Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security‑first enterprise AI company. We build cutting‑edge foundation AI models and end‑to‑end products that solve real‑world business problems. We train and deploy frontier models for enterprises building AI systems, believing our work is instrumental to AI adoption. Our team of researchers, engineers, designers and more are passionate about building and improving our technology.

Why This Role?

We’re seeking an experienced Program Manager for our customer‑facing Program Management team, focused on Canadian public‑sector and defence accounts. This role requires deep expertise in technical program delivery, advanced AI model complexity, and the unique requirements of government and defence organisations.

You will be the critical bridge between Cohere’s AI capabilities and the needs of Canadian federal departments, provincial agencies, Crown corporations, and defence organisations. You’ll navigate procurement, security, data sovereignty, and compliance while ensuring customers successfully deploy and scale our solutions.

In this role you’ll collaborate with the Strategic Customer team, Applied ML Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering, Platform, Product, and Go‑to‑Market teams as the technical program lead and trusted advisor for high‑impact government engagements.

Location Ottawa (preferred) or Montreal or Toronto required (proximity to government customers)

Security Clearance Active Top Secret clearance strongly preferred; candidates eligible and willing to obtain clearance will also be considered.

What You’ll Do Customer Program Leadership

Own end‑to‑end technical program delivery for Canadian public‑sector and defence customers.





Serve as the primary technical program point of contact for government customers.

Translate complex government requirements into actionable engineering plans.

Navigate procurement, RFP responses, and contractual obligations.

Strategic Communication

Provide clear, timely communication across engineering, customer stakeholders, and government leadership.

Translate AI/ML concepts into language suitable for decision makers.

Present technical roadmaps and status updates to senior officials.

Represent Cohere’s technical capabilities in sensitive contexts.

Complex Program Management

Create and manage project schedules that account for government timelines and security reviews.

Identify and manage dependencies across departments, security authorities, cloud providers, and internal teams.

Navigate risks such as privacy compliance, Algorithmic Impact Assessments, Treasury Board submissions, and security authorizations.

Drive alignment between product priorities and government requirements.

Technical Delivery & Execution

Ensure on‑time delivery that meets government‑grade security and performance standards.

Coordinate multi‑team work: model customization, security hardening, integration, bilingual support.

Establish governance checkpoints for high‑stakes deployments.





Problem‑solve complex technical challenges in regulated environments.

You May Be a Good Fit If – Required Experience

6+ years of customer‑facing Technical or Engineering Program Manager experience in AI/ML consulting or enterprise delivery.

Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management.

Experience with government, defence or heavily regulated customers.

Proven track record managing complex, multi‑stakeholder programs with stringent compliance.

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree or technical certifications a plus.

Technical Background

Strong understanding of enterprise software architectures (cloud, on‑premises, hybrid, air‑gapped).

Knowledge of modern AI (LLMs, agentic systems, RAG, fine‑tuning, responsible AI) is a differentiator.

Comfortable discussing APIs, model inference, data pipelines, and ML operations with technical stakeholders.

Government & Defence Acumen

Deep understanding of how Canadian government procure, evaluate, and deploy technology.

Familiarity with data sovereignty, privacy laws, accessibility standards, official languages, and security classifications.

Understanding of defence and national security considerations in AI deployment.

Experience with Algorithmic Impact Assessments or AI ethics frameworks is a strong asset.

Eligible to obtain Canadian government security clearance (Top Secret preferred).

Nice to Have

Active Canadian government clearance (Secret or Top Secret); solid preference for Top Secret.

Bilingual (English/French) proficiency.

Background in Canadian defence or critical infrastructure sectors.

E

📌 Technical Program Manager, AI Delivery for Public Sector (Ahuntsic)
🏢 Cohere
📍 Ahuntsic