Senior Data Scientist

MultiChoice Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 650,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media and entertainment group in South Africa is looking for a Data Scientist specializing in machine learning to enhance operational efficiency and decision-making processes. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in predictive modeling and AI principles, focusing on automating trends and improving customer journeys.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in technology/telecommunications.
• Specializes in MLOPs for machine learning infrastructure.
• Experience in large language models and Generative AI.

Responsibilities

• Automate trend analysis using machine learning.
• Work with stakeholders to create analytical models.
• Implement machine learning solutions for operational processes.

Skills

Machine Learning

Predictive Modelling

Data Science

AI

Stakeholder Management

Programming in Python

Education

Degree in Engineering/Computer Science/Statistics

Relevant Post Graduate qualification

Tools

Azure

Python

SQL

Databricks

PySpark

Job description

The Organization

The MultiChoice Group is a multinational media and entertainment group headquartered in South Africa, Dubai and the Netherlands with principal operations in pay television, video entertainment, advertising and content security. Brands within the Group include DStv, GOtv, SuperSport, M-Net, DStv Media Sales, Showmax and European-based content security leader Irdeto. We’re proud to say we serve over 20 million subscribers across 50 African markets, with a successful history of identifying and adapting to industry trends, allowing us to continuously deliver the best in entertainment. Key areas of operations are:

• Storytelling ranging from content creation, production and aggregation including the best global general entertainment, sport and eminent African content library, delivered to customers
• Pay Television: direct-to-home satellite and digital terrestrial television services;
• SVOD: subscription video on demand services across multiple online platforms with a focus on library and local content in developing markets, and
• Advertising: providing dynamic media solutions; handling commercial airtime, on-air sponsorships, content integration, and online sales across a variety of 130+ channel brands on linear TV, VOD, social media, and digital platforms.

The group’s strength lies in its focus on local language and culture, its entrepreneurial spirit and the quality of its workforce. Multichoice Group has a successful history of identifying trends early, adapting them for the markets in which it operates and leveraging them to maximum advantage. The group generates revenues primarily through subscription model, with a growing contribution from advertising revenue. Its key objectives are to:

• Expand Pay TV, SVOD subscriber base and Advertising sales
• Focus on investment and technology
• Maintain a local approach
• Provide quality service
• Attract innovative and motivated employees

Join Africa’s most loved storyteller!

Key Performance Objectives

Analysis

• Automate trend analysis to enable machine learning to identify possible interruptions
• Provide decisioning to the relevant stakeholders to enable the reduction of the time to resolve
• Use machine learning to identify trends in internal/external processes without human intervention
• Implement corrective action on the analysed data and reports provided
• Follow the appropriate processes to ensure quick & correct action is taken in query resolution
• Perform hands-on text, quantitative, statistical, financial and operational analysis

Stakeholder Management

• Work with key stakeholders across the business (such as BTD, IT, Customer Journey Architects, Marketing, etc.) to identify and create processes that can be supported by machine learning, within the various customer journeys
• Work with key stakeholders to generate hypotheses and create analytical models that answer impactful business questions
• Interface with business stakeholders to understand their needs; build technical solutions to address those needs; articulate the positioning and value-add of the new solutions; and manage the up-take and maintenance of solutions in production

Internal Automation

• Use machine learning to identify trends and predict disasters before they happen
• Use machine learning to assist in the decisioning to resolve the potential disruptions
• Use machine learning to emulate human decision-making, to lessen the burden on legacy manual processes and improve turnaround times

Machine Learning

• Use Machine Learning for key customer journey management across the omni-channel framework
• Implement relevant solutions using appropriate data science tools e.g. Python, Azure, SQL, PySpark, Data Bricks, etc.
• Implement data pipelines using sound data engineering and transformation principles
• Implement solutions using cloud technologies (especially Azure), including data pipelines, rapid prototyping, and production-ready deployments
• Develop bespoke algorithms and/or leverage existing ML frameworks and libraries to achieve business outcomes
• End-to-end ownership of the solution design and implementation lifecycle
• Create analytical datasets from large data sources (multi-Terabyte/Hadoop) through the development of highly efficient reusable code structures
• Apply best available practices for artificial intelligence and machine learning

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering/Computer Science/Statistics
• Relevant Post Graduate qualification is advantageous

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years’ work experience, in a technology/telecommunications related environment
• 5+ years of industry experience in predictive modelling, data science, machine learning, AI, advanced analytics in a data scientist role, ML Scientist, research scientist, applied scientist or deep learning scientist role
• The role requires that the candidate specializes in MLOPs to design, build and maintain scalable machine learning infrastructure and deployment pipelines and has experience in CI/CD pipelines and machine learning management tools such as MLflow
• Experience in large language models (LLMs) and Generative AI to develop, fine-tune and integrate advanced language models to products and services
• Able to communicate their findings effectively to senior stakeholders
• Understand how the products are developed and the ethical responsibilities associated with big data and customer privacy implications
• Understand how to integrate multiple systems and data sets - need to be able to link and mash up distinctive data sets to discover new insights
• Able to program in different programming languages, particularly Python, PySpark, SQL
• Have practical experience working with Cloud technologies, preferably Azure and Databricks
• Proficiency in Machine Learning/Data Science/AI principles

Technical Competencies

• Machine Learning & AI
• Large Language Models
• MLOPs
• Research
• Experimental design
• Statistics/Applied Mathematics
• Stakeholder Management
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Outside-In thinking

Behavioural Competencies

• Accountability
• Teamwork
• Delegation
• Interpersonal Support
• Perseverance
• Motivating
• Prioritisation
• Analytical Thinking
• Relationship Building
• Conflict Resolution
• Decision Making
• Critical Appraisal
• Holistic Thinking
• Persuading & Influence