Head of Agricultural Data Science — Hybrid (Randburg)

Placements24; Randburg; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Performance bonuses

Professional development

Hybrid work in Randburg

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Agricultural Data Scientist in Randburg to build and lead a farm analytics platform. You will oversee a team of data scientists, design ML models, and translate agricultural data into actionable insights for crop yields and profitability.

This hybrid role requires strong data engineering skills, deep knowledge of ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and cloud experience, plus excellent communication with agricultural specialists and product teams.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in a quantitative field (Data Science/CS/Statistics/Agri Eng).
• 8+ years data science experience; 3+ in leadership or team management.
• Proven experience building and deploying ML models for predictive analytics.
• Python or R with ML libraries (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
• Strong SQL skills and experience with large databases/data warehousing.
• Familiar with AWS/Azure/GCP and big data tech (Spark/Hadoop).
• Excellent communication and ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of a scalable agricultural data analytics platform.
• Design and build predictive models to forecast crop yields and resource allocation.
• Analyze large datasets from sensors, satellites, weather, and farm systems.
• Develop dashboards to communicate insights to clients and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with agricultural experts to define KPIs and analytic frameworks.
• Mentor a team of data scientists and analysts.
• Oversee data quality, integrity, and security within the analytics platform.
• Stay updated with advances in data science and agtech.

Skills

Python

R

Machine learning

Leadership

SQL

Data visualization

Cloud platforms

Education

Master's/PhD in Data Science/CS/Statistics/Agri Eng

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Scikit-learn

Spark/Hadoop

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Agricultural Data Scientist in Randburg to build and lead a farm analytics platform. You will oversee a team of data scientists, design ML models, and translate agricultural data into actionable insights for crop yields and profitability.

This hybrid role requires strong data engineering skills, deep knowledge of ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and cloud experience, plus excellent communication with agricultural specialists and product teams.