Principal NLP Engineer - Generative AI

Placements24; Rustenburg; Hybride; ZAR 3 046 000 - 4 061 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Remote work

Stock options

Health insurance

Résumé du poste

Placements24 is seeking a distinguished Principal NLP Engineer to drive innovation in generative AI. This remote role requires occasional collaboration, with the primary team based in Rustenburg, North West. You will lead R&D on sophisticated NLP capabilities powering next‑gen AI applications.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in NLP, deep transformer knowledge, and a proven track record deploying production systems. Cloud and distributed computing experience is highly desirable.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in CS, Computational Linguistics, AI, or related field with NLP focus.
• 10+ years in NLP, with substantial work on large language models and generative AI.
• Proven track record designing and deploying production NLP systems.
• Deep knowledge of transformers (BERT, GPT, T5) and sequence models.
• Strong software development, cloud experience, and distributed computing.

Responsabilités

• Lead research, design, and implementation of advanced NLP models focused on generative AI and LLMs.
• Develop and fine-tune transformer architectures for varied NLP tasks.
• Architect scalable NLP pipelines capable of handling large text data.
• Conduct research on novel NLP techniques and benchmark rigorously.
• Collaborate with product managers and engineers to integrate NLP into products.
• Mentor junior engineers and researchers in NLP best practices.
• Evaluate models for performance, efficiency, and ethics; publish and contribute IP.
• Advocate new NLP technologies across the organization.

Connaissances

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Leadership/mentoring

Formation

PhD or Master’s in CS / Computational Linguistics / AI with NLP specialization

Outils

Python

Hugging Face Transformers

spaCy

NLTK

TensorFlow / PyTorch

AWS / Azure / GCP

Description du poste

About the Role

Our client, a pioneering force in AI & Emerging Technologies, is seeking a distinguished Principal NLP Engineer to drive innovation in generative AI. This role, based remotely but requiring occasional collaboration, is central to developing sophisticated natural language processing capabilities that power next-generation AI applications. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in areas such as large language models (LLMs), transformer architectures, and sequence-to-sequence models. You will lead complex research and development initiatives, pushing the boundaries of conversational AI, text generation, and semantic understanding. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of AI communication and interact with cutting-edge technology, regardless of your physical location, though the primary team is based in **Rustenburg, North West**. Your contributions will have a profound impact on how users interact with technology.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the research, design, and implementation of advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) models, with a strong focus on generative AI and LLMs. Develop and fine-tune state-of-the-art transformer-based architectures for various NLP tasks, including text generation, summarization, translation, and question answering. Architect and build scalable NLP pipelines and systems capable of handling large volumes of text data. Conduct research into novel NLP techniques and algorithms, staying at the forefront of the field. Collaborate with product managers and software engineers to integrate NLP capabilities into user-facing applications. Mentor and guide junior engineers and researchers in NLP best practices and advanced techniques. Evaluate and benchmark NLP models, ensuring optimal performance, efficiency, and ethical considerations. Contribute to the company's intellectual property through publications and patents. Champion the adoption of new NLP technologies and methodologies across the engineering organization.

Requirements

PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field with a specialization in NLP. 10+ years of professional experience in Natural Language Processing, with a significant portion focused on large language models and generative AI. Proven track record of designing, developing, and deploying production-level NLP systems. In-depth knowledge of transformer architectures (e.g., BERT, GPT, T5) and their underlying mechanisms. Expert proficiency in Python and core NLP libraries (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK). Experience with deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch. Strong understanding of machine learning principles, algorithms, and statistical methods. Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Exceptional communication and presentation skills, capable of conveying complex ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences. Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and distributed computing is highly desirable.

Benefits

Our client offers a highly attractive salary package, reflective of the senior nature of this role, along with significant bonus potential. Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance are provided. A competitive retirement savings plan and generous paid time off are included. Our client strongly supports continuous professional development, offering opportunities for advanced training, workshops, and attendance at leading AI conferences. This is a remote role, offering flexibility, but with the option to connect with teams in **Rustenburg, North West**. Additional benefits include wellness programs and potential stock options.