Lead Data Scientist - Machine Learning

Placements24; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Equity (performance bonuses)

Health insurance

Professional development budget

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Data Scientist with expertise in machine learning to guide the development of advanced models and drive predictive initiatives across the organization. This fully remote role allows you to work from anywhere in South Africa while leading a talented data science team.

You will mentor juniors, collaborate with engineering and product teams, translate complex analytics into actionable insights, and shape the company= data strategy from Sandton or beyond.

Qualifications

• PhD or masterul in data science, CS, stats or related field.
• 7+ years professional data science experience with ML.
• Proficiency in Python or R and ML libraries.
• Experience with big data and cloud platforms.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of ML models.
• Develop scalable data science pipelines for feature engineering and evaluation.
• Mentor and guide a team of data scientists.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to productionize models.
• Identify opportunities to apply ML to business problems.
• Communicate findings to technical and executive audiences.

Skills

Machine Learning

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Python

R

Education

PhD or Master’s in Data Science/related

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Spark

Hadoop

AWS/Azure/GCP

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly accomplished Lead Data Scientist with expertise in Machine Learning to join their innovative team. This is a fully remote position, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere in South Africa while contributing to transformative data-driven projects. You will be instrumental in guiding the development of sophisticated machine learning models, driving predictive capabilities, and mentoring a talented team of data scientists. This role requires a strategic thinker with a passion for leveraging data to solve complex business problems and an ability to translate advanced analytical concepts into actionable insights for stakeholders across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced machine learning models for various business applications.
• Develop and implement scalable data science pipelines for feature engineering, model training, and evaluation.
• Mentor and guide a team of data scientists, fostering technical growth and best practices.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to integrate ML models into production systems.
• Identify new opportunities to apply machine learning techniques to solve challenging business problems.
• Communicate complex analytical findings and model results effectively to both technical and executive audiences.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of professional experience in data science, with a strong focus on machine learning.
• Proven expertise in a wide range of ML algorithms (e.g., deep learning, ensemble methods, NLP).
• Proficiency in Python or R, along with ML libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn.
• Experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong leadership skills and experience mentoring junior data scientists.

Benefits

• Exceptional salary package, including significant performance bonuses and equity.
• Fully remote work opportunity with flexible scheduling.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Annual budget for professional development, conferences, and further education.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge ML projects and shape the company's data strategy from anywhere in Sandton or beyond.