Machine Learning Engineer - Octave: Data and Advanced Analytics Centre of Excellence

John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) is Sri Lanka’s largest listed conglomerate in the Colombo Stock Exchange. From managing hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to providing port, marine fuel and logistics services to IT solutions, manufacturing of food and beverages to running a chain of supermarkets, tea broking to stock broking, life insurance and banking to real estate, we have made our presence felt in  virtually every major sphere of the economy.

Our business built over 150 years touches nearly every major sector of the economy. We generate a significant quantum of data, and we intend to use it to build the future of our businesses. Our Digital and Analytics insights can positively disrupt life for all Sri Lankans and our commitment to passion and excellence will help to deliver superior value to customers, our people, and the community.

Octave is at the core of data-driven strategic and operational decision-making at JKH. We solve some of the most complex challenges across multiple industry verticals by developing advanced machine learning and AI solutions—positively impacting the lives of millions of Sri Lankans. In addition to our work within JKH, we also collaborate with local and international clients to support their AI and data analytics transformations. At Octave, you’ll be part of a world-class team of data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI researchers, guided by senior technical leaders with PhDs in AI-related fields and experience at leading global tech companies.

Role Description

As a Machine Learning Engineer at OCTAVE, you will play a pivotal role in developing and deploying innovative machine learning models and algorithms. You will work closely with our cross-functional team of data scientists, data engineers, domain experts, and clients to create solutions that address complex business challenges. 

Key responsibilities: 

• Design, develop, and implement machine learning algorithms and models to solve real-world problems. 
• Optimize machine learning engineering models and pipelines and ensure scalability of the models in the production environment. 
• Implement state of the art MLOPS best practices at Octave, including, but not limited to, feature store, model monitoring, model management, experiment tracker, automated CI/CD, etc. 
• Research and develop state-of-the-art AI/DL/ML techniques, algorithms, and tools. Introduce those to Octave. 
• Deploy machine learning models into production environments, ensuring scalability and reliability. 
• Continuously monitor and evaluate model performance, making necessary adjustments to maintain performance, accuracy and effectiveness. 
• Collaborate with data scientists, data engineers, and delivery teams to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions. 
• Stay up to date with the latest developments in machine learning and contribute to the company's knowledge base through research and experimentation. 
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of models, code, and processes for future reference. 
• Discuss, contribute ideas, give meaningful code reviews and communicate accurately and effectively. 

Desired Skills / Competencies

Education + Technical  skills / experience

• A bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, mathematics, or related field. 
• Experience in machine learning, model development and deployment. 
• Hands-on experience with MLOPS tools and best practices. 
• In depth knowledge in PySpark and possess the ability to optimize PySpark programs in a cluster environment. 
• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and Keras. 
• Experience with deploying machine learning models in production environments, including containerization and cloud services. 
• A passion for staying updated on the latest developments in machine learning and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement. 

Mindset & Behavior

• High energy and passionate individual who inspires teammates to reach their maximum potential
• Excited about trying new solutions outside standard approved
• Willing to adopt an iterative approach; experimental mindset to drive innovation

John Keells Group is an equal-opportunity employer, and we invite applications from all suitably qualified individuals to join our team. By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal information for recruitment purposes and acknowledge that reference checks may be conducted.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply before 31/08/2026.