Data Scientist (Machine Learning Focus)

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings plan

Generous vacation and sick leave

Professional development budget

Durban-based collaborative culture

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Data Scientist (ML) in Durban, South Africa, to turn complex datasets into actionable insights. You will build predictive models, perform feature engineering, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business challenges into data science problems.

Hybrid work balances in-office collaboration with remote work, supporting professional growth in a dynamic analytics firm.

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a forward-thinking analytics firm in **Durban**, is seeking a talented Data Scientist with a specialization in Machine Learning to join their growing team. This role offers the exciting prospect of working on complex datasets to uncover actionable insights, build predictive models, and develop innovative data-driven solutions. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business challenges and translate them into data science problems. The position is based in **Durban, KwaZulu-Natal**, offering a flexible hybrid work model that balances in-office collaboration with remote work. We are looking for an analytical thinker with a passion for machine learning, statistical modelling, and programming. The ideal candidate will have a strong academic background and practical experience in developing and deploying ML models. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to impactful projects and advance your career in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, train, and deploy machine learning models for various applications, including predictive analytics, natural language processing, and computer vision.
• Analyze large and complex datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights relevant to business objectives.
• Design and implement data mining and statistical analysis techniques.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate ML models into production systems.
• Perform data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model evaluation.
• Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay current with the latest advancements in machine learning and data science.
• Design and conduct A/B tests and other experiments to validate model performance.
• Develop data visualisations to effectively present insights and model results.
• Contribute to the team's knowledge base and best practices in data science.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in data science, with a strong focus on machine learning.
• Proficiency in Python or R, including libraries such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, pandas and NumPy.
• Experience with data visualisation tools (e.g., Matplotlib, Seaborn, Tableau).
• Strong understanding of statistical modelling, machine learning algorithms (e.g., regression, classification, clustering, deep learning) and their applications.
• Experience working with large datasets and distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Spark).
• Familiarity with SQL and database technologies.
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and critical thinking skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance incentives.
• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Generous vacation and sick leave.
• Professional development budget for conferences and training.
• A dynamic and collaborative work environment in **Durban**.
• Opportunity to work on challenging and impactful projects.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.