Remote Head of Data Science & AI Strategy

Placements24; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive compensation

Stock options

Remote work

Professional development budget

Health benefits

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Head of Data Science to steer strategy and build a world-class team in a fully remote role within South Africa. You will lead research, drive AI solutions, and shape data-driven decisions across the business.

The ideal candidate has a PhD or MSc with 10+ years in data science, strong leadership, and deep knowledge of ML, big data, and cloud platforms. This executive role offers a generous stock option package and remote-first flexibility.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master1s in Data Science, CS, Statistics, Mathematics, or related quantitative field.
• 10+ years in data science and ML, with 4+ years in leadership.
• Proven track record leading data science projects and delivering AI solutions.
• Expertise in ML algorithms, statistical modeling, and data mining.
• Proficiency in Python or R and libraries (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Experience with Spark, Hadoop and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.
• Remote work capability and strategic thinking for research roadmaps & budgets.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the data science strategy and roadmap.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of data scientists and ML engineers.
• Oversee end-to-end development and deployment of AI/ML models from data ingestion to production.
• Drive innovation in NLP, CV, and RL within the organization.
• Ensure ethical and responsible AI and data science practices.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and business teams on data-driven solutions.
• Establish best practices for data management, model validation, and monitoring.
• Stay abreast of AI and big data advancements and guide infrastructure decisions.
• Communicate complex findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Skills

Data science leadership

Python

R

Communication

Remote leadership

Education

Ph.D./Master1s in a quantitative field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Head of Data Science to steer strategy and build a world-class team in a fully remote role within South Africa. You will lead research, drive AI solutions, and shape data-driven decisions across the business.

The ideal candidate has a PhD or MSc with 10+ years in data science, strong leadership, and deep knowledge of ML, big data, and cloud platforms. This executive role offers a generous stock option package and remote-first flexibility.