Lead - Ai Enablement Squad

45B528F9-17Ae-44A1-A5D8-Cb7Bf7Bb1Cf3; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health insurance provider in South Africa seeks an experienced Data Science Lab Lead for their AI Enablement Squad. The role involves leading a team in the productionisation of machine learning models, ensuring quality and operational excellence. Candidates should hold a Master's degree in a related field and possess over 12 years of relevant experience in data engineering or AI. This position also requires proficiency in Python and cloud-native development, making a significant impact across the organization.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in software / data engineering or AI productionisation.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, cloud-native development, and MLOps / LLMOps tools.
• Experience with CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional squad of engineers and data scientists.
• Own technical roadmap for AI productionisation and oversee architectural decisions.
• Implement monitoring, alerting, and incident response for AI systems.

Skills

Team Leadership

Technical Strategy

Operational Excellence

Stakeholder Engagement

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Python

SQL

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Business Unit: Discovery Health

Function: Data Sciences

Date: 21 Nov

Discovery – Health / Data Science Lab Lead – AI Enablement Squad

About Discovery: Discovery's core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives.

We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery.

Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best.

As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Data Science Lab

The Group Data Science Lab (DS Lab) is expanding, and we're looking for talented individuals to join our growing team.

Our global team collaborates with partners such as Discovery Health Digital, Quantium, Risk Intelligence, and renowned institutions like the London School of Economics (LSE).

Working across diverse areas—including digital, clinical, wellness, and behavioral themes—we harness terabytes of structured and unstructured data using a modern big data architecture.

The DS Lab also embraces a forward-thinking approach, identifying new data sources and opportunities and leveraging the Vit.AI platform, we create scalable, fit-for-purpose solutions that serve the business well into the future.

About AI Enablement

The AI Enablement team is the engineering engine that transforms cutting-edge data science into tangible value for our members and business.

We bridge experimental AI and robust, enterprise‑scale production systems, enabling scalable, reliable, and efficient AI solutions.

Key Purpose

The AI Lead is responsible for translating cutting-edge data science into robust, scalable production systems.

This role leads a multidisciplinary team focused on the productionisation of machine learning and LLM models, ensuring operational excellence, technical innovation, and strategic alignment with business goals.

Success in this position requires architecting and implementing production‑grade systems that are scalable, maintainable, resilient, and integrated with existing production systems.

Key outputs

• Team Leadership & Delivery Management – Lead and mentor a cross‑functional squad of engineers, developers, analysts, and data scientists. Drive agile delivery practices, ensuring timely and high‑quality deployment of AI solutions.
• Technical Strategy & Architecture – Own the technical roadmap for AI productionisation, including MLOps, LLMOps, and scalable infrastructure. Oversee architectural decisions for model deployment, data pipelines, and cloud‑native solutions.
• Operational Excellence – Implement monitoring, alerting, and incident response for AI systems in production. Champion best practices in CI/CD, testing, and observability for ML and LLM models.
• Stakeholder Engagement – Collaborate with data science teams to translate prototypes into production‑ready applications. Liaise with platform and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration and scalability.
• Strategic Impact – Influence the velocity and reliability of AI delivery across the organisation. Represent the AI Enablement team in strategic forums and contribute to group‑wide innovation.

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Collaborative mentor with a natural inclination to share knowledge.
• Pragmatic and results‑driven, focused on delivering robust solutions.
• Intellectually curious with a passion for technology and innovation.
• Excellent communicator, able to articulate complex technical ideas clearly.
• Ownership mindset with resilience and adaptability.

Education and Experience

Essential Requirements

• Master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years in software / data engineering or AI productionisation.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, cloud‑native development, and MLOps / LLMOps tools.
• Experience with CI/CD, containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure‑as‑code.

Advantageous Requirements

• Postgraduate qualification in AI, Data Science, or Systems Engineering.
• Familiarity with Vertex AI, BigQuery, Cloud Composer, Kubeflow.

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process.

As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.