Principal Data Scientist: Lead AI/ML Strategy (Remote)

Placements24; Rustenburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Performance bonuses

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Professional development budget

Flexible remote work arrangement

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a data analytics firm near Rustenburg, North West. You will lead advanced analytics initiatives, develop ML models, and translate insights to business decisions.

The role emphasizes mentoring junior scientists, collaborating with engineering and product teams to deploy models, and staying at the forefront of data science methods in a remote-first environment. Excellent communication and a track record of delivering impact are essential.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in data science, ML, or related analytical roles.
• Proven expertise in statistical modeling, ML algorithms (regression, classification, clustering, deep learning), and experimental design.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of advanced machine learning models and statistical analyses.
• Extract, clean, and transform large, complex datasets from various sources.
• Develop predictive models, classification algorithms, and anomaly detection systems.
• Utilize state-of-the-art data science techniques and tools to solve challenging business problems.
• Conduct rigorous A/B testing and experimentation to validate hypotheses and measure impact.
• Visualize and present data-driven insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to deploy models into production environments.
• Mentor and guide junior data scientists, fostering a culture of learning and innovation.
• Stay current with the latest advancements in data science, ML, and AI.
• Define and track KPIs for data science projects.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Statistical modeling

ML algorithms

Experiment design

Education

Ph.D. or Master’s in quantitative field

Tools

Python

R

Pandas

NumPy

SciPy

Spark

Hadoop

TensorFlow

PyTorch

SQL/NoSQL

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a data analytics firm near Rustenburg, North West. You will lead advanced analytics initiatives, develop ML models, and translate insights to business decisions.

The role emphasizes mentoring junior scientists, collaborating with engineering and product teams to deploy models, and staying at the forefront of data science methods in a remote-first environment. Excellent communication and a track record of delivering impact are essential.