Data Scientist

## When it comes to putting people first, we're number 1. The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa. Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2026. Vodacom is a Leading African Mobile communication company providing wider range of communication services including mobile voice, messaging, data and converged services to over 200 million customers. From our roots in the South African Telecommunications industry, we have grown our mobile network business to include financial services to our customers through our Vodapay Super App, covering a total population of approximately 15 million registered users. Through Vodacom Financial Services (VFS) we also offer merchant (SME and MEE) payment services. We employ individuals who are as passionate about customers as we are. We are truly Customer Obsessed, which means that we are passionate about exceeding customer expectations; work relentlessly to really understand the customer; look at decisions through the customer’s eyes and take personal accountability for the customer experience. We are looking for people with a passion for Artificial Intelligence, IA (Intelligent Automation) and Big Data. ## Role Purpose/Business Unit: As part of the Vodacom Group AI Factory, the Data Scientist will design and develop, machine learning, Generative AI, and Agentic AI solutions that support Vodacom Group strategic priorities across productivity, customer experience, & monetization initiatives. The role will partner with business stakeholders to identify high-value use cases and work closely with Group Technology, Data Engineering, AI Engineering and MLOps teams to enable production deployment and operationalization of models, GenAI applications and AI agents. The Data Scientist is accountable for developing and validating AI solutions, while Group Technology partners are responsible for production deployment, operational support, monitoring infrastructure and run operations. ## Your responsibilities will include: * Design, develop and evaluate machine learning and AI models using structured and unstructured data. * Build predictive models, forecasting solutions, propensity models and optimization models. * Design and develop GenAI applications using LLMs, RAG, prompt engineering and multimodal AI patterns. * Design Agentic AI workflows incorporating planning, tool usage, orchestration, memory and human-in-the-loop approaches. * Collaborate closely with Group Technology teams to support deployment, operationalization and lifecycle management of models and AI agents in production environments. * Provide deployment requirements, model documentation, evaluation results, monitoring metrics and handover artefacts to technology teams. * Deliver AI initiatives aligned to Vodacom Group priorities across employee productivity, customer experience, revenue growth and monetization. * Contribute reusable AI assets, prompts, agent patterns and accelerators that can be leveraged across Vodacom operating markets. * Present analytical findings and business recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences. * Adhere to responsible AI, governance and model risk management standards. ## The ideal candidate for this role will have: * A Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering or related field. * 2-5 years experience in Data Science, Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence. * Strong Python and SQL capabilities. * Experience developing machine learning solutions and data products. * Hands-on experience with Generative AI, Agentic AI applications and prompt engineering. * Experience collaborating with technology and engineering teams to transition analytical solutions into production. * Exceptional interpersonal communication and presentation skills * Ability to work in a fast-paced environment. * Analytical and expansive thinking with a strong desire to deliver and develop. ## Core competencies, knowledge, and experience: * Python & machine learning algorithms, SQL. * Knowledge in developing production-ready solutions using any of the following frameworks: OpenAI Agents SDK, Microsoft AutoGen, CrewAI, Semantic Kernel Agents and LangGraph agent frameworks (Any). * Experience in leveraging vector databases and search platforms such as Azure AI Search, Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS, Chroma or Milvus (advantageous). * RAG, model evaluation, prompt engineering, AI guardrails and observability. * MLflow, Azure ML, Databricks and MLOps concepts (advantageous). * Experience in developing visualization solutions using tools such as Power BI, Plotly, Grafana Dashboards. ## We make an impact by offering: * Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages * Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits * Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies Closing date for Applications: 04 October 2026. The base location for this role is Midrand, Vodacom Campus. The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.