Machine Learning Engineer - NLP Focus

Placements24; Gqeberha; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement savings plan

Professional development opportunities

Flexible work environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer with a focus on NLP to join our Port Elizabeth team. You will develop, deploy, and scale NLP models that power real‑world applications and insights from large text datasets.

The ideal candidate holds an advanced degree and hands‑on experience with TensorFlow or PyTorch, Python and NLP libraries, and collaborates closely with data scientists and engineers to deliver robust language solutions with measurable business impact.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field with NLP focus.
• Proven experience deploying NLP models in production.
• Proficiency in Python and NLP libraries (NLTK, spaCy, Gensim).
• Knowledge of deep learning architectures for NLP (RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers).
• Experience with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with data preprocessing and feature engineering for text.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy NLP models for text classification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, and machine translation.
• Design, train, and fine-tune deep learning models for NLP using TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face.
• Process and analyze large volumes of text data to extract insights.
• Collaborate with software engineers to integrate NLP models into production systems.
• Experiment with NLP techniques and architectures to improve performance.
• Evaluate model performance and implement optimization strategies.
• Stay current with NLP and ML research and advancements.
• Work with data scientists and domain experts to understand requirements and deliver solutions.
• Contribute to internal NLP tooling and best practices.

Skills

Python

NLP libraries (NLTK, spaCy, Gensim)

Deep learning NLP (RNNs, LSTMs, Transf

Data preprocessing for text

Communication & teamwork

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in CS/Computational Linguistics

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a significant player in the AI & Emerging Technologies sector, is seeking a talented Machine Learning Engineer with a specialization in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to join their team based in Port Elizabeth. This role involves developing, implementing, and deploying cutting‑edge NLP models and solutions that enhance user experience and drive business value. You will work with large text datasets, develop sophisticated language models, and integrate these into real‑world applications. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in NLP techniques, hands‑on experience with ML frameworks, and a passion for extracting insights from unstructured data. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to innovative projects in a company that values technological advancement and employee growth. You will play a key part in advancing our client's capabilities in understanding and generating human language, making this a pivotal role in Port Elizabeth.

Key Responsibilities

• - Develop and deploy advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) models for tasks such as text classification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, and machine translation.
• - Design, train, and fine-tune deep learning models for NLP, utilizing frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face Transformers.
• - Process and analyze large volumes of text data to extract meaningful insights and features.
• - Collaborate with software engineers to integrate NLP models into production systems and applications.
• - Experiment with various NLP techniques and architectures to achieve state-of-the-art performance.
• - Evaluate model performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement optimization strategies.
• - Stay current with the latest research and advancements in NLP and machine learning.
• - Work closely with data scientists and domain experts to understand requirements and deliver effective solutions.
• - Contribute to the development of best practices and internal tools for NLP development.

Requirements

• - Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or a related field with a strong NLP focus.
• - Proven experience in developing and deploying NLP models in a production environment.
• - Proficiency in Python and relevant NLP libraries (e.g., NLTK, spaCy, Gensim).
• - Strong knowledge of deep learning architectures for NLP (e.g., RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers).
• - Experience with ML frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
• - Familiarity with data preprocessing and feature engineering techniques for text data.
• - Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• - Strong communication and teamwork abilities.
• - Experience with cloud platforms and MLOps is a plus.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and a retirement savings plan. We support continuous learning through access to online courses, workshops, and conferences. This role provides excellent opportunities for professional development and career advancement in the exciting field of AI. Employees benefit from a flexible work environment designed to foster productivity and well-being. Join a forward-thinking team in Port Elizabeth that is passionate about pushing the boundaries of AI and NLP.