Ai / Ml Tech Lead

Vodafone Group; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in South Africa seeks an AI/ML Engineering Lead to drive the development of innovative AI/ML systems and Cloud Data Lakehouse capabilities. The ideal candidate will manage teams, oversee AI/ML lifecycle processes, and ensure the delivery of impactful analytical solutions. This role demands advanced technical skills, collaboration with international teams, and a passion for leveraging data to create business value.

Benefits

Competitive incentive programs and benefits

Retirement, risk, and medical aid benefits

Cell phone, data benefits, and discounts

Qualifications

• 8+ years in Data, AI, Analytics, or related software engineering roles.
• Experience delivering GenAI applications.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies like Kanban or Scrum.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of AI / ML systems.
• Automate and produce data science prototypes and ML applications.
• Guide the overall Cloud Big Data architecture and solution design.

Skills

Software engineering

DevOps

AI / ML engineering

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Advanced degree in Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Engineering, or related fields

Tools

AWS

Big Data frameworks

Hadoop

Spark

TensorFlow

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

When it comes to putting people first, we're number 1. The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa. Certified by the Top Employer Institute.

Role Purpose / Business Unit

Use knowledge of ML / AI combined with programming and software engineering skills to enable easier access to the Group's unified datalake, AI, and ML technology stack. Support development, deployment, and operation of AI / ML models and related data & analytics.

Collaborate with the Group International Markets Data Science team, local markets IT, and commercial stakeholders to enable Cloud Data Lakehouse capabilities that facilitate AI / ML model and analytics development, deployment, and operations.

Lead and shape a team of Software Engineers, ML Engineers, and DevOps Engineers in designing, developing, deploying, and operating the Group AI / ML and Big Data cloud capabilities.

Support the Group International Business (IB) Data Science Team, IB markets, and Group functions in deriving business value from the Group's AI / ML and Big Data cloud platform.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of AI / ML systems and capabilities.
• Lead the Cloud Big Data application and infrastructure DevOps design, development, and deployment, establishing standardized and repeatable patterns.
• Drive automation of AI / ML predictive models, including training processes.
• Automate and produce data science prototypes through configured capabilities and develop ML applications per data science requirements.
• Ensure secure, streamlined, and digitized data flow in the Group's unified lake house to enable effective AI / ML model execution and delivery, supporting real-time or batch outcomes in IB markets systems.
• Guide the overall Cloud Big Data architecture and solution design to evolve capabilities supporting business needs.
• Stay updated with the latest trends and research in AI / ML and cloud big data technologies.
• Contribute to defining best practices for agile development on the Group cloud big data platform.

Core Competencies and Experience

• Experience managing the development lifecycle for agile software projects.
• Strong skills in software engineering, DevOps, and AI / ML engineering.
• Proficiency with AWS services such as S3, SFTP, Glue, EMR, Step Functions, Athena, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, KMS, SageMaker, Kinesis, OpenSearch, etc.
• Knowledge of Big Data frameworks like Hadoop, Spark, Hive, Yarn, Airflow.
• Experience with distributed ML frameworks like H2O and TensorFlow.
• Programming skills in Java and Python are essential.
• Experience with containerization (Docker / Kubernetes) or cloud alternatives is advantageous.
• Experience with AWS Lakehouse architecture and analytics is essential; knowledge of GCP is desirable.
• Other desirable skills include NoSQL databases and streaming technologies.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Engineering, or related fields.
• 8+ years in Data, AI, Analytics, or related software engineering roles.
• Experience delivering GenAI applications.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies like Kanban or Scrum.

What We Offer

• Competitive incentive programs and benefits.
• Retirement, risk, and medical aid benefits.
• Cell phone, data benefits, and discounts, including fibre connection offers and staff discounts.

Closing date for applications: 25 June. The role is based in Midrand, Vodacom Campus.

We value diversity and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Our organizational culture recognizes and appreciates diversity & inclusion.