Practice Leader - Data & AI

Toronto, Ontario

Practice Leader – Data & AI
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Full-Time, Permanent | Hybrid

Salary: $200,000 per year + Full Benefits

About the Role

The Practice Leader – Data & AI will grow and mature the Data & AI Practice into a repeatable, offering-led business with strong delivery governance and a clear market narrative. This role combines practice strategy, packaged offerings, talent management, delivery standards, and P&L accountability. You will drive practice growth across BFSI initially, with expansion into Telco and Retail across Canada and the U.S., partnering closely with sales and delivery leadership to achieve predictable, scalable growth.

Leadership & Operations

Define and execute the practice vision, strategy, and roadmap in alignment with enterprise modernization and production-scale AI objectives
Own practice economics, including growth plans, capacity planning, utilization, and margin discipline
Build and evolve a portfolio of packaged, repeatable offerings with consistent quality and delivery patterns
Define practice delivery standards, governance, and “how we deliver” playbooks
Partner with internal and external stakeholders, including cloud/data/AI platform partners, to strengthen practice differentiation
Sponsor solution shaping and deal design, maintaining pricing and margin integrity

Client Advisory & Business Development

Lead capability-led business development, helping clients progress from assessment → MVP → scale
Partner with sales/account leaders to pursue and shape strategic opportunities, particularly in BFSI
Contribute to thought leadership, POVs, and client narratives that clearly articulate outcomes and differentiation
Act as a trusted advisor to enterprise clients and executives, translating complex challenges into actionable solutions

Training & Professional Development

Define Data & AI skill taxonomy and role definitions (data engineering, analytics, ML/GenAI, MLOps/LLMOps, governance, architecture)
Partner with Talent on hiring, onboarding, and enablement to build a high-performing practice
Develop communities of practice, learning paths, and internal enablement initiatives

What You’ll Need

12–18+ years of experience in Data, Analytics, and/or AI modernization
Proven practice-building or scaling experience (offerings, talent, delivery governance, growth)
Strong enterprise delivery background and governance instincts, especially in complex environments
BFSI experience strongly preferred, with the ability to translate patterns into Telco and Retail
Commercial acumen with experience in packaging, pricing, margin discipline, and scalable delivery models
Executive presence and credibility with enterprise clients and senior technologists
Structured, outcome-oriented thinker who simplifies complexity and drives momentum
Collaborative leader capable of scaling through others

Compensation

The salary for this position is $200,000 per year. Additional compensation includes full company benefits. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other relevant factors.

Vacancy Status

This posting is for an existing vacancy that is currently available to be filled.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI may be used in evaluating candidates for this position.

Equal Opportunity

emergiTEL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of background, and our hiring process is based solely on skills, experience, and qualifications relevant to the role.