Lead Data Scientist

Goldman Tech Resourcing; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Goldman Tech Resourcing is seeking an experienced Lead Data Scientist to drive machine learning, statistical modelling and production AI solutions. This is a hands-on leadership role that blends advanced technical work with team mentorship and strong stakeholder engagement.

You will design and deploy ML solutions, manage full model lifecycle, work with lakehouse architectures, and deliver analytics using Python, Power BI and Azure data tools.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data science, analytics or data warehousing with recent data science focus.
• 2+ years in technical or engineering leadership.
• Advanced Python skills.
• Experience with Jupyter Notebooks, pandas, NumPy and scikit-learn.
• Proven ML, statistical modelling and production AI system design.
• Experience deploying, monitoring and retraining production models.
• Experience with Delta Lake or lakehouse architectures.
• Strong knowledge of PySpark, feature stores, training-data versioning and schema evolution.
• Strong data warehouse experience: Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL, T-SQL or ANSI SQL.
• Strong Power BI and Python-based analytics/visualisation.
• Mentoring data scientists and leading technical delivery.
• Excellent written and verbal English.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and deploy machine learning and AI solutions into production environments.
• Apply statistical modelling and advanced data science techniques to solve complex business problems.
• Manage the full model lifecycle, including deployment, monitoring, evaluation and retraining.
• Develop robust data science solutions using Python and associated data science libraries.
• Work with lakehouse architectures, feature stores and training-data versioning.
• Develop and maintain data pipelines and support schema evolution.
• Work with Azure data warehouse technologies and large-scale datasets.
• Produce insightful analytics and visualisations using Power BI and Python-based tools.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to data scientists.
• Take ownership of delivery and contribute to technical planning and execution.
• Communicate technical concepts, findings and recommendations effectively to senior stakeholders.
• Where required, lead an Agile delivery squad within the Platform organisation.

Skills

Advanced Python

Machine Learning

Statistical Modelling

Team Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Data Visualization

Python Libraries

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Jupyter Notebooks

pandas

NumPy

scikit-learn

Delta Lake

PySpark

Power BI

Azure Synapse Analytics

Azure SQL

T-SQL

Job description

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent professional experience

Experience: 7+ years of experience across data science, data analytics, or data warehousing, with substantial recent data science experience

Our client is seeking an experienced Lead Data Scientist to take technical ownership across machine learning, statistical modelling and production AI solutions. This is a hands-on leadership role for a data science professional who can combine advanced technical expertise with team mentorship, delivery ownership and strong stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and deploy machine learning and AI solutions into production environments.
• Apply statistical modelling and advanced data science techniques to solve complex business problems.
• Manage the full model lifecycle, including deployment, monitoring, evaluation and retraining.
• Develop robust data science solutions using Python and associated data science libraries.
• Work with lakehouse architectures, feature stores and training-data versioning.
• Develop and maintain data pipelines and support schema evolution.
• Work with Azure data warehouse technologies and large-scale datasets.
• Produce insightful analytics and visualisations using Power BI and Python-based tools.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to data scientists.
• Take ownership of delivery and contribute to technical planning and execution.
• Communicate technical concepts, findings and recommendations effectively to senior stakeholders.
• Where required, lead an Agile delivery squad within the Platform organisation.

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 role.
• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent professional experience.
• Advanced Python skills.
• Strong experience with Jupyter Notebooks, pandas, NumPy and scikit-learn.
• Proven experience with machine learning, statistical modelling and production AI system design.
• Experience deploying, monitoring and retraining production models.
• Experience with Delta Lake or comparable lakehouse architectures.
• Strong knowledge of PySpark, feature stores, training-data versioning and schema evolution.
• Strong data warehouse experience, including Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL, T-SQL and/or ANSI SQL.
• Strong Power BI and Python-based analytics/visualisation experience.
• Proven experience mentoring data scientists and leading technical delivery.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.