Director, AI and Data Science

Department: Investments

Type: Permanent

Location: Toronto

Posting Date: October 8, 2024

At OPTrust, paying pensions today, preserving pensions for tomorrow is our mission and business. When you choose OPTrust, you join a team of smart, talented people who fuel our success and have a passion for pensions. Everyone at OPTrust – from London, Toronto, and Sydney – makes a meaningful impact, our environment is fast paced, but we find time to have fun and give back to the community as well. Our strength resides in our team members with different backgrounds and perspectives creating an inclusive and fulfilling place to work for everyone.

What OPTrust Offers You

• Unique culture rooted in our core values – collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, and excellence and continuous improvement – reflected across the team.
• Dedicated business strategy for inclusion, diversity and equity with multiple, meaningful opportunities to participate.
• Flexible, hybrid work model being implemented to balance the benefits of working from home and the collaborative teamwork experience in the office.
• Membership in our world-class defined benefit pension plan.
• A purpose-driven environment, including the opportunity to contribute to OPTrust’s climate change and responsible investing programs.
• Professional development opportunities and learning initiatives including access to LinkedIn Learning, in-house speaker series, tuition reimbursement program and professional association memberships.
• Comprehensive benefits package focused on your health and wellness, including dental, vision and extended health benefits.
• Opportunity to take parental and adoptions leaves to spend time with family.
• Competitive vacation package and time away from work such as work-life balance days.

If you strive for excellence and continuous improvement, value a collaborative and flexible team culture, and approach everything with integrity and respect, then we invite you to apply to join our team

About the Role

Within the Total Portfolio Management (TPM) Group, the Completion Portfolio Strategies team is responsible for developing and managing strategies that support the continued evolution of the public completion portfolio. A key area of our research involves creating strategies and tools powered by Artificial Intelligence and advanced data science analytics to inform investment decisions. The successful candidate will engage in cutting-edge advanced machine learning research, contribute to algorithm development for investing in financial markets, and play a key role in enhancing system and data pipelines for quantitative strategies.

What You’ll Do

Research & Development

• Lead the research on using machine learning and other data science techniques to design and implement predictive models for asset pricing, risk management, and portfolio optimization.
• Lead the enhancement of quantitative investing and data analytics infrastructure for TPM, including but not limited to evaluating and implementing new alternative datasets and portfolio management tools.
• Oversee the development and deployment of machine learning models and AI solutions to ensure seamless integration of new models into the overall quant research stack and automate processes where appropriate.
• Develop and manage quantitative investment strategies leveraging machine learning models and data science techniques.
• Implement rigorous testing and validation processes to ensure the accuracy and reliability of AI models.
• Promote AI & Data Science in the organization by actively fostering knowledge transfer and highlighting latest development in machine learning, data science, and financial markets.

Collaboration & Communication

• Collaborate with quant researchers, traders, and other stakeholders to integrate strategies into the Completion Portfolio.
• Actively partner and foster relationships with internal and external technical thought leaders and specialists to develop a clear and value-driven vision for AI capabilities, aligned with the broader OPTrust strategy.
• Organize training sessions and workshops to enhance the Investment division’s skills and understanding of quantitative analysis, machine learning, and data science.
• Work closely with other teams, such as other functional partners, to ensure smooth implementation and maintenance of data science solutions.
• Partner with Cyber Security and Privacy to ensure robust measures are in place to protect sensitive financial data, systems and maintain ongoing compliance with OPTrust policies and applicable laws.
• Mentor junior team members and provide guidance on their professional development.

Investment

• Recommend allocation to existing systematic investment strategies.
• Propose development of new systematic investment strategies.
• Monitor performance to ensure models are performing in line with expectations.

What You Bring

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Finance, or a related field.
• Proven academic research or industry experience in strategy development, portfolio management, quantitative analysis, or a related role in the financial industry.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail and willingness to take a hands-on approach in research and project management.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong Programming skills in Python. Object-oriented Programming experience is preferred.
• Expertise in machine learning frameworks and libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
• Experience with alternative data, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning or natural language processing (NLP).
• Experience with big data technologies and platforms such as cloud-based computing and data storage solutions.
• Exemplify OPTrust’s values: collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence, and continuous improvement.

Please submit your application via Workday by October 22, 2024.

Serving a membership as diverse as ours and investing in a global market means cultivating an environment that embraces inclusion, diversity and equity in everything we do. We know a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and perspectives are critical to creating long-term value. OPTrust is an organization engaged in building on our unique and diverse strengths. If you require an accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, or have preferred pronouns, please send a message to careers@optrust.com, or discuss your needs with the Recruitment Consultant during the telephone screen. We will do our best to work with you and provide appropriate accommodation.

We thank all interested applicants, however only those under consideration will be contacted.

With net assets of $25 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 111,000 members. OPTrust was established to give plan members and the Government of Ontario an equal voice in the administration of the Plan and the investment of its assets through joint trusteeship. OPTrust is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are appointed by OPSEU and five by the Government of Ontario.