Principal Data Scientist: AI/ML Leadership (Remote)

Placements24; Randburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Equity options

Health insurance

Competitive compensation

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a fully remote role. You will lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced ML models, handling massive datasets and guiding AI initiatives across multiple domains.

You will mentor junior data scientists, collaborate with engineering and product teams, and drive innovation in a remote-first culture, emphasizing clear communication and business-driven data solutions.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics or related field with ML/AI specialization.
• 7–10 years of progressive Data Scientist experience with applied ML/AI development.
• Proficiency in Python or R and ML libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, Keras.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of advanced ML models from data preprocessing to deployment.
• Explore new AI/ML opportunities to solve business problems and drive product innovation.
• Design and implement A/B tests and experiments to evaluate model performance and impact.
• Collaborate with software engineers to integrate ML models into production systems.
• Mentor junior data scientists and foster best practices in data science.
• Communicate complex findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay updated on AI/ML research and advancements.
• Contribute to the company’s data science strategy and roadmap.
• Drive adoption of advanced data science methodologies across the organization.
• Address data quality issues and model drift in production.

Skills

Python

R

Cloud platforms

Big data

Leadership

Communication

Education

PhD or Master's in CS/Stats/Math/Physics

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Keras

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a fully remote role. You will lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced ML models, handling massive datasets and guiding AI initiatives across multiple domains.

You will mentor junior data scientists, collaborate with engineering and product teams, and drive innovation in a remote-first culture, emphasizing clear communication and business-driven data solutions.