Senior Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist – Psybergate (Pty) Ltd We are looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our financial services client based in Sandton. The role focuses on leading the technical development, testing, and implementation of advanced Large Language Model (LLM) based projects to deliver end-to-end data science and AI products. Responsibilities Lead the design, development, and deployment of LLM- and generative AI-based solutions that drive the company's global product offerings and strategy forward. Collaborate with product owners, project managers, and executive stakeholders to identify and prioritize business problems solvable with LLMs. Conduct desktop research into state-of-the-art LLMs and Generative AI and apply findings to real-world applications. Conduct research and development of speech-to-text and audio-based language models, integrating with LLM pipelines where applicable. Conduct experimental research on the use of LLMs in real-world company applications to ensure design and development decisions are scientifically sound, optimizing for accuracy, scalability, efficiency, reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Translate strategic direction into technical product definitions and roadmaps. Participate actively in internal and external communities discussing and designing policies for the ethical use of AI, ensuring the team's work meets ethical AI standards. Contribute to a culture of innovation by prototyping and developing novel methodologies and approaches, providing strong thought leadership. Communicate complex technical concepts to executives and non‑technical stakeholders. Demonstrate strong emotional intelligence, uplifting team members, and managing challenging situations with composure. Advise other teams on best practice based on experience. Mine large structured and unstructured datasets to uncover insights for operational efficiency and member‑delight interaction strategies. Research and apply the most up‑to‑date machine learning algorithms and AI techniques. Present data and model findings to provide actionable insights to business users. Monitor model performance. Qualifications Honours or Master’s degree in Computer Science with solid experience in statistical modelling, data mining and machine learning, or Honours or Master’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, or Applied Mathematics with some experience in software engineering, computer science, or working with large disparate data sets. 5+ years of experience in data science, most recently focused on generative AI. Expertise in data science programming languages such as R, Python, Scala. Expertise in data manipulation skills, including SQL to extract, transform, and load data. Experience in interactive data exploration and data‑driven storytelling. Understanding and application of Big Data and distributed computing principles. Hands‑on experience with Big Data systems is preferred. Strong analytical and statistical knowledge with awareness of the latest machine learning algorithms for structured and unstructured data. Ability to adapt to emerging technologies and tools. Proficiency in version control systems such as Git. Experience with cloud platforms such as GCP, Azure, or AWS. Experience with tools such as Whisper, DeepSpeech, OpenAI or HuggingFace. Experience in sourcing and combining data from both structured and unstructured sources. Experience with Google TensorFlow. Familiarity with MLops practices and tools. Proven track record of data science or AI project delivery. Deep understanding of LLMs and experience with models like GPTs, LLaMA, Gemini, etc. Desired Skills Data Science LLM Python AI Big Data R Scala Seniority Level Mid‑Senior level Employment Type Full‑time Job Function Engineering and Information Technology Industry IT Services and IT Consulting Note: If you do not hear from us within 3 weeks, consider your application unsuccessful. #J-18808-Ljbffr