Remote Lead Data Scientist - FinTech, Equity & Impact

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Stock options

Health benefits

Professional development budget

Equity participation

Conferences & training

Remote-friendly culture

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive strategic data initiatives in a fully remote role within South Africa. You will lead a team of data scientists, mentor juniors, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex business problems using machine learning, AI, and statistical modeling.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in data science with leadership experience, deep ML expertise, and strong communication skills to influence stakeholders across the organization from a

Qualifications

• Master-level or doctoral training in CS/ statistics/ math/ physics or related field.
• 8+ years in data science with leadership/lead role experience.
• Proven ML, statistical modeling, and AI technique expertise.
• Python or R with libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn.
• Experience with big data tools (Spark/Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Strong data warehousing, ETL, and database management knowledge.
• Excellent leadership, mentoring, and communication skills.
• Remote work capability and South Africa work authorization.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deploy ML and AI solutions across business units.
• Define data science strategy and roadmap aligned to business goals.
• Oversee end-to-end data science lifecycle from data exploration to deployment.
• Mentor junior data scientists and foster collaboration across teams.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and business to uncover data-driven opportunities.
• Communicate complex findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay updated on advances in data science and AI.
• Ensure ethical and responsible use of data and AI.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

ML algorithms

Statistical modeling

AI techniques

Python

R

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

Data warehousing

ETL

Databases

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Master’s or PhD in a quantitative field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

SQL

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive strategic data initiatives in a fully remote role within South Africa. You will lead a team of data scientists, mentor juniors, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex business problems using machine learning, AI, and statistical modeling.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in data science with leadership experience, deep ML expertise, and strong communication skills to influence stakeholders across the organization from a