Varuna Somaweera

Business Solutions Officer & Data Engineering Lead

The World Bank Group

May 2004 - Present

Architected and maintained enriched datasets following the medallion architecture paradigm (bronze, silver, gold) using Azure Databricks, PySpark, and SQL. Developed, orchestrated, and monitored highly efficient data pipelines to unify enterprise data, boosting retrieval accuracy for downstream enterprise search and analytics platforms by 65%. Wrote and optimized complex SQL queries to transform complex enterprise data, preparing gold-layer datasets specifically tailored for consumption by downstream reporting and semantic models. Managed code versioning, branching strategies, and collaborative development reviews using Asure DevOps. Tracked project deliverables, data quality investigations, and sprint tasks meticulously using Asure DevOps. Partnered directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders to clarify data definitions, validate outputs, and document comprehensive data lineage and transformation business rules. Managed and led the development of the Climate Change Knowledge Portal, acting as project manager and business analyst to provide postproduction support and deliver new enhancements. Managed external data providers (ESA, NCAR) to ensure source data structure compatibility with existing portal formats, executing rigorous data validation and quality assurance checks. Gathered business requirements from government officials and IT personnel to build a Labor Market Information System, delivering an online dashboard and leading comprehensive training sessions for end users.