Lead Machine Learning Engineer - NLP Focus

Placements24; Rustenburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary package

Performance-based bonuses

Stock options

Professional development funding

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible working hours and ample paid休

Job summary

Placements24 in Rustenburg, South Africa, is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer specialized in NLP to drive large-scale language models and platform initiatives.

You will mentor a distributed team, design robust ML pipelines, and stay at the forefront of transformer-based research while integrating production-ready NLP solutions across products.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in CS, Computational Linguistics, AI, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional ML engineering with a focus on NLP.
• Proven experience leading ML projects and mentoring teams.
• Expertise in NLP concepts and state-of-the-art models (Transformers, BERT, GPT).
• Hands-on Python and ML libraries (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, spaCy, NLTK).

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of large-scale NLP models and applications.
• Architect scalable ML pipelines for data processing, model training, evaluation, and inference.
• Collaborate with AI researchers, data scientists, and software engineers to integrate NLP techniques.
• Mentor and guide junior ML engineers and promote code quality and MLOps.
• Define tools, technologies, and frameworks for NLP development and deployment.
• Stay current with NLP research and industry trends and apply them to practical problems.
• Contribute to NLP strategy and roadmap planning.

Skills

Mentoring engineers

NLP expertise

Transformer models

Python

MLOps

Education

Master’s or PhD in CS/Computational Linguistics/AI

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face Transformers

spaCy

NLTK

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a globally recognized leader in AI and emerging technologies, is looking for an exceptional Lead Machine Learning Engineer to spearhead critical projects in Natural Language Processing (NLP). This fully remote position offers the unique opportunity to shape the direction of our NLP initiatives and mentor a talented team of engineers. You will be at the forefront of developing sophisticated language understanding and generation systems, leveraging state-of-the-art techniques. This role is ideal for a seasoned professional seeking to make a significant impact in a dynamic, collaborative, and geographically dispersed work environment. Join us in Rustenburg, North West, ZA and help define the future of human-computer interaction.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and deployment of large-scale NLP models and applications, including but not limited to sentiment analysis, machine translation, question answering, and text summarization. Architect robust and scalable machine learning pipelines for data processing, model training, evaluation, and inference. Collaborate closely with AI researchers, data scientists, and software engineers to integrate cutting-edge NLP techniques into our products. Mentor and guide junior machine learning engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning. Define and enforce best practices for code quality, testing, and MLOps within the NLP team. Evaluate and select appropriate tools, technologies, and frameworks for NLP development and deployment. Stay current with the latest research and industry trends in NLP and machine learning, applying them to solve real-world problems. Contribute to technical strategy and roadmap planning for NLP initiatives.

Requirements

Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, AI, or a related field. 5+ years of professional experience in machine learning engineering, with a significant focus on Natural Language Processing. Proven experience leading ML projects and mentoring engineering teams. Deep understanding of NLP concepts, algorithms, and state-of-the-art models (e.g., Transformers, BERT, GPT). Hands-on experience with Python and ML libraries/frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, or NLTK. Expertise in building and deploying ML models into production environments, including experience with MLOps principles and tools. Strong software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, and system design. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a distributed team. Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality, production-ready code and systems.

Benefits

• Our client is committed to providing a rewarding and supportive work environment for its remote employees.
• This role offers a highly competitive salary package, supplemented by performance-based bonuses and stock options.
• We provide generous opportunities for professional development, including funding for conferences, online courses, and certifications.
• Employees receive comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, along with a competitive retirement savings plan.
• We champion a healthy work-life balance with flexible working hours and ample paid time off.
• Additional benefits include home office setup stipends, wellness programs, and continuous learning resources.
• Join a team that values innovation, collaboration, and individual growth in the exciting field of AI and emerging technologies.