Senior Data Scientist - Financial Services

Placements24; Mossel Bay; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work flexibility within SA

Stock options

Professional development budget

Health & wellness benefits

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Data Scientist for a fintech-focused role in Mossel Bay, Western Cape. You will design and deploy production ML models, build robust data pipelines, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to tackle customer behavior, risk, and fraud challenges.

You will leverage Python or R, SQL, and big data tools to extract insights and drive data-driven decisions, with autonomy to shape strategy and governance within the business.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in a quantitative field.
• 5+ years of professional Data Scientist experience, fintech preferred.
• Proficiency in Python or R and ML libraries (scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Pandas).
• Strong SQL and big data tech (Spark, Hadoop).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement ML models for forecasting, risk assessment, and fraud detection.
• Perform in-depth data analysis and exploratory data analysis (EDA).
• Build and maintain data pipelines for ingestion, cleaning, and transformation.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and business analysts to define DS requirements and goals.
• Communicate complex findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay updated on advancements in data science and ML/AI.
• Develop and deploy models into production and monitor performance.

Skills

Python

R

SQL

Machine Learning

Big Data

Data Visualization

Pandas

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Education

Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or related field

Tools

Pandas

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Spark

Hadoop

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leading fintech company, is looking for a highly skilled and motivated Senior Data Scientist to join their innovative team in Mossel Bay, Western Cape . This role will involve leveraging advanced statistical analysis, machine learning, and big data technologies to extract valuable insights and drive strategic decisions within the financial services sector. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing predictive models, building data pipelines, and collaborating with business stakeholders to solve complex problems related to customer behavior, risk management, and fraud detection. We are seeking an individual with a passion for data, a strong quantitative background, and the ability to translate complex findings into actionable recommendations. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge projects in a rapidly evolving industry. The role offers significant autonomy and the chance to shape data-driven strategies for our client in Mossel Bay .

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement machine learning models for financial forecasting, risk assessment, and fraud detection.
• Perform in-depth data analysis and exploratory data analysis (EDA) to uncover trends and patterns.
• Build and maintain robust data pipelines for data ingestion, cleaning, and transformation.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and business analysts to define data science requirements and project goals.
• Communicate complex analytical findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
• Develop and deploy models into production environments, monitoring their performance and iterating as needed.
• Contribute to the company's data strategy and data governance initiatives.
• Mentor junior data scientists and share knowledge within the team.
• Visualize data and model results to effectively communicate insights.

Requirements

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience as a Data Scientist, with a significant focus on financial services or fintech.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, and relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Pandas).
• Strong experience with SQL and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop).
• Expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and model evaluation techniques.
• Demonstrated experience in building and deploying machine learning models in a production environment.
• Excellent understanding of financial products, markets, and regulatory environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically.
• Effective communication and presentation skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and potential for stock options.
• Remote work flexibility, allowing you to work from anywhere within South Africa.
• Opportunity to work on challenging and impactful projects in the financial technology space.
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools.
• A dynamic, innovative, and collaborative work culture.
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
• Generous professional development budget.