Data Scientist (NLP Specialist)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Conference funding

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Data Scientist specializing in NLP to join their Pretoria-based team in a fully remote role. You will develop NLP models, process text data, and contribute to AI projects.

The ideal candidate holds a Master’s or PhD in CS/AI, demonstrates strong Python skills, and has experience with transformers and cloud platforms. You will collaborate with engineers and product managers and stay current with NLP advances.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Linguistics, Data Science, or related quantitative field.
• Demonstrated experience in Natural Language Processing and applied machine learning.
• Proficiency in Python and libraries such as NLTK, SpaCy, Hugging Face Transformers, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement NLP models for sentiment analysis, text classification, named entity recognition, and topic modeling.
• Design, train, and evaluate deep learning models for NLP applications.
• Process and clean large volumes of unstructured text data.
• Collaborate with engineers and product managers to integrate NLP solutions into products.
• Conduct research on state-of-the-art NLP techniques and algorithms.
• Analyze text data to uncover trends, patterns, and insights for business objectives.
• Develop and maintain robust data pipelines for NLP model development and deployment.
• Communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay up-to-date with latest NLP and ML advancements.

Skills

NLP

Python

Machine Learning

Data preprocessing

Communication

Remote collaboration

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/AI/related field

Tools

NLTK

SpaCy

Hugging Face Transformers

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a fast-growing enterprise in the AI & Emerging Technologies sector, is seeking a talented Data Scientist with a specialization in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to join their Pretoria-based team. This role is fully remote, offering flexibility and the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge AI projects from anywhere. You will be responsible for leveraging advanced NLP techniques to extract insights from text data, build intelligent language models, and develop innovative solutions that drive business value. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a dedicated team on challenging problems in a supportive and collaborative environment, pushing the boundaries of natural language understanding and generation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement NLP models for tasks such as sentiment analysis, text classification, named entity recognition, and topic modeling.
• Design, train, and evaluate deep learning models for various NLP applications.
• Process and clean large volumes of unstructured text data.
• Collaborate with engineers and product managers to integrate NLP solutions into existing and new products.
• Conduct research on state-of-the-­art NLP techniques and algorithms.
• Analyze text data to uncover trends, patterns, and insights relevant to business objectives.
• Develop and maintain robust data pipelines for NLP model development and deployment.
• Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in NLP and machine learning.

Requirements

• Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Linguistics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.
• Demonstrated experience in Natural Language Processing and applied machine learning.
• Proficiency in Python and relevant libraries such as NLTK, SpaCy, Hugging Face Transformers, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
• Strong understanding of NLP concepts, algorithms, and deep learning architectures (e.g., RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers).
• Experience with data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model evaluation for text data.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a remote setting.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs) and their applications is highly desirable.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package tailored to support your well-being and professional growth. As a fully remote position, we provide the flexibility to work from your preferred location, fostering an excellent work-life balance. You will have access to state-of-the‑art tools and technologies, opportunities for continuous learning and development, including funding for conferences and courses. This role offers the chance to be part of a pioneering team at the forefront of AI innovation and make a tangible impact on the development of intelligent language solutions.