Senior Machine Learning Engineer (NLP)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Health benefits

Professional growth opportunities

Access to advanced AI tools

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer with a focus on NLP to design, develop, and deploy advanced NLP models in a hybrid role combining Welkom office collaboration with remote work.

You will build scalable ML pipelines, experiment with transformers, LSTMs and CNNs, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate with product managers and software engineers to deliver production-grade AI solutions.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in CS/AI/ML.
• 4+ years hands-on ML/NLP experience.
• Production NLP model deployment experience.
• Proficient in Python and ML frameworks.
• Experience with cloud platforms and MLOps is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy advanced NLP models for tasks like text classification and NER.
• Build scalable ML pipelines for data prep, training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Experiment with transformers, LSTMs, and CNNs for NLP tasks.
• Collaborate with product managers and engineers to integrate models into production.
• Mentor junior engineers and share best practices.
• Ensure model testing and validation before deployment.

Skills

NLP expertise

Python programming

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/AI/ML

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Keras

scikit-learn

NLTK

spaCy

Hugging Face Transformers

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a rapidly growing technology firm specializing in artificial intelligence solutions, is seeking an experienced Senior Machine Learning Engineer with a focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP). This role offers a hybrid work arrangement, allowing for a balance of in-office collaboration in Welkom , Free State, and remote work flexibility. You will be instrumental in developing and deploying sophisticated NLP models that drive innovative products and services. We pride ourselves on a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and delivering high-impact AI solutions. Join us to build the next generation of intelligent systems and make a tangible difference in how users interact with technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement advanced NLP models for tasks such as text classification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, machine translation, and question answering.
• Build and maintain scalable machine learning pipelines for data preprocessing, model training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Experiment with various deep learning architectures (e.g., Transformers, LSTMs, CNNs) for NLP tasks.
• Collaborate with product managers and software engineers to understand requirements and integrate ML models into production systems.
• Optimize model performance for accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
• Stay current with the latest research and advancements in NLP and machine learning.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the team's knowledge sharing and best practices.
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of ML models before deployment.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience in machine learning engineering, with a strong specialization in NLP.
• Proven experience developing and deploying production-level NLP models using frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras.
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, NLTK, spaCy, Hugging Face Transformers).
• Solid understanding of NLP techniques, algorithms, and evaluation metrics.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps practices is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and a passion for tackling complex challenges.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and attractive bonus structure.
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Hybrid work model offering flexibility.
• Engaging and collaborative work culture in Welkom .
• Access to advanced technologies and tools.