Remote Senior Data Scientist (Machine Learning Focus)

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Professional development opportunities

Fully remote work

Job summary

Placements24 is hiring a Senior Data Scientist with a strong ML focus for a fully remote position within South Africa. You will design, develop, and deploy advanced ML models to solve complex business problems and enable data-driven decision making.

The role requires deep statistical modeling knowledge, strong programming skills (Python or R), and experience with ML libraries. Collaboration with cross-functional teams and mentoring junior data scientists are part of the role.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics or related quantitative field.
• Minimum 5 years of professional data science experience with emphasis on ML.
• Strong programming skills in Python or R and ML libraries.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy ML models for predictive analytics, classification, clustering, and anomaly detection.
• Prepare data: clean, transform, and feature engineer large datasets.
• Evaluate models, tune hyperparameters, and optimize for accuracy and efficiency.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across departments to translate business needs into data science problems.
• Communicate insights through visuals and reports to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay updated with ML advancements and contribute to best practices.

Skills

Python

R

Machine Learning

Data modeling

SQL

Education

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Pandas

NumPy

Job description

About the Role

Our client is looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Data Scientist with a strong focus on Machine Learning to join their innovative team. This is a fully remote position, allowing you to work from anywhere within South Africa. You will be instrumental in designing, developing, and deploying advanced machine learning models to solve complex business challenges and drive data-informed decision-making. The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and data mining techniques, coupled with exceptional programming skills and a proven track record of delivering impactful data science solutions. This role offers a unique opportunity to work on challenging projects with large datasets and contribute significantly to our client's strategic objectives. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and dynamic remote work environment where your expertise is valued and your contributions make a difference.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement sophisticated machine learning models for various applications, including predictive analytics, classification, clustering, and anomaly detection.
• Process, clean, and transform large, complex datasets to prepare them for modeling.
• Evaluate model performance, tune hyperparameters, and optimize models for accuracy, scalability, and efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders across different departments to understand business needs and translate them into data science problems.
• Communicate complex findings and insights clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences through visualizations and reports.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence research.
• Contribute to the development of data science best practices and frameworks within the organization.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to the overall growth of the data science team.
• Ensure the ethical and responsible use of data and AI technologies.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in data science, with a significant focus on machine learning.
• Strong programming skills in Python or R, and proficiency with relevant data science libraries (e.g., Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Pandas, NumPy).
• In-depth knowledge of various machine learning algorithms (e.g., regression, SVM, decision trees, ensemble methods, neural networks).
• Experience with data manipulation and querying languages (e.g., SQL).
• Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a remote setting.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts effectively.
• Experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.

Benefits

This fully remote position offers a highly competitive salary, comprehensive health and wellness benefits, and a flexible work schedule. Employees benefit from opportunities for professional development, including access to online courses, specialized training, and conference attendance. Our client fosters a collaborative and innovative remote work culture, providing cutting-edge tools and resources to support your success. You will have the chance to work on impactful projects that leverage advanced machine learning techniques and contribute to significant business outcomes.