Lead NLP Engineer - Natural Language Processing

Placements24; George; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & Dental coverage

Performance-based bonus

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 in George, Western Cape seeks a visionary Lead NLP Engineer to lead NLP initiatives and build advanced NLP solutions that power intelligent applications. You will lead a team of engineers and researchers, driving innovation and ensuring successful deployment of cutting-edge NLP technologies.

The role requires a strong academic background and 5+ years in NLP, with expertise in Python and ML frameworks, and familiarity with cloud and MLOps practices.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in CS, AI, or computational linguistics required.
• 5+ years of NLP production experience required.
• Proficiency in Python and ML/NLP libraries.
• Experience leading technical teams and projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of NLP models and systems.
• Architect solutions for text classification, NER, translation, QA.
• Develop and fine-tune large language models for business use cases.
• Mentor NLP engineers and guide career development.
• Collaborate with product managers and data scientists on roadmaps.
• Ensure scalability and performance of NLP services in production.
• Stay updated on NLP research and industry trends.
• Conduct rigorous testing for model accuracy and robustness.
• Promote best practices in software engineering and MLOps.

Skills

NLP System Design

Team Leadership

Python

Machine Learning

Communication

Education

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

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

HuggingFace Transformers

spaCy

Job description

About the Role

Our client is looking for a visionary Lead NLP Engineer to spearhead their initiatives in natural language processing and understanding. This pivotal role involves architecting and developing advanced NLP solutions that power intelligent applications and drive business insights. Situated in the scenic coastal city of George, Western Cape , this position offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of AI while enjoying a beautiful environment. The successful candidate will lead a team of talented engineers and researchers, fostering innovation and ensuring the successful deployment of cutting-edge NLP technologies. This is a fantastic chance to make a significant impact within a company renowned for its commitment to technological advancement and its dedication to creating intelligent solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of sophisticated Natural Language Processing (NLP) models and systems.
• Architect and implement solutions for tasks such as text classification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, machine translation, and question answering.
• Develop and fine-tune large language models (LLMs) for various business applications.
• Manage and mentor a team of NLP engineers, providing technical guidance and career development support.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, and other stakeholders to define NLP requirements and roadmaps.
• Ensure the scalability, performance, and reliability of NLP services in production environments.
• Stay current with the latest research and industry trends in NLP, machine learning, and AI.
• Conduct rigorous testing and validation of NLP models to ensure accuracy and robustness.
• Champion best practices in software engineering and MLOps within the NLP domain.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Extensive experience (5+ years) in developing and deploying production-grade NLP systems.
• Deep understanding of NLP concepts, algorithms, and statistical modeling.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and relevant libraries (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK, scikit-learn).
• Hands-on experience with deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) for NLP tasks.
• Proven experience in leading technical teams and managing project lifecycles.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen eye for detail.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of articulating complex technical ideas to diverse audiences.
• Experience working in a collaborative environment in George, Western Cape .
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and MLOps practices is highly desirable.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience, excellent medical and dental coverage, and a performance-based bonus structure. You will receive paid time off, opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth, and access to advanced technological resources. This role in George, Western Cape provides an unparalleled opportunity to lead and innovate in the rapidly evolving field of NLP, contributing to impactful projects within a supportive and forward-thinking organization.