Lead Machine Learning Engineer - Computer Vision

Placements24; George; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Professional development opportunities

Hybrid work arrangement

Retirement savings plan with company-m

Employee assistance program

Job summary

WhatJobs Direct is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer specializing in computer vision to guide innovation within our AI & Emerging Technologies division. Based in George (hybrid), you will lead a team of engineers to design, develop, and deploy cutting-edge CV solutions that shape our product offerings.

You will mentor staff, define technical strategy, and drive ML projects from data preprocessing through deployment, leveraging MLflow/Kubeflow and cloud services to deliver scalable systems.

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with focus on ML/CV.
• 5+ years of professional ML engineering experience; at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Expertise in computer vision algorithms (CNNs, object detection, segmentation, tracking).
• Proficiency in Python and DL frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras).
• Experience with MLOps tools and platforms (MLflow, Kubeflow, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong data pipeline, augmentation, and evaluation metric knowledge.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, hybrid work environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of computer vision ML models.
• Mentor a team of ML engineers and grow their technical skills.
• Define the technical roadmap for CV initiatives and ensure execution.
• Collaborate with product managers to translate requirements into solutions.
• Oversee the ML lifecycle from data prep to training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Implement robust MLOps practices for deployment and monitoring.
• Research new AI techniques to maintain competitive edge.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and performance of CV systems.
• Drive code quality, testing, and documentation; present updates to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Python

Computer Vision

Deep Learning

Team Mentoring

Communication

Hybrid Work Adaptability

Cloud Platforms

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/EE or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Keras

MLflow

Kubeflow

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

About the Role

WhatJobs Direct is seeking an experienced Lead Machine Learning Engineer with a specialization in Computer Vision to drive innovation in our AI & Emerging Technologies division. This role is based in George, Western Cape, ZA and operates on a hybrid model, offering a blend of collaborative in-office work and remote flexibility. You will be responsible for leading a team of talented engineers in the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge computer vision solutions that will shape our product offerings. This is a crucial leadership position where you will mentor team members, define technical strategy, and ensure the successful execution of complex machine learning projects. Your expertise will be vital in leveraging deep learning techniques to solve real-world visual challenges, from object detection and image segmentation to advanced scene understanding. We are looking for a visionary leader who can translate business needs into actionable AI strategies and foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement within the engineering team. The hybrid nature of this role allows for both focused individual work and vital team collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of machine learning models for computer vision tasks.
• Manage and mentor a team of machine learning engineers, fostering their technical growth.
• Define and execute the technical roadmap for computer vision initiatives.
• Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Oversee the entire ML lifecycle, from data collection and preprocessing to model training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Implement robust MLOps practices for efficient model deployment and monitoring.
• Conduct research into new AI techniques and technologies to maintain a competitive edge.
• Ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of deployed computer vision systems.
• Drive best practices in code quality, testing, and documentation for the ML team.
• Present technical findings and project status updates to leadership and cross-functional teams.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on machine learning and computer vision.
• 5+ years of professional experience in machine learning engineering, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated expertise in computer vision algorithms (e.g., CNNs, object detection, segmentation, tracking).
• Proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras.
• Experience with MLOps tools and platforms (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong understanding of data pipelines, data augmentation, and model evaluation metrics.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, hybrid work environment.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Google AI Platform) is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a passion for innovation in AI.

Benefits

• Our client offers a highly competitive salary package and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Employees receive generous paid time off and have access to professional development opportunities, including training and conference attendance.
• The hybrid work arrangement provides flexibility, combining the benefits of remote work with essential in-person team collaboration.
• We also offer a retirement savings plan with company matching and an employee assistance program.
• Be part of a forward-thinking company that invests in its people and fosters a culture of innovation and growth in the exciting field of AI. This role is based near George, Western Cape, ZA, offering an attractive location with flexible working arrangements.