Lead Ml Engineer - Drug Discovery, Hybrid

Placements24; South Africa; Hybrid; ZAR 1.200.000 - 2.000.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Relocation assistance

Flexible hybrid work arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Medical coverage (comprehensive)

Zusammenfassung

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer (NLP) to drive the design, development and deployment of production-grade ML solutions in George, Western Cape. You will guide a team of engineers and researchers, ensuring scalable architectures and robust MLOps practices.

The role demands a strong publishing-level NLP background, deep Python proficiency, and leadership capabilities. Hybrid work with relocation support is offered to the right candidate.

Qualifikationen

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science or related field.
• 5+ years in ML engineering, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• 7+ years of experience in ML engineering, with a significant focus on NLP.
• Strong programming skills in Python and deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Excellent understanding of MLOps principles and tools (MLflow, Kubeflow, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their ML services.

Aufgaben

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of ML models and systems.
• Oversee end-to-end ML lifecycle from data preprocessing to deployment.
• Mentor and guide a team of ML engineers and data scientists.
• Develop and maintain scalable ML infrastructure and pipelines.
• Collaborate with product managers to define ML project requirements and roadmaps.
• Ensure reliability, performance, and security of deployed ML systems.
• Champion best practices in MLOps and system design.
• Design architecture of ML infra to support production environments.

Kenntnisse

Python

Deep Learning

NLP

MLOps

Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Leadership

TensorFlow/PyTorch

Ausbildung

Master's or PhD in CS/AI/related

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

MLflow

Kubeflow

Jobbeschreibung

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Machine Learning Engineer to spearhead innovative projects from conception to deployment. Based in George, Western Cape, this role offers the opportunity to work with a dedicated team focused on developing scalable and robust machine learning solutions. You will be responsible for guiding the engineering efforts, ensuring best practices in model development, deployment, and monitoring. The ideal candidate has a strong background in software engineering principles applied to machine learning systems, with a passion for building production‑ready AI models. This is a critical position within our client's technology division, driving the adoption of advanced AI technologies.

About the Role

Our client, a rapidly expanding technology enterprise, is seeking a dynamic and experienced Lead Machine Learning Engineer with a specialization in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to join their team in George, Western Cape. This senior role is crucial for leading the design, development, and deployment of advanced NLP solutions that power our next-generation products and services. You will be responsible for guiding a team of talented engineers and researchers, fostering innovation, and ensuring the successful implementation of machine learning models. The position requires a deep understanding of NLP techniques, a strong programming background, and proven leadership capabilities. Working within the beautiful province of the Western Cape, this role offers the chance to make a significant impact in the AI landscape. If you are passionate about leveraging AI to solve complex problems and eager to lead a high-performing team, this opportunity is for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of machine learning models and systems.
• Oversee the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle, including data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Mentor and guide a team of machine learning engineers and data scientists.
• Develop and maintain scalable ML infrastructure and pipelines.
• Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to define ML project requirements and roadmaps.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and security of deployed ML systems.
• Champion best practices in MLOps, code quality, and system design.
• Design the architecture and implementation of ML infrastructure to support production environments.
• Collaborate closely with product managers and software engineering teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Use cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) to build robust ML solutions.
• Implement and manage MLOps pipelines and monitoring for continuous integration and delivery.
• Ensure that deployed ML pipelines are scalable, efficient, and maintainable.
• Develop strategies that incorporate state-of-the-art NLP technologies and research findings into existing systems.
• Provide leadership across cross-functional teams to drive the development and deployment of production-grade ML systems.
• Lead the end-to-end development lifecycle of machine learning models, from data ingestion and feature engineering to model training, validation, and deployment.
• Design and implement robust and scalable ML pipelines for real-time and batch predictions.
• Architect and develop machine learning systems that can handle large volumes of data efficiently.
• Evaluate and adopt new technologies and frameworks to enhance the ML platform.
• Conduct performance testing and optimization of ML models and systems.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and efficiency of ML systems.
• Ensure the ethical and responsible development and deployment of AI systems.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in machine learning engineering, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Linguistics, or a related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of experience in machine learning engineering, with a significant focus on NLP.
• Proven experience leading and managing technical teams.
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn.
• Excellent understanding of MLOps principles and tools (MLflow, Kubeflow, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their ML services.
• Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, and software design principles.
• Familiarity with NLP libraries (spaCy, NLTK, Hugging Face Transformers, BERT, GPT).
• Experience with MLOps tools and best practices.
• Experience building scalable production-level ML models.
• Experience with big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem solving, analytical, and debugging skills.
• Strong communication skills for presenting complex technical concepts.
• Positive attitude towards continuous learning, team collaboration, and innovation.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and performance‑based bonuses.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and optical coverage.
• Generous annual leave allowance.
• Professional development opportunities, including access to industry conferences.
• Retirement savings plan with employer matching.
• Opportunities to work on challenging and impactful AI projects.
• Collaborative and supportive team culture.
• Access to advanced computing infrastructure.
• Relocation assistance for candidates moving to George, Western Cape.
• Flexible hybrid work arrangements.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including private health insurance, a generous retirement savings plan, and significant opportunities for professional development.