Senior Data Scientist & Machine Learning Engineer

Placements24; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Retirement benefits

Professional development

Conference opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, seeks a Senior Data Scientist & Machine Learning Engineer to join a hybrid team. Build, train, and deploy ML models to solve business problems and extract insights from large datasets.

You'll design data pipelines, perform EDA, evaluate models, and work with software engineers to productionize solutions. A strong background in statistics, ML, and data engineering is required.

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in CS, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or related field.
• 5+ years in data science and ML roles.
• Proven experience with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, or Keras).
• Strong Python or R skills with Pandas/NumPy.

Responsibilities

• Develop, train, and deploy ML models addressing business challenges.
• Perform EDA to identify trends and anomalies in large datasets.
• Design data pipelines for data collection, cleaning, and preparation for training.
• Evaluate model performance using appropriate metrics and statistical techniques.
• Collaborate with software engineers to productionize ML models.
• Stay updated on ML/AI advancements and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to the team’s development.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and ethical considerations.
• Contribute to development of data strategies and roadmaps.

Skills

ML modelling

Data analysis

Python/R

Communication

Hybrid collaboration

Education

Advanced degree (MSc/PhD)

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Keras

Spark

SQL/NoSQL

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leader in data-driven innovation, is seeking a highly analytical and technically skilled Senior Data Scientist & Machine Learning Engineer to join their esteemed team in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. This hybrid position requires a deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and data engineering principles. You will be responsible for developing and deploying sophisticated machine learning models to solve complex business problems, extracting valuable insights from large datasets, and contributing to data strategy. The ideal candidate is passionate about leveraging data to drive business decisions and possesses a strong ability to communicate technical findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This is a prime opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies and contribute to impactful projects within South Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, train, and deploy machine learning models to address business challenges, including predictive modeling, classification, and clustering.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis (EDA) to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in large datasets.
• Design and implement data pipelines for collecting, cleaning, transforming, and preparing data for model training.
• Evaluate and validate model performance using appropriate metrics and statistical techniques.
• Collaborate with software engineers to integrate ML models into production systems and applications.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science research.
• Communicate complex findings, insights, and recommendations clearly and concisely to stakeholders through reports and presentations.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to the development of the data science team.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and ethical considerations in all data-related activities.
• Contribute to the development of data strategies and roadmaps.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field.
• 5+ years of professional experience in data science and machine learning roles.
• Proven experience in developing and deploying machine learning models using frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, or Keras.
• Strong programming skills in Python or R, including proficiency with data manipulation libraries (e.g., Pandas, NumPy).
• Experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and SQL/NoSQL databases.
• Solid understanding of statistical modeling, experimental design, and hypothesis testing.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their ML services.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical concepts to diverse audiences in Stellenbosch, Western Cape.
• Experience working in a hybrid environment and collaborating effectively.

Benefits

• Our client offers a highly competitive salary, performance-based incentives, comprehensive medical aid and retirement benefits, extensive opportunities for professional development and attending conferences, and a stimulating work environment.
• This role provides a unique chance to advance your career in data science within a leading organization in South Africa.