use tools, and take action across real business workflows - not chatbot demos, but production systems that move the needle.

You'll design and ship MCP servers, agent orchestration pipelines, and RAG systems that connect large language models to the enterprise. You'll work across teams, set technical direction, and build the reusable patterns that let others move faster. This is a role where your code ships, your architecture decisions stick, and your ideas shape how AI gets adopted at scale.

We value positive attitude, willingness to learn, open communication, teamwork, and commitment to clean, secure and well-tested code.

What Will You Do?
  • Build agentic AI systems end-to-end - design and implement agent orchestration, MCP servers, RAG pipelines, and multi-agent workflows that run reliably in production
  • Set technical direction - make architecture decisions on how agents interact with tools, manage context, route between models, and recover from failures
  • Ship production AI - write clean, well-tested Python code for systems that real users and business teams depend on every day
  • Drive quality and safety - build evaluation frameworks, prompt versioning, guardrails, and observability so agent behavior stays reliable across model updates
  • Enable other teams - create reusable components, run enablement sessions, and mentor engineers on agentic AI patterns and best practices
  • Stay at the frontier - evaluate emerging models, frameworks, and protocols (MCP, A2A) and bring the best ideas back to the team


What do you need to succeed?

Must-Have
  • 5-8 years building production software systems - you know what it takes to ship and operate reliable code at scale
  • 1-3 years working hands-on with LLMs and generative AI in production (not just POCs)
  • Solid experience with agentic AI patterns - tool use, agent orchestration, ReAct, multi-step reasoning, memory and context management
  • Strong Python skills and a commitment to writing clean, maintainable, production-grade code
  • Experience building RAG systems with vector databases, embeddings, and retrieval strategies
  • Working knowledge of MCP or similar agent-tool integration frameworks
  • Comfort with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), containers (Docker/Kubernetes), and CI/CD
  • Proven ability to lead technically - driving cross-team decisions, reviewing architecture, mentoring engineers
  • Clear communicator who can explain complex AI trade-offs to both technical and business audiences
  • Understanding of security, data governance, and responsible AI practices


Nice-to-Have
  • Experience with agent frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, CrewAI)
  • Hands-on with AI observability tooling (LangSmith, LangFuse, Weights & Biases)
  • Familiarity with multi-agent protocols (A2A) and the broader MCP ecosystem
  • Background in NLP, information retrieval, or knowledge graphs
  • Experience with prompt/context engineering at scale - versioning, evaluation, and reproducibility


What's in it for you?
  • Work on what matters - agentic AI, MCP, and multi-agent systems are the most exciting frontier in software right now, and you'll be building it for one of the largest enterprises in the country
  • Real impact, real visibility - your work will directly power AI capabilities in RBC
  • Access to serious resources - leading foundation models, rich enterprise datasets, and significant compute
  • Accelerate your growth - work alongside Staff and Principal Engineers, build deep expertise in agentic AI, and grow into technical leadership
  • A team that builds - collaborative, fast-moving, and deeply technical - we ship production AI, not slide decks
  • Competitive total rewards - compensation, performance bonuses, flexible benefits, and stock options where applicable


Job Skills
Agentic AI, AI Agent Orchestration, AI Systems, Cloud Platform, Collaboration, End-to-End Testing, Generative AI, Mentorship, Model Context Protocol, Production Software, Software Systems, Vector Databases

Additional Job Details

Address:

RBC CENTRE, 155 WELLINGTON ST W:TORONTO

City:

Toronto

Country:

Canada

Work hours/week:

37.5

Employment Type:

Full time

Platform:

TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS

Job Type:

Regular

Pay Type:

Salaried

Posted Date:

2026-08-04

Application Deadline:

2026-08-24
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada Careers

Join the dynamic team at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a global leader in financial services and a company committed to excellence and innovation. At RBC, we offer a wide range of job opportunities that empower professionals to shape their career paths with leadership, diversity training, and continuous growth.

Work You’ll Do

At Royal Bank of Canada, we are not just hiring; we are building a culture of innovation and leadership. Our team members are at the forefront of the financial industry, driving transformation and delivering targeted solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients and communities.

Explore Job Opportunities and Employment at RBC

Whether you are starting your career or looking to take it to the next level, RBC offers positions that challenge your skills and fuel your ambition. From entry-level positions to leadership roles, our job opportunities span across various functions and regions. Join us and be part of a team that values professional growth and diversity.

Internship and Professional Development

Kickstart your career with an internship at Royal Bank of Canada. Our internships provide invaluable hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and insights into the financial services industry. Interns at RBC gain the skills necessary to excel and are often considered for full-time positions within the company.

Benefits and Culture

At RBC, we prioritize the well-being and satisfaction of our employees. Our benefits package is designed to support our team members at every stage of their life and career. RBC’s culture is built on a foundation of respect, integrity, and responsibility, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.

Career Growth and Innovation

We believe in nurturing the potential of our employees through continuous learning and career development programs. At RBC, you will find endless opportunities to grow professionally through on-the-job experiences, formal training programs, and leadership development initiatives. Our commitment to innovation means we are constantly seeking out new ideas and perspectives, making RBC a perfect place for those who aim to lead and innovate.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is our strength. At Royal Bank of Canada, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace where every employee feels valued and respected. Our diversity training programs are designed to educate and inspire, creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Join Our Team

Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Start your journey with RBC today and be part of a world-class team known for its commitment to client service, community involvement, and innovation.

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Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities awaiting you at RBC. Explore the possibilities with Royal Bank of Canada, where your future is filled with potential and the path to success is paved with countless opportunities for professional and personal growth. Join us and shape not just your career but the future of the financial industry.
Learn more about Royal Bank of Canada
Size
86,007 employees
Market Cap
$130.3 billion
Industry
5 Year Trend
+8.7%
NASDAQ

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