Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Placements24; Kempton Park; Remote; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonuses

Comprehensive benefits package

Remote-first role with flexible work

Learning funds for conferences and培训

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a visionary Principal Machine Learning Engineer to drive design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge ML solutions in a fully remote South Africa setup. You will mentor engineers, shape best practices, and steer innovation across AI initiatives.

You will lead cross-disciplinary efforts with data scientists, engineers, and product managers while advancing MLOps, model monitoring, and scalable pipelines in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, ML, AI or related quantitative field.
• 7+ years hands-on ML engineering experience with impact delivery.
• Proficient in Python and ML libraries (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Experience with big data tech (Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Strong knowledge of ML algorithms (supervised, unsupervised, deep learning).
• Experience with MLOps, CI/CD for ML, monitoring, and deployment strategies.
• Excellent leadership, mentoring, and collaboration in a fully remote setup.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of advanced ML models and algorithms.
• Architect scalable ML pipelines for data processing, training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Collaborate with data scientists, engineers, and product managers to translate needs into ML solutions.
• Mentor junior ML engineers and promote technical excellence.
• Research and experiment with new ML technologies and frameworks.
• Optimize ML models for performance, scalability, and efficiency.
• Ensure responsible and ethical AI applications.
• Contribute to the ML team's technical vision and strategy.
• Troubleshoot production ML systems and deployments.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Problem solving

ML algorithms

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/ML/AI

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

CI/CD, MLOps

Job description

About the Role

Our client is looking for a visionary Principal Machine Learning Engineer to join their cutting-edge AI & Emerging Technologies division in Tembisa, Gauteng . This is a fully remote opportunity, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere within South Africa while contributing to groundbreaking AI projects. As a Principal ML Engineer, you will spearhead the design, development, and deployment of complex machine learning models that drive innovation and provide tangible business value. You will mentor junior engineers, define best practices, and push the boundaries of what's possible with AI. This role is critical for accelerating our client's AI capabilities and maintaining their position as a leader in the tech industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of advanced machine learning models and algorithms.
• Architect scalable and robust ML pipelines for data processing, model training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Collaborate closely with data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to translate business needs into ML solutions.
• Mentor and guide junior machine learning engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Research and experiment with new ML technologies, frameworks, and techniques to drive innovation.
• Optimize existing ML models for performance, scalability, and efficiency.
• Ensure the responsible and ethical application of AI technologies.
• Contribute to the technical vision and strategy for the ML team.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in production ML systems.

Requirements

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in machine learning engineering, with a proven track record of delivering impactful ML solutions.
• Expertise in programming languages such as Python, and libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn.
• Strong experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Deep understanding of various ML algorithms (supervised, unsupervised, deep learning) and their applications.
• Experience in MLOps, including CI/CD for ML, model monitoring, and deployment strategies.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to tackle complex, open-ended challenges.
• Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, essential for a fully remote role.

Benefits

This fully remote position offers a highly competitive salary, generous performance bonuses, and a comprehensive benefits package. You will have the opportunity to work on challenging and impactful projects with a talented and collaborative team. Our client invests in employee growth through continuous learning opportunities, conference attendance, and advanced training programs. Enjoy the flexibility and work-life balance that comes with a fully remote role, while being a key player in shaping the future of AI from your own workspace. This exciting opportunity is based out of Tembisa, Gauteng .