Remote Lead Data Scientist: Algorithmic Trading Leader

Placements24; East London; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Data Scientist specializing in Algorithmic Trading to lead a remote research team. You will mentor researchers, design ML models, and deploy predictive trading strategies in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

The role demands a PhD or MSc in a quantitative field, 7+ years in data science with finance exposure, strong Python/C++, and cloud experience. You’ll influence investment decisions and drive innovation across the firm’s data infrastructure.

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc in Computer Science, Statistics, Math, Physics or related field.
• 7+ years in data science with strong finance/quant trading exposure.
• Expert Python/C++ skills and ML libraries.

Responsibilities

• Lead R&D of data-driven algo trading strategies.
• Design and test ML models for prediction and alpha generation.
• Build scalable data pipelines and feature engineering.
• Collaborate with researchers and traders to deploy models live.
• Mentor junior data scientists and researchers.

Skills

Python

C++

ML

Data pipelines

Cloud (AWS)

Leadership

Research methods

Finance/Quant

Education

PhD or MSc in quantitative field

Tools

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

AWS

GCP

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Data Scientist specializing in Algorithmic Trading to lead a remote research team. You will mentor researchers, design ML models, and deploy predictive trading strategies in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

The role demands a PhD or MSc in a quantitative field, 7+ years in data science with finance exposure, strong Python/C++, and cloud experience. You’ll influence investment decisions and drive innovation across the firm’s data infrastructure.