Lead NLP Engineer - Language Technologies

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Pension plan

Life insurance

Paid annual leave

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, seeks a Lead NLP Engineer to drive our NLP initiatives across conversational AI, analytics, and translation platforms. You will guide a team, shape the roadmap, and partner with product and engineering teams to deliver robust NLP features.

The ideal candidate holds a Master’s or PhD in CS or Computational Linguistics, 5+ years in production NLP, and deep knowledge of transformers and attention.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing and deploying production NLP systems.
• Expertise in transformers, LLMs, and attention mechanisms.
• Proficient in Python and NLP libraries (spaCy, NLTK, Hugging Face, PyTorch/TensorFlow).
• Experience leading engineering teams and managing projects.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable NLP systems.
• Architect data pipelines for model training and deployment for NLP tasks.
• Mentor and guide a team of NLP engineers.
• Collaborate with product management to define NLP features.
• Evaluate new NLP technologies to enhance capabilities.
• Ensure performance, scalability, and reliability of NLP models.
• Conduct code reviews and maintain high code quality.
• Stay updated with NLP research and advancements.
• Develop and maintain documentation for NLP systems.

Skills

NLP system design

Team leadership

Python programming

Analytical problem solving

Excellent communication

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science / Computational Linguistics

Tools

SpaCy

NLTK

Hugging Face Transformers

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a pioneer in developing advanced language understanding solutions, is seeking a talented Lead NLP Engineer to spearhead their Natural Language Processing initiatives. This exciting position is located in the vibrant city of Cape Town, Western Cape. You will be responsible for designing, building, and deploying state-of-the-art NLP systems that power next-generation conversational AI, text analytics, and machine translation platforms. This role demands a blend of deep technical expertise, strong leadership skills, and a passion for solving complex language-related challenges. As the Lead NLP Engineer, you will guide a team of talented engineers, foster innovation, and ensure the successful delivery of high-impact NLP features. You will work closely with product managers and other engineering teams to define the NLP roadmap and translate business requirements into robust technical solutions. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on how users interact with technology through natural language. We are committed to building intelligent systems that understand and respond to human language with unprecedented accuracy and nuance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable NLP systems and algorithms.
• Architect and build robust pipelines for data processing, model training, and deployment for NLP tasks (e.g., sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, text summarization, question answering).
• Mentor and guide a team of NLP engineers, providing technical direction and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Collaborate with product management and other engineering teams to define NLP features and requirements.
• Evaluate and integrate new NLP technologies and techniques to enhance system capabilities.
• Ensure the performance, scalability, and reliability of deployed NLP models and services.
• Conduct code reviews, establish best practices, and maintain high standards for code quality.
• Stay current with the latest research and advancements in NLP and related fields.
• Develop and maintain documentation for NLP systems and processes.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or a related field with a focus on Natural Language Processing.
• Extensive experience (5+ years) in designing, building, and deploying production-level NLP systems.
• Deep understanding of NLP concepts, algorithms, and modern techniques (e.g., transformers, LLMs, attention mechanisms).
• Proficiency in Python and NLP libraries such as spaCy, NLTK, Hugging Face Transformers, and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch/TensorFlow).
• Proven experience in leading engineering teams and managing projects.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work with complex datasets.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, and system design.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive compensation package, including an attractive base salary, performance bonuses, and comprehensive health and wellness benefits. You will have the opportunity to work with a talented and passionate team on challenging and rewarding projects. Professional development programs, conference attendance, and a stimulating work environment are provided. We offer a pension plan, life insurance, and paid annual leave. Join us in Cape Town and be at the forefront of NLP innovation, shaping the future of human-computer interaction.