Senior Principal Data Scientist, Remote AI/ML Leadership

Placements24; Pretoria; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Competitive salary + bonus

Health & retirement benefits

Professional development opportunities

Home office stipend

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a fully remote research team. You will shape the strategic direction of AI/ML initiatives, design and deploy advanced models across domains, and collaborate with a distributed group of researchers.

The role requires 10+ years in data science, expertise in Python/R and major ML libraries, and a strong track record of production ML systems. Remote work across South Africa is supported with flexible arrangements.

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or related quantitative field.
• 10+ years of experience in data science focusing on AI/ML.
• Proven track record of developing and deploying sophisticated ML models in production.
• Expert proficiency in Python and R, and ML libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn.
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms and statistical modeling.
• Experience with big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• Experience leading projects and mentoring in a remote setting.
• Experience in scientific research or R&D environments is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and deployment of advanced AI/ML models.
• Identify novel data sources and analytical methodologies to solve complex problems.
• Develop and deploy scalable ML pipelines for predictive modeling, pattern recognition, and NLP.
• Collaborate with domain experts to define project requirements and align with goals.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to building a data science culture.
• Stay at the forefront of AI/ML research and integrate new techniques.
• Communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Contribute to overall data strategy and roadmap of the company.
• Drive innovation and best practices in data science and MLOps.

Skills

Python

R

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Big data

Cloud platforms

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/Stats/Math/Physics

Tools

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for a fully remote research team. You will shape the strategic direction of AI/ML initiatives, design and deploy advanced models across domains, and collaborate with a distributed group of researchers.

The role requires 10+ years in data science, expertise in Python/R and major ML libraries, and a strong track record of production ML systems. Remote work across South Africa is supported with flexible arrangements.