Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Deviare; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm is seeking an experienced AI Engineer in Johannesburg for a 12-month fixed term contract. Ideal candidates will have 7+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, strong problem-solving skills, and expertise in MLOps and model deployment. The role focuses on designing and deploying production-grade machine learning solutions, collaborating with teams to implement best practices, and optimizing AI projects. This position offers opportunities to work with cutting-edge technology and could be extended based on performance.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 7 years in AI/ML engineering and deployment is required.
• Experience with production ML systems is essential.
• Proven expertise in MLOps and model deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement machine learning models for production environments.
• Build and maintain ML pipelines and infrastructure.
• Deploy, monitor, and optimize AI models at scale.
• Collaborate with data scientists to productionize models.

Skills

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Natural Language Processing

Computer Vision

MLOps

Python

SQL

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow/Keras

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced AI Engineer to join our team on a 12-month fixed term contract to design, develop, and deploy production-grade machine learning solutions. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in MLOps, model deployment, and building scalable AI systems. You will work on cutting-edge AI projects, implement best practices for ML operations, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to productionize AI solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement machine learning models for production environments
• Build and maintain ML pipelines and infrastructure
• Deploy, monitor, and optimize AI models at scale
• Implement MLOps best practices and CI/CD for machine learning
• Collaborate with data scientists to productionize models
• Ensure model performance, reliability, and governance
• Conduct A/B testing and model evaluation
• Optimize model inference and training performance
• Maintain model versioning and experiment tracking

Required Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum 7+ years in AI/ML engineering and deployment
• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field
• Demonstrable experience with production ML systems

Core AI/ML Skills

Machine Learning:

• Supervised/unsupervised learning, deep learning (CNNs, RNNs, Transformers)
• Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision
• Feature engineering and model optimization

Frameworks:

• PyTorch (primary), TensorFlow/Keras
• scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM
• Hugging Face Transformers, OpenCV

MLOps & Production Deployment

MLOps Platforms:

• MLflow, Weights & Biases, Neptune.ai (experiment tracking)
• Kubeflow, Airflow, Prefect (orchestration)
• AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, Google Vertex AI (model serving)

Infrastructure:

• Docker, Kubernetes for containerization
• AWS (primary), Azure, or GCP
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins

Model Monitoring:

• Evidently AI, Whylabs, Arize AI
• Data drift and model drift detection

Technical Skills

• Python (expert level), SQL, Bash scripting
• Data engineering: ETL pipelines, Spark, data warehouses
• Distributed training: Ray, Horovod
• Model optimization and hyperparameter tuning (Optuna, Ray Tune)

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Excellent collaboration with data scientists and engineers
• Ability to translate business requirements to ML solutions
• Clear communication of complex technical concepts
• Continuous learning mindset

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• PhD in relevant field or publications/conference presentations
• Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI
• Edge AI and IoT device deployment
• MLOps certifications (AWS ML, Azure AI)
• Open-source ML contributions

Contract Terms

This is a 12-month fixed term contract position. The contract may be extended based on business needs and performance.

How to apply

Complete your profile at https://talent.deviare.africa