Principal Natural Language Processing Scientist

Placements24; Centurion; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement contributions

Paid time off

Conference attendance budget

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal NLP Scientist for a fully remote role based in South Africa. You will lead cutting-edge NLP research, develop production-ready language models, and mentor a team of researchers and engineers.

The role emphasizes publishing results and shaping the strategic NLP roadmap. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate breakthroughs into practical features, while staying aligned with industry trends and academic leadership.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or related field with a strong publication record in NLP.
• 8+ years of experience in Natural Language Processing research and development.
• Proven expertise with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) and NLP libraries (Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK).
• Experience designing, training, and deploying large-scale NLP models.
• Strong understanding of linguistic theories and computational approaches to language.
• Excellent programming skills in Python and proficiency with data science tools.
• Ability to lead research projects, manage timelines, and mentor junior team members.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead research and development efforts in Natural Language Processing, focusing on text generation, sentiment analysis, information extraction, and question answering.
• Design, implement, and evaluate novel NLP algorithms and models using state-of-the-art deep learning techniques (Transformers, LLMs).
• Mentor and guide a team of NLP researchers and engineers, fostering innovation and technical expertise.
• Collaborate with product teams to translate research breakthroughs into practical AI features and products.
• Publish research findings in top-tier academic conferences and journals.
• Stay at the forefront of NLP research and identify emerging trends and opportunities.
• Develop and maintain scalable and efficient NLP pipelines and infrastructure.
• Contribute to the strategic roadmap for NLP development within the organization.

Skills

NLP research

Lead research

Mentoring

Publications

Education

PhD in CS / Computational Linguistics / AI

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face Transformers

spaCy

NLTK

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a global leader in developing intelligent systems, is seeking a highly accomplished Principal Natural Language Processing (NLP) Scientist to join their advanced research division. This remote position will focus on pioneering new techniques and models for understanding and generating human language. You will be responsible for driving research initiatives, mentoring junior scientists, and contributing to the strategic direction of our NLP capabilities. The ideal candidate possesses a deep theoretical understanding of NLP, coupled with extensive practical experience in building and deploying production-ready language models. This is an exciting opportunity to work on transformative AI projects from the comfort of your own home, contributing to the future of human‑computer interaction. The role offers the potential for significant impact and professional growth within a highly innovative company.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead research and development efforts in Natural Language Processing, focusing on areas such as text generation, sentiment analysis, information extraction, and question answering.
• Design, implement, and evaluate novel NLP algorithms and models, utilizing state‑of‑the‑art deep learning techniques (e.g., Transformers, LLMs).
• Mentor and guide a team of NLP researchers and engineers, fostering innovation and technical expertise.
• Collaborate with product teams to translate research breakthroughs into practical AI features and products.
• Publish research findings in top‑tier academic conferences and journals.
• Stay at the forefront of NLP research and identify emerging trends and opportunities.
• Develop and maintain scalable and efficient NLP pipelines and infrastructure.
• Contribute to the strategic roadmap for NLP development within the organization.

Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field with a strong publication record in NLP.
• 8+ years of experience in Natural Language Processing research and development.
• Demonstrated expertise in deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and NLP libraries (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK).
• Proven experience in designing, training, and deploying large‑scale NLP models.
• Strong understanding of linguistic theories and computational approaches to language.
• Excellent programming skills in Python and proficiency in relevant data science tools.
• Ability to lead research projects, manage timelines, and mentor junior team members.
• Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Benefits

This fully remote position offers a highly competitive salary and bonus structure, along with a comprehensive benefits package including premium health, dental, and vision insurance, generous retirement contributions, and ample paid time off. Our client invests in their employees' growth through substantial budgets for professional development, conference attendance, and advanced training opportunities. You will have access to cutting‑edge research tools and resources, enabling you to contribute to groundbreaking work. Experience the flexibility and autonomy of remote work while being part of a world‑class AI research team. We foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, making this an ideal environment for a driven NLP scientist.