Principal Data Scientist - NLP & Generative AI

Placements24; Rustenburg; On-site; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Generous leave policy

Learning & development opportunities

Access to advanced AI infrastructure

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist based in Rustenburg to lead NLP and Generative AI initiatives. You will drive research, design advanced models, and mentor a team of data scientists and engineers in a collaborative office setting.

The role requires a PhD/Master’s, 10+ years in data science with NLP expertise, and strong Python and ML library skills. You will work closely with product and engineering teams on high-impact AI projects in a secure, ethical framework.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in Computer Science, AI, Computational Linguistics, Statistics, or related field.
• 10+ years of data science experience with NLP and Generative AI.
• Proven track record leading complex data science projects from ideation to production.
• Proficient in Python and ML/NLP libraries (TF, PyTorch, Transformers, spaCy, NLTK).
• Strong statistical, ML, and deep learning expertise; hands-on with LLMs and fine-tuning.
• Experience with cloud platforms and big data technologies (Spark).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills; mentoring capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead research, design, and production-grade NLP models (classification, sentiment, NER, QA).
• Develop and deploy generative AI models (LLMs, text-to-image) for business applications.
• Architect and manage large NLP data pipelines for data quality and integrity.
• Conduct feature engineering, evaluation, and performance optimization.
• Mentor junior data scientists and engineers; promote best practices.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and stakeholders to define scope.
• Stay updated with NLP and AI advancements; integrate new techniques.
• Present methodologies and results to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ensure ethical AI development and address biases and societal impacts.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

PhD or Master’s in CS/AI/CL/Statistics

Tools

Python

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Hugging Face Transformers

spaCy

NLTK

AWS/Azure/GCP

Spark

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a prominent entity in the AI & Emerging Technologies landscape, is actively seeking a highly accomplished Principal Data Scientist to spearhead initiatives in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Generative AI. This role is based in Rustenburg, North West , and requires a dedicated presence in the office to foster close collaboration within our innovative teams. As a Principal Data Scientist, you will be at the forefront of developing advanced AI solutions that leverage the power of language understanding and generation. You will tackle complex challenges, drive research, and mentor junior team members, contributing significantly to our client's cutting-edge projects. The ideal candidate possesses a deep theoretical foundation in machine learning, extensive practical experience with NLP techniques, and a proven ability to translate complex data insights into tangible business value. This is a critical leadership position offering the chance to shape the direction of AI development and make a substantial impact. Our client values intellectual curiosity, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to ethical AI practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the research, design, and implementation of advanced NLP models, including but not limited to text classification, sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and question answering systems.
• Develop and deploy sophisticated generative AI models (e.g., LLMs, text-to-image) for various business applications.
• Architect and manage large-scale data pipelines for NLP and generative AI projects, ensuring data quality and integrity.
• Conduct in-depth data analysis, feature engineering, and model evaluation to drive insights and optimize performance.
• Mentor and guide junior data scientists and engineers, fostering their technical development and best practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, and business stakeholders, to define project scope and objectives.
• Stay current with the latest research and advancements in NLP, generative AI, and related fields, incorporating novel techniques into our solutions.
• Present findings, methodologies, and results to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior management.
• Ensure the ethical development and deployment of AI models, addressing potential biases and societal impacts.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Linguistics, Statistics, or a related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in data science, with a strong specialization in NLP and generative AI.
• Proven track record of leading complex data science projects from ideation to production deployment.
• Expertise in programming languages such as Python and proficiency with ML/NLP libraries (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK).
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and deep learning architectures.
• Hands-on experience with large language models (LLMs) and their fine-tuning.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and big data technologies (e.g., Spark).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and lead a team of technical professionals.

Benefits

• A leading annual salary package up to ZAR, reflecting the seniority and expertise required.
• Comprehensive medical and dental coverage.
• Generous leave policy and paid public holidays.
• Opportunities for continuous learning, professional development, and attending key industry conferences.
• Access to advanced computational resources and cutting-edge AI technologies.
• A collaborative and intellectually stimulating work environment.
• Involvement in high-impact, innovative projects shaping the future of AI.
• Potential for performance-related bonuses and career advancement.