Senior ML Engineer

Praesignis (Pty) Ltd; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

Praesignis (Pty) Ltd is seeking a Senior ML Engineer with hands-on experience in productionising and scaling ML, AI, and Generative AI solutions. The role emphasizes strong software/cloud engineering, Databricks, MLflow, AKS, Python, Docker, Kubernetes and MLOps.

You will take ML prototypes to production, build AI Agents, GenAI and RAG apps, deploy open-source LLMs, develop APIs and microservices, and ensure scalable, secure, monitored, and reliable platforms across the stack.

Qualifications

• Experience productionising ML/DS solutions at scale.
• Strong software/cloud engineering background in Databricks, AKS and MLOps.
• Proven ability to deploy and monitor AI/GenAI solutions in production.

Responsibilities

• Productionise, deploy and monitor ML models and pipelines on Databricks.
• Build AI Agents, GenAI and RAG solutions on Databricks.
• Develop reusable ML pipelines with CI/CD, testing, monitoring and governance.
• Deploy and manage AI/ML models on AKS.
• Design APIs and microservices on AKS to expose capabilities.
• Containerise solutions with Docker and Kubernetes for scalable deployments.
• Monitor performance, drift and operational health in production.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists to productionise prototypes.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards and security requirements.
• Troubleshoot production issues in models, pipelines, APIs and apps.
• Drive performance, cost efficiency and reliability improvements.

Skills

Databricks workflows

MLflow

AKS

Python

SQL

REST APIs

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

MLOps

GenAI / LLM deployment

Cloud engineering

Monitoring & observability

Education

Masters or Doctorate in Computer Science, Engineering, Econometrics, Mathematical Statistics or Actuary Science

Tools

Databricks

MLflow

AKS

Docker

Kubernetes

REST APIs

Job description

Our client in the banking industry is looking for a Senior ML Engineer with strong hands-on experience in productionising and scaling Machine Learning, AI and Generative AI solutions. The ideal candidate should have a strong software/cloud engineering background, with expertise in Databricks, MLflow, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Python, Docker, Kubernetes and MLOps.

The role will focus on taking ML and Data Science solutions from prototype through to production, building AI Agents, GenAI and RAG applications, deploying open-source LLMs, developing APIs and microservices and ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, monitored and reliable.

Key Responsibilities

• Productionise, deploy and monitor machine learning models and data science pipelines on Databricks.
• Build, deploy and support AI Agents, GenAI applications and RAG solutions on Databricks.
• Develop and maintain reusable ML pipelines using MLOps principles, including CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring and governance.
• Deploy, optimise and manage open-source AI and machine learning models on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Design, develop and support custom APIs and microservices on AKS to expose AI and machine learning capabilities to business applications.
• Implement containerised solutions using Docker and Kubernetes to ensure scalable, secure and resilient deployments.
• Monitor model performance, drift, reliability and operational health in production environments.
• Partner with Data Scientists to productionise prototypes and enable business-ready solutions.
• Collaborate with platform, security, cloud and infrastructure teams to ensure compliance with enterprise standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues related to models, pipelines, APIs and AI applications.
• Optimise AI and ML solutions for performance, scalability, cost and reliability.
• Contribute to engineering standards, reusable frameworks and best practices across the AI and ML ecosystem.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote knowledge sharing across the team.
• Stay current with advancements in AI, GenAI, MLOps, Databricks, Kubernetes and cloud technologies.

Core Deliverables

• Production-ready ML models and pipelines running on Databricks.
• AI Agents and business applications deployed on Databricks.
• Open-source LLMs and AI services deployed on AKS.
• Secure and scalable APIs exposing AI capabilities to consuming systems.
• Automated deployment, monitoring and governance processes.
• Reliable, scalable and compliant AI platforms supporting business outcomes.

Key Skills

• Databricks Workflows, Model Serving, MLflow and Mosaic AI.
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Python, SQL and REST APIs.
• Docker and Kubernetes.
• CI/CD and MLOps practices.
• Machine Learning and Generative AI.
• LLM deployment and optimisation.
• Cloud engineering and infrastructure automation.
• Monitoring, observability and troubleshooting.

Qualifications

• Computer Science, Engineering, Econometrics, Mathematical Statistics, Actuary Science Masters or Doctorate will be an added advantage.

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Azure certifications (AZ-104, AZ-305, AI-102 or equivalent).
• Databricks certifications (Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Generative AI Engineer).
• Kubernetes and containerisation certifications (CKA, CKAD or equivalent).
• DevOps, MLOps or Platform Engineering certifications.
• AWS or Google Cloud certifications will be advantageous.
• Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence or Data Science certifications from recognised providers such as Microsoft, Databricks, SAS, Coursera or DeepLearning.AI will be an added advantage.

Technical/Professional Knowledge

• Strong understanding of MLOps, DevOps and software engineering practices for machine learning platforms.
• Experience building, deploying and supporting machine learning solutions in production environments.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with SQL and API development.
• Experience with Databricks, MLflow, Model Serving and cloud-native AI/ML platforms.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker and containerised application deployment.
• Experience deploying and supporting machine learning and Generative AI solutions on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation and platform monitoring.
• Experience with distributed computing technologies such as Spark and large-scale data processing frameworks.
• Understanding of machine learning, large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and AI agents.
• Ability to productionise data science solutions and collaborate effectively with Data Scientists.
• Experience delivering end-to-end AI and machine learning use cases from development to production.
• Ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes and communicate effectively with stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work across cross-functional teams.
• Self-driven, adaptable and capable of thriving in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment.