Lead Data Scientist

Tumaini Consulting; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Tumaini Consulting is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to provide senior technical leadership while staying hands-on across data science, machine learning, analytics and AI-driven solutions. This role translates complex business challenges into actionable insights and helps shape the technical direction of the Data Science function.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years' experience in Data Science/Analytics, 2+ years in leadership, and strong Python, PySpark, Delta Lake and Power BI capabilities, with

Qualifications

• 7+ years' experience across Data Science, Analytics or Warehousing with substantial recent Data Science experience.
• 2+ years' experience in a technical or engineering leadership capacity.
• Strong production experience across ML, statistical modelling and AI system design, including deployment, monitoring and retraining.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior technical leadership while remaining hands-on across data science, ML, analytics and AI-driven solutions.
• Translate complex business challenges into actionable insights for the organisation.
• Help shape the technical direction of the Data Science function and mentor technical teams.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Mentoring teams

English communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Delta Lake

PySpark

Power BI

Python

Jupyter

Job description

Our client is seeking an accomplished Lead Data Scientist to provide senior technical leadership while remaining hands-on across data science, machine learning, analytics and AI-driven solutions. This is a key role for a data professional who can translate complex business challenges into actionable insights while helping shape the technical direction of the Data Science function.

Requirements:

• 7+ years' experience across Data Science, Data Analytics or Data Warehousing, with substantial recent Data Science experience.
• 2+ years' experience in a technical or engineering leadership capacity.
• Strong production experience across machine learning, statistical modelling and AI system design, including model deployment, monitoring and retraining.
• Advanced Python skills with strong experience in Jupyter, pandas, NumPy and scikit-learn.
• Experience with Delta Lake or comparable lakehouse architectures.
• Strong PySpark and distributed data-processing experience.
• Strong Power BI and Python-based data visualisation experience.
• Proven ability to mentor technical teams and communicate with senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent professional experience.