Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Mr D, a division of the Takealot Group, is looking for a highly talented Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our team. We are a young, dynamic, hyper-growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us!

Think you’ve been challenged before? Think again!

• Scale: Millions of happy shoppers use Mr D. Show them what you can do.
• Learn: We work with the best of the best, and then some. Work alongside industry leaders and up-skill in record time. 
• Grow: Expand your career in the fast-growing Takealot Group: takealot.com, Mr D & Takealot Fulfilment Solutions. We like to promote from within: Here’s your chance. 

This position reports to the Machine Learning Engineering Manager.

As a Machine Learning Engineer, your expertise directly translates into the development of robust machine learning models in the e-commerce domain. You come from a development background with an emphasis on applied machine learning. You will have the opportunity to implement best practices to improve the existing machine learning models and participate in the development of new ones. 

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a growing and dynamic team of machine learning engineers working on Mr D’s  ambitious development roadmap.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Work with a firehose of customer data.
• Analyze, build, evaluate, and productionise machine learning models.
• Touch all aspects of the business in your domain.
• Brainstorm new ideas and concepts to solve specific use cases.
• Work with teammates on design and code reviews.
• Keep abreast of developments in the machine learning domain.

The skills and attributes we need: 

• Be creative
• Be flexible
• Be a team player
• Be data-oriented
• Take pride in your work
• Be a good communicator

Qualifications & Preferred Experience:

• Degree in Computer Science or Engineering (alternatively, a degree in a related field with work experience as a software engineer).
• 5 to 10+ years of experience applying machine learning to real-world problems OR
• 5 to 10+ years of commercial software development experience
• Strong understanding of statistical analysis, modeling, and machine learning techniques.
• Experience working within an agile team that is operationally hands-on and an advocate of that culture.
• Experience with Python
• Experience with Linux
• Experience with BigQuery.
• Experience with TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, PyTorch, and Pandas.
• Experience building scalable data processing pipelines for machine learning workflows.
• Experience with deploying machine learning to production environments.
• Data Mining and Big Data experience.

Bonus Skills and Experience:

• MSc (master of science) or PhD (doctorate).
• Experience with cloud-based platforms such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Experience with end-to-end machine learning frameworks such as Kubeflow, TensorFlow Extended, MLflow, Sagemaker Pipelines or  GCP VertexAI/Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform Pipelines.
• Experience with serving machine learning models, such as TensorFlow Serving, KServe, or managed serving solutions such as AWS Sagemaker Endpoints and GCP VertexAI/ Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform Endpoints.
• Experience designing and executing large-scale LLM prompt pipelines for automated tasks such as classification and data extraction.

Let’s talk about life @ Takealot Group

• Free takealotMORE subscription
• No doors: We aren’t fans of stuffy offices or siloed work environments. See someone you like? High five, collab, and make something great.
• Remote working: Love water cooler chats and working from home? Takealot.com offers a remote or hybrid working model for the best of both worlds.
• Mentorship programme: We aren’t kidding when we say the people with the best people win. Now’s your chance to be one of the best by learning from the best.
• Naspers Tech Community & Online Learning: Share ideas and grow with global industry leaders who are all just a Slack message away. Love to learn? Upskill with free access to courses on MyAcademy, Udacity, Coursera, and more.
• Good times: Get to know the other extraordinary minds at takealot.com during regular social events and out-of-office activities (think hikes, think mini golf, think good times).
• Staff discount. Millions of products across 28 departments. What more could you ask for?
• Birthday leave: Cake Day all the way. Enjoy your day off - you deserve it. 
• Right tools, right job: You’ll work on the latest tech
• Help when you need it most: Confidential counselling, legal support, and financial guidance, for free, anytime, anywhere. 
• Tech stack (for days): Python, AWS, Kafka, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, IOT/MQTT and all things machine learning. If you build it, they will come.
• Free parking: No more 5km fun runs to your desk (unless you want to). 

Like what you see? 

If you meet the above, you are an Extraordinary Mind. Apply today!!

Mr D is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities will be given preference.

View all current vacancies at takealot.com →

1. Read the full job description and requirements on this page carefully before applying — tailor your application to what the employer actually asks for.
2. Update your CV and save it as a PDF. Make sure your contact details, most recent experience and qualifications are easy to find.
3. Click the apply button on this page to complete your application on takealot.com's own careers site. The employer manages the shortlisting process directly.
4. Have certified copies of your ID and qualifications ready. Many South African employers request them once you are shortlisted.
5. Applications close on 21 August 2026. Submit well before the deadline — late applications are normally not considered.
6. Keep a record of what you submitted and when. If you have not heard back within a few weeks of the closing date, it is acceptable to follow up politely.

If takealot.com shortlists you for the Senior Machine Learning Engineer position, preparation makes the difference. Work through these steps:

• Research takealot.com before the interview — look for their official website, social profiles and any recent news. Interviewers expect you to know why you want to work there specifically.
• Go through the job description above and prepare a specific example from your own experience for each of the main duties. Most interview questions will be drawn from what the advert emphasises.
• Structure your answers with the STAR method — Situation, Task, Action, Result. Concrete stories with measurable outcomes are far stronger than general claims about your abilities.
• Prepare two or three thoughtful questions to ask the panel — about the team, how success is measured in the role, or growth opportunities. It signals genuine interest.
• Plan your logistics early. Confirm whether the interview is in person in South Africa or online, and arrive or log in at least ten minutes early.