Machine Learning Engineer - Utilities

Help us use technology to make a big green dent in the universe!

Kraken powers some of the most innovative global developments in energy.

We’re a technology company focused on creating a smart, sustainable energy system. From optimising renewable generation, creating a more intelligent grid and enabling utilities to provide excellent customer experiences, our operating system for energy is transforming the industry around the world in a way that benefits everyone.

It’s a really exciting time in energy. Help us make a real impact on shaping a better, more sustainable future.

Kraken Utilities

Our tech platform ‘Kraken’ is already licensed to support 55 million customer accounts globally, and we aim to serve 100 million by 2027. Kraken is the most AI-driven, innovative, forward-thinking platform for energy management. From optimising resources to delivering cost-effective, exceptional customer experiences through advanced Customer Information Systems (CIS), billing, meter data management, CRM, and AI-driven communications. 

We’re now charging the Kraken platform to other utility industries (Water and Broadband) and have created a new team called - Kraken Utilities. Over the last 2 years we have built this team from scratch to re-architect, design, and develop our Kraken software platform to solve complex industry wide problems within the water and broadband sectors (such as customer experience & water leak detection).

The Kraken Utilities team is in a very exciting growth phase, and has already signed 4 clients; Severn Trent, Leep, Portsmouth Water, and Cuckoo. We are currently 90+ people (engineers, product, implementation, strategy) along with 1500+ people in the overall Kraken world.

Our team

All our technology is written and maintained by a multi-discipline engineering team of around 1500 people globally. Our engineers work in ‘super teams’ which are focused on key areas of our platform as well as other innovative products. This also includes server-side, client-side and mobile engineers working closely with UX experts, copywriters and designers. 

Teams are empowered to choose a way of working that works for them, often opting for a Kanban-like approach. Notion and Asana are then used to specify and manage work; Github, CircleCI and Terraform Enterprise as part of an immutable-infrastructure, continuous delivery pipeline; and Datadog, Sentry and Cloudwatch to measure performance and monitor production. 

We’re now charging Kraken to power utilities beyond energy (think water, broadband,..) and have created a new business Kraken Utilities. We are building an innovation (ML/Data/AI) team from scratch and are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join and help us scale, implement a good culture, and work on some really exciting tech challenges. 

You'll join a talented team working on research around how to improve water efficiency (e.g. using smart meter data to detect leakages, reduce water consumption etc.); improve customer support efficiency (e.g. using LLM agents to automate actions and replies etc.).

Some of our coding conventions are open-source . 

Kraken is a great place to learn, work with some talented engineers and level-up your skills.  

Our technology

Our Data/ML stack includes: Python, SQL, pandas, Numpy, AWS, PyTorch, TensorFlow, NLP.

On the server-side, we mainly use Python. Most of our websites are powered by Django, Django-REST-framework and GraphQL (Graphene).  

We use AWS heavily  as part of a continuous deployment pipeline. See, for example, Django, ELB health checks and continuous delivery. 

Client-side, we use React, htmx and SASS; our mobile apps are built using native code or React Native.

• Design, build, and deploy cutting-edge machine learning systems to address complex business challenges
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams including product managers, software engineers, and other stakeholders to deliver exceptional ML products
• Stay at the forefront of technology. Explore and evaluate new technologies to inspire the creation of new ML products and enhance existing ones
• Conduct A/B experiments in collaboration with other teams, analyse results, and iterate to drive continuous improvement
• Embrace ambiguity. As we scale, your role will evolve, and you should be comfortable adapting to changing responsibilities and focus areas.

• You have a proven track record with 4+ years of hands-on experience applying machine learning to real-world business challenges within an industry setting
• A solid foundation in the fundamentals of machine learning is a must. You are proficient in exploratory data analysis, model selection, model pipeline development, and the end-to-end process of model deployment and monitoring
• Demonstrated expertise in Python, SQL, common ML, DL and visualisation libraries (pandas, numpy, scikit-learn, tensorflow, pytorch, huggingface, matplotlib etc.), ETL and data modelling
• Experienced in cloud technologies, preferably with AWS
• Strong communication skills are essential. You can articulate complex technical concepts to a diverse range of stakeholders with clarity
• Proficient in software engineering fundamentals including version control and CI/CD pipelines
• Nice to have: experience building NLP products; Kubernetes; dbt

• Wondering what the salary for this role is? Just ask us! On a call with one of our recruiters it's something we always cover as we genuinely want to match your experience with the correct salary. The reason why we don't advertise is because we honestly have a degree of flexibility and would never want salary to be a reason why someone doesn't apply to Kraken - what's more important to us is finding the right Kraken-fit!
• Kraken has an unique culture. An organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! Our Group CEO, Greg has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people 
• Visit our perks hub - Kraken Employee Benefits

This team will require candidates to work on a hybrid remote basis, coming into our office in Oxford Circus 2 days a week. You do also need to be able to work in the UK.

We're very excited to be growing our team. We're looking for skills and experience to help shape and define the future of not only our team, but the wider business at a global scale. If you're reading this and grinning, please apply! There are huge challenges to tackle, and we need amazing people who are keen to get stuck in.

Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic!

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.