Lead AI Engineer

Compensation Range:

$200,000 - $230,000

Compensation Disclaimer:

The salary range listed reflects the base pay for this role at Altus Group and is provided where required by local regulations. Actual offers may differ based on experience, market conditions, and other relevant factors. The range does not include additional compensation such as bonuses, equity, benefits, or other incentives.

Who we need

Reporting to the Principal Architect, we are hiring a Lead AI Engineer to help shape and build the next generation of AI capabilities across the Altus Group platform ecosystem. As our new Lead AI Engineer, you will operate at the intersection of innovation, architecture, and hands-on engineering, leading the design and commercialization of AI-powered solutions that transform how commercial real estate professionals analyze, value, and manage assets across the real estate lifecycle.

You will move ideas from concept to production, building intelligent capabilities that customers actively use within the ARGUS Intelligence Platform. You will work across LLM-powered applications, agentic workflows, data-driven analytics, and domain-specific AI models, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Architecture, Data, and Analytics teams to identify opportunities, solve complex technical challenges, and influence the future direction of AI within one of the world’s leading commercial real estate technology organizations.

This is a remote-first role based in Toronto, with the opportunity to collaborate in person at our downtown Toronto office for team sessions, innovation workshops, and key collaboration moments approximately 1-2 times per month.

What’s in it for you

Help redefine how AI is applied across commercial real estate. You will play a leading role in shaping how artificial intelligence transforms one of the world’s largest and most complex asset classes. From conversational AI experiences for asset valuation and agentic workflows to AI-driven analytics and domain-specific models, your work will directly influence how institutional investors, lenders, owners, and operators analyze and manage commercial real estate assets globally. This is an opportunity to build AI capabilities inside a platform already trusted across the industry, where the outcomes of your work will directly support high-value, real-world financial and investment decisions.

Innovation with real ownership and commercialization. This is a newly created role introduced as part of Altus Group’s continued investment in AI and intelligent platform capabilities. Unlike environments focused purely on research or experimentation, this role sits at the intersection of innovation, engineering, and commercialization. You will help define technical direction, influence decisions around model strategy, tooling, architecture, and AI infrastructure, and bring intelligent products from concept through to production deployment. You will have the autonomy to challenge existing approaches, explore emerging technologies, and help determine how a global organization operationalizes AI at scale.

Work on meaningful technical problems at enterprise scale. You will collaborate across Architecture, Product, Engineering, Data, and Analytics teams while working within one of the most sophisticated commercial real estate data ecosystems in the industry. You will help solve complex challenges involving large-scale SaaS platforms, AI infrastructure, cloud environments, valuation data, analytics, and evolving agentic systems - all within a culture that values curiosity, experimentation, continuous learning, and pragmatic problem-solving. You will have the opportunity to move quickly, contribute hands-on, and see the measurable impact of your work in production environments used daily by customers around the world.

As our new Lead AI Engineer, you will:

• Architect and build AI-powered platform capabilities. You will design, develop, and deploy intelligent features across the ARGUS Intelligence Platform, including conversational AI experiences for asset valuation, agentic workflows, intelligent data extraction, and AI-driven analytics capabilities. You will move ideas from concept through to production, building scalable solutions that directly support high-value commercial real estate investment, valuation, and asset management decisions.
• Lead AI innovation and technical direction. You will help shape the future direction of AI across the organization, influencing decisions around model strategy, architecture, tooling, frameworks, and infrastructure. You will evaluate emerging technologies, contribute to build-versus-buy decisions, and guide how Altus Group approaches applied AI, LLMs, domain-specific models, and intelligent platform experiences.
• Lead from concept through commercialization. You will operate at the intersection of innovation, architecture, and engineering, helping move ideas from ambiguity and experimentation into scalable production capabilities. You will remain deeply hands-on in code, system design, experimentation, and AI solution development while guiding outsourced engineering resources and influencing technical direction across teams. This is a role for someone who enjoys building, iterating quickly, solving complex problems, and seeing their work commercialized in real-world products used at enterprise scale.
• Drive alignment across complex technical and business environments. You will collaborate closely with Product, Architecture, Engineering, Data, and Analytics teams to identify opportunities, solve complex technical challenges, and translate evolving business needs into scalable AI solutions. You will operate effectively in environments where priorities evolve quickly, multiple stakeholders bring competing perspectives, and clarity must often be created rather than provided.
• Build scalable AI and ML practices. You will help establish standards, frameworks, and best practices for AI and machine learning development across the organization, including experimentation frameworks, model deployment approaches, governance, testing strategies, and operational reliability. You will contribute to the evolution of AI engineering practices while helping teams balance innovation with responsible AI development.
• Mentor and elevate technical capability. You will contribute to a culture of learning, curiosity, and technical excellence by mentoring engineers, sharing knowledge across teams, and helping strengthen AI and machine learning capabilities throughout the organization. You will play an active role in advancing AI adoption and fostering collaborative problem-solving across technical teams.

You bring:

• The applied AI and engineering depth. You have progressive experience building and deploying enterprise-grade AI and machine learning systems. You bring strong software engineering fundamentals alongside hands-on experience with modern AI architectures and complex systems. You are not just experimenting with AI. You have helped move intelligent solutions into real-world production environments where performance, scalability, reliability, and business impact matter.
• The builder mindset. You enjoy operating in environments where ambiguity exists, priorities evolve quickly, and innovation happens through rapid iteration and experimentation. You are energized by solving complex technical problems, building new capabilities from the ground up, and balancing long-term architectural thinking with pragmatic execution. You are comfortable moving from concept and whiteboarding into code, prototypes, and production deployment.
• The AI and machine learning expertise. You bring deep experience with modern AI and ML concepts, frameworks, and tooling, including areas such as transformers, prompt engineering, RAG architectures, embeddings, semantic search, fine-tuning, agentic systems, distributed training, or model optimization. You understand the broader AI landscape and stay current with emerging technologies, while maintaining a practical perspective on what can realistically deliver value within enterprise environments.
• The technical leadership capability. You can guide technical direction, influence architecture decisions, and establish engineering standards while remaining hands-on and highly credible with technical teams. You are comfortable mentoring engineers, leading through influence rather than hierarchy, and collaborating across Product, Engineering, Data, and Architecture teams to align technical execution with business outcomes. Experience operating at a Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead, or similar level is strongly valued.
• The systems thinking and communication skills. You can break down complex technical challenges, evaluate trade-offs, and communicate ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. You ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions constructively, and operate effectively in environments where multiple stakeholders bring competing priorities or perspectives. You know how to create clarity, build alignment, and move work forward.
• The curiosity, adaptability, and drive. You are naturally curious, motivated by continuous learning, and excited by how quickly AI and engineering practices are evolving. You are open to new technologies, new approaches, and new ways of solving problems. Most importantly, you bring the humility, resilience, and ownership mindset required to succeed in a highly collaborative environment where innovation, experimentation, and execution happen in parallel.

Apply now

If you're excited about this role but your experience aligns differently with every requirement, we encourage you to apply. While specific qualifications may be strictly required, others can be based on various experiences, backgrounds, and knowledge. We can't promise an interview, but we will consider your whole application.

What you can expect from our interview process:

• A virtual interview with a Talent Advisor to discuss your interest in joining the company and in the role. The conversation will be recorded using BrightHire, an AI-powered video interview tool. More details will be shared when you are invited to interview.
• An in-person interview in Toronto with the hiring manager, focused on your experience building and commercializing AI solutions, navigating ambiguity, leading technical decision-making, and operating within complex engineering environments. This conversation will also provide the opportunity to learn more about the ARGUS Intelligence Platform, the team structure, and the broader AI strategy across Altus Group.
• A virtual technical and leadership interview with senior leaders across Architecture, Data, Analytics, or Innovation teams focused on systems thinking, technical depth, AI and machine learning expertise, collaboration style, and your ability to influence technical direction across cross-functional teams.

A final technical presentation and panel discussion. Final candidates will complete a take-home technical assignment designed to reflect the ambiguity, problem-solving, and decision-making involved in the role. You will present your approach, technical choices, and solution design to a panel of technical leaders and engineers, followed by a collaborative discussion focused on architecture, critical thinking, and engineering approach.

Unlock your Altus Experience!

If you’re looking to advance your career in in an industry that is transitioning for greatness, there’s no better place than Altus Group.

Our high trust, high performance culture prioritizes progressive programs that empower you to deliver your greatest performance while promoting collective success where everyone is recognized and connected.

We offer boundless opportunities in a rapidly growing global business: mentorship from the best and brightest in CRE, access to our Altus Intelligence Academy, and the chance to work with the best data sets, tools and technology in the industry.

What Altus Group offers:

• Rewarding performance: competitive compensation, incentive and bonus plans, and a total rewards package prioritizing mental, physical, and financial well-being.

• Growth and development: we invest in your professional learning. Our Altus Intelligence Academy offers over 150,000 hours of learning content.

• Flexible work model: our Activity-Based Work model provides flexibility to align your work location to the needs of the work - use the office for collaboration and remote work for focused tasks.

Inclusivity & Accessibility

Altus Group is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where all clients and employees feel welcomed, accepted and valued. We provide an atmosphere free from barriers to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and encourage equal opportunities for all employees. We’re seeking candidates with diverse experiences and provide accessible candidate experiences throughout the selection process. If you need accommodation, please contact us at [email protected] or +1 888 692 7487.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI tools may be used to support the initial stages of screening for this role; however, all assessments and final hiring decisions are reviewed and made by an Altus Group hiring professional.

Background Checks

Please note that as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure workplace, Altus Group may conduct background checks on candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment. These checks may include, but are not limited to, verification of employment history, education credentials, criminal records, credit history (where relevant), and reference checks. The scope and nature of background checks may vary depending on the role, location, and applicable laws. All background checks will be conducted in compliance with local laws and regulations, and candidates will be informed of any checks required as part of the recruitment process.

Other Notes / Application Process

We appreciate all applicants; however, only those selected to move forward will be contacted. Thank you for your interest in Altus Group.