Junior Data Scientist at homechoice

homechoice is seeking a motivated and analytical individual to join their Decision Science team as a Junior Data Scientist. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain practical experience in data science within a leading South African homeware retailer. The role involves supporting the development, monitoring, and improvement of statistical and machine learning models to drive business decisions across various departments including Credit Risk, Collections, Fraud, and Marketing. This position is ideal for a curious and technically minded candidate eager to grow their skills in a fast-paced retail environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Extract, clean, validate, and analyse customer, product, credit, and campaign data using SQL, SAS, Python, and related tools.

• Identify trends, patterns, and opportunities within data to support reliable business decision-making.

• Prepare clear PowerBI reports, summaries, and data outputs for stakeholders.

• Translate analytical results into practical, business-friendly insights.

• Monitor predictive models across Credit Risk, Collections, Fraud, and Marketing, tracking performance and data quality.

• Escalate issues related to model performance or data quality as required.

• Support model development, testing, validation, and documentation under guidance.

• Prepare features, training datasets, and performance summaries for repeatable model review.

• Adhere to coding standards, write reusable code, and maintain clear documentation.

• Automate regular processes to enhance efficiency and maintain output quality.

• Utilise approved AI tools to boost productivity, assist with coding, summarise outputs, and explore analytical approaches.

• Validate AI-generated outputs for accuracy, relevance, business context, and data governance compliance.

• Collaborate with data and business teams to understand requirements and deliver valuable outputs.

• Continuously build knowledge of business processes, data science, machine learning, statistics, and software development.

Why Join the Company

homechoice offers a dynamic and supportive work environment where you can develop your data science skills. You will work with real business data in a fast-paced retail setting, contributing to impactful business decisions. The company fosters a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, providing opportunities for professional growth and development. Join a team that values curiosity, accuracy, and delivering insight-led solutions.

How to Apply

Please apply using the Quick Apply button on this page.

• Undergraduate degree or relevant qualification in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related numerate discipline.

• Foundational to intermediate SQL, SAS, Python, and Excel skills, with the ability to extract, clean, analyse, and interpret structured datasets.

• Understanding of statistics, probability theory, data analysis, and machine learning concepts.

• Exposure to data science, machine learning, statistical analysis, predictive modelling, reporting, or automation through academic projects, internships, graduate programmes, personal projects, or early career work experience.

• Ability to write clear, structured, and well-documented code that supports repeatable analysis, handover, and future review.

• Advantageous exposure to retail, credit, collections, fraud, marketing, customer analytics, or model monitoring.

• Ongoing personal development in data science, statistics, AI, or machine learning (e.g., online learning, certifications, portfolio work, personal projects) is beneficial.