Lead Data Scientist

Absa Bank; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa Bank seeks a skilled Data Scientist / AI Engineer to join its Advanced Analytics and AI team. This role involves developing and operationalizing ML and AI models within the financial services industry. The successful candidate will collaborate across functions to drive innovation and ensure adherence to architectural standards.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in data science or AI roles, preferably in financial services.
• Hands-on experience with AI/ML solutions, including generative AI.
• Familiarity with financial industry use cases and enterprise architecture frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy production-grade ML and AI models.
• Develop reusable AI blueprints for multiple use cases.
• Monitor and maintain model performance.

Skills

Python

Data Science Tools

Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering

PhD

Tools

Pandas

NumPy

Scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Databricks

AWS Bedrock

Amazon SageMaker

FAISS

Pinecone

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Job description

Time left to apply: End Date : July 8, (5 days left to apply)

Job Requisition ID: R-

About Us

Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together… one story at a time. With over years of rich history and a strong position as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, reset our future, and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Scientist / AI Engineer to join our growing Advanced Analytics and AI team within the Chief Digital Transformation Office. Our organization is a leading financial services institution offering universal banking products and services across Africa.

In this fast-paced, high-impact environment, the successful candidate will play a key role in developing, deploying, and operationalizing machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI, and agentic AI models. This role requires a strong technical foundation and the ability to apply data science and AI techniques within the regulatory, architectural, and risk frameworks of the financial services industry.

You will work across functional teams to deliver intelligent solutions that drive innovation and business performance, ensuring adherence to enterprise data and AI architecture standards and best practices. Responsibilities include model selection, architecture design, deployment strategies for use cases such as credit risk, fraud detection, customer engagement, and personalization.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy production-grade ML, AI, generative AI, and agentic AI models.
• Develop reusable AI blueprints for multiple use cases.
• Develop guardrails in accordance with security and architecture standards.
• Partner with stakeholders across Business Units and Functions to identify, design, develop, deploy, and manage impactful solutions.
• Translate complex business problems into structured tasks and deploy models that deliver measurable value.
• Ensure solutions adhere to Data and AI architecture, security, governance, and operational standards.
• Build model pipelines using enterprise MLOps frameworks, ensuring scalability and performance.
• Monitor and maintain model performance, re-training and optimizing as needed.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to data scientists.
• Stay updated with advancements in AI, including foundation models and AI governance frameworks.

Required Skills

• Proficiency in Python and data science tools (e.g., Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Experience with platforms such as Databricks, AWS Bedrock, or Amazon SageMaker.
• Hands-on experience with vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone).
• Exposure to AI orchestration frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex.
• Understanding of Model Evaluation frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of ML, generative AI (LLMs, GANs, VAEs), and agentic AI.
• Strong grasp of MLOps tools and cloud platforms.
• Experience deploying models in regulated environments.
• Solid foundation in data pipelines, governance, and architecture principles.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to explain technical concepts.
• Proven ability to work under pressure and manage priorities.

Experience & Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, or related fields; PhD a plus.
• 3–5+ years of experience in data science or AI roles, preferably in financial services or banking.
• Experience in deploying AI/ML solutions, including generative AI.
• Familiarity with financial industry use cases and enterprise architecture frameworks.

Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity employer. Preference will be given to candidates from designated groups to promote workforce diversity. The bank reserves the right not to fill the position if suitable candidates are not found.

About Absa Group Limited

Absa Group Limited is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa's largest financial services groups, offering a range of banking, wealth, and insurance services across multiple African countries and beyond.