Sr. Data Scientist

Job Description What is the opportunity? The Alternative Data & AI team works with clients and leverages alternative data (structured and unstructured non-financial data) datasets and applying advanced AI techniques to develop financially relevant factors, actionable insights, and differentiated content for Capital Markets clients. The Sr. Data Scientist on this team plays a key role in delivering AI and data-driven solutions to our Institutional Research stakeholders and clients, driving innovation at the intersection of alternative data and cutting-edge machine learning. What will you do? Lead the design and implementation of statistical, machine learning, and mathematical methodologies to solve complex research problems and perform advanced data analysis leveraging alternative datasets. Identify and evaluate novel data sources, to develop unique and proprietary insights for institutional research teams and clients — including web scraping, geolocation data, satellite imagery, NLP on unstructured data sources (such as news), and other non-traditional signals. Collaborate closely with equity and macro research teams, technology teams, and cross-functional stakeholders on strategic initiatives, providing expertise in advanced analytics, data modelling, data cleansing, and data optimization. Build, maintain, and enhance data pipelines and infrastructure using Databricks, Snowflake, PySpark, and SQL to ensure scalable, reliable, and efficient data processing across large alternative datasets. Champion emerging technology trends and tools that can be leveraged to further the Alternative Data & AI platform, staying current with developments in generative AI, large language models, and alternative data sourcing. Coordinate, generate, and maintain alternative data products, presentations, models, and databases of unique, alternative, and proprietary insights that support client-facing research. Drive the development of big data and alternative data capabilities, leading coordination of cross-functional engineering and research initiatives within the Alternative Data & AI team. Design and develop proprietary indices and factor models, applying rigorous quantitative methodologies to construct, backtest, and maintain financially relevant indices derived from alternative data signals. Proactively identify new opportunities for engaging Research teams with novel data products and AI-driven analytical frameworks. Mentor and develop junior data scientists, providing technical guidance during project execution and fostering a culture of continuous learning within the team. Provide senior-level research support to stakeholders as required, acting as a subject matter expert on alternative data methodologies, index construction, and AI-driven analytics. Front Office Proactively identify operational risks and control deficiencies in the business. Review and comply with Firm Policies applicable to your business activities. Escalate operational risk loss events, control deficiencies, and risks to your line manager and the relevant risk and control functions on a timely basis. What do you need to succeed? Must-have Master's or PhD in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or another quantitative field. 3+ years of experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, or Statistics — ideally in a capital markets or financial research context. Strong quantitative modelling skills, including statistical modelling, machine learning, and optimization techniques applied to financial or alternative datasets. Demonstrated ability to perform complex data analysis on large volumes of structured and unstructured data, and to present findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders. Hands-on experience with Databricks for large-scale data processing and ML workflows, and Snowflake for cloud data warehousing and analytics. Strong proficiency in PySpark for distributed data processing and SQL for data querying, transformation, and pipeline development across large datasets. Experience in index construction and factor model development, including the design, backtesting, and ongoing maintenance of quantitative indices derived from alternative or financial data. Creative and rigorous approaches to using alternative datasets to generate insights into the financial performance of companies and macroeconomic trends. Deep expertise in data profiling, cleaning, feature engineering, and insight generation across diverse data types. Expert working knowledge of Python and R, with strong overall coding abilities. Expert-level experience with ETL processes across a variety of data types and formats. Strong understanding of both NoSQL and SQL database architectures. Expert technical documentation skills. Nice-to-have Familiarity with data visualization tools and techniques such as D3, R, Qlik, Tableau, and/or Power BI. Proficiency in standard Python libraries including pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib. Experience with ML Python libraries such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or PyTorch. Experience with NLP Python libraries such as NLTK, spaCy, or Hugging Face — particularly for financial text analysis. Exposure to generative AI and large language model (LLM) frameworks, with an interest in applying them to financial research use cases. Prior experience in capital markets or institutional research environments. Good understanding of financial markets, equity research workflows, and quantitative investing. Familiarity with index governance, rebalancing methodologies, and index licensing frameworks is a plus. GitHub repository demonstrating applied data science or research projects is appreciated. What’s in it for you? We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual. A comprehensive Total Rewards Program include competitive compensation and flexible benefits, such as 401(k) program with company-matching contributions, health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, and paid-time off. Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities. Ability to make a difference and lasting impact. Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team. Opportunities to do challenging work. Opportunities to build close relationships with clients. The expected salary range for this particular position is $85,000-$145,000 (New York), depending on your experience, skills, and registration status, market conditions and business needs. You have the potential to earn more through RBC’s discretionary variable compensation program which gives you an opportunity to increase your total compensation, provided the business meets its performance targets and you meet your individual goals. RBC’s compensation philosophy and principles recognize the importance of a highly qualified global workforce and plays a critical role in attracting, engaging and retaining talent that: Drives RBC’s high-performance culture Enables collective achievement of our strategic goals Generates sustainable shareholder returns and above market shareholder value Job Skills Actuarial Modeling, Big Data Management, Commercial Acumen, Data Mining, Data Science, Decision Making, Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Predictive Analytics, Python (Programming Language) Additional Job Details Address: BROOKFIELD PLACE FKA 3 WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER, 200 VESEY STREET:NEW YORK City: New York Country: United States of America Work hours/week: 40 Employment Type: Full time Platform: CAPITAL MARKETS Job Type: Regular Pay Type: Salaried Posted Date: 2026-07-14 Application Deadline: 2026-09-05 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above Our Employment Opportunities At RBC, we are guided by living shared values of Client First, Integrity, Collaboration, Respect and Excellence and winning together as One RBC. We believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all. Join our Talent Community Stay in-the-know about great career opportunities at RBC. Sign up and get customized info on our latest jobs, career tips and Recruitment events that matter to you. Expand your limits and create a new future together at RBC. Find out how we use our passion and drive to enhance the well-being of our clients and communities at jobs.rbc.com. RBC is presently inviting candidates to apply for this existing vacancy. Applying to this posting allows you to express your interest in this current career opportunity at RBC. Qualified applicants may be contacted to review their resume in more detail. Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 84,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to more than 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎ We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.