Data Scientist - AI & Innovation Engineer

Location: Colombo, WP, lk

Company Description

IFS is a billion-dollar revenue company with 7000+ employees on all continents. Our leading AI technology is the backbone of our award-winning enterprise software solutions, enabling our customers to be their best when it really matters–at the Moment of Service™. Our commitment to internal AI adoption has allowed us to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, ensuring our colleagues can unlock their creativity and productivity, and our solutions are always cutting-edge.

At IFS, we’re flexible, we’re innovative, and we’re focused not only on how we can engage with our customers but on how we can make a real change and have a worldwide impact. We help solve some of society’s greatest challenges, fostering a better future through our agility, collaboration, and trust.

We celebrate diversity and understand our responsibility to reflect the diverse world we work in. We are committed to promoting an inclusive workforce that fully represents the many different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints of our customers, our partners, and our communities. As a truly international company serving people from around the globe, we realize that our success is tantamount to the respect we have for those different points of view.

By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to be part of a global, diverse environment; you will be joining a winning team with a commitment to sustainability; and a company where we get things done so that you can make a positive impact on the world.

We’re looking for innovative and original thinkers to work in an environment where you can #MakeYourMoment so that we can help others make theirs. With the power of our AI-driven solutions, we empower our team to change the status quo and make a real difference.

If you want to change the status quo, we’ll help you make your moment. Join Team Purple. Join IFS.

Job Description

The DBVA platform is central to the Business Value Assurance function within IFS and the partner community, used daily by 100+ employees. This role will be critical in the replatforming and enablement of a solution at the forefront of AI by embedding AI/ML capabilities and AI agents into the tool. Long-term you, as part of a small, fast paced and high-impact team, will be responsible for ensuring secure, responsible and innovative use of AI to deliver real business value.

In this role, you are going to drive applied AI innovation and be responsible for embedding AI and advanced data capabilities into the platform. You will drive use cases around automation, copilots, predictive insights, natural language interaction and AI agents. You will work closely with business stakeholders to translate requirements into working AI-enabled solutions. A strong emphasis is placed on Azure based deployment, security and usability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Prototype and deliver AI features (copilots, NLP, AI agents) with Azure AI/OpenAI
• Deploy and maintain ML/AI components in Azure (App services, Azure ML, SQL integration)
• Prepare and manage data for secure, multi-tenant use cases (RLS, B2B segregation)
• Collaborate with System Engineer to integrate AI into React/Node.js solution
• Translate business needs into prototypes and iterate quickly with users
• Communicate outcomes, prepare demos and support training materials creation
• Ensures ethical, secure and responsible AI usage aligned with company standards

Overall Competencies:

• Strong Python (or equivalent) skills with applied ML/AI frameworks (such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn)
• Practical experience deploying ML/AI in Azure
• Familiarity with Azure OpenAI services, LLM APIs and API-based integrations
• Strong SQL data handling skills in enterprise settings
• Ability to prototype rapidly and iterate with business stakeholders
• Understanding security, compliance and responsible AI practices
• Communication skills to explain AI outcomes to business stakeholders

Qualifications

Essential:

• Master’s degree in data science, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics or equivalent experience
• 3-5+ years hands-on experience in data science/AI engineering
• Proven experience of deploying AI/ML into production, preferably in Azure
• Proven record of delivering business facing AI features (predictive models, copilots, agents or automation)
• AI Integrations: Azure OpenAI, LLM APIs or NLP
• Experience working with multi-tenant or enterprise data solutions
• Strong English

Desirable:

• Node.js/JS for API integrations
• Advanced AI/ML libraries: OpenMMLab, DeepStream
• Prototyping with AI agents and copilots
• Delivered AI features tied to business use cases

Additional Information

We embrace flexibility and hybrid work opportunities to support diverse needs and lifestyles, while also valuing inclusive workplace experiences. By fostering a sense of community, we drive innovation, strengthen connections, and nurture belonging. Our commitment ensures you can work in a way that suits you best, while also engaging with colleagues to share ideas and build meaningful relationships.