Ontology Engineer in United States Embassy at Jobgether

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an Ontology Engineer based in the United States.

This remote role offers the opportunity to shape how complex educational data and knowledge are structured, connected, and leveraged.
The Ontology Engineer will design and maintain semantic frameworks that improve data organization, discovery, and interoperability across enterprise systems.
This position sits at the intersection of data engineering, knowledge representation, and software development.
You will collaborate with technical and business teams to create scalable ontologies and knowledge graphs that support innovative information solutions.
The role requires a strong understanding of semantic technologies, data modeling, and engineering practices to transform complex information into meaningful insights.
The ideal candidate is a technically skilled problem solver who enjoys building modern data ecosystems and advancing knowledge-driven solutions.

The Ontology Engineer will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and improving semantic data structures that enable better organization, integration, and use of enterprise knowledge. This role requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure data models are accurate, scalable, and aligned with business and technical objectives.

• Design, develop, and maintain logical, semantically rich, and extensible ontologies supporting educational data domains and digital products.
• Build and optimize knowledge representation models using ontology standards and semantic technologies.
• Support integration between ontology management systems and source data repositories, including triple stores and graph-based data environments.
• Write and optimize SPARQL queries against RDF and OWL data structures and validate models using SHACL.
• Perform quality reviews of ontological structures to ensure accuracy, consistency, and scalability.
• Collaborate with data engineering, operations, and content teams to align knowledge models with enterprise data systems.
• Partner with technical and non-technical stakeholders to understand information needs and deliver effective ontology solutions.
• Create and maintain documentation for ontologies, knowledge graphs, and semantic models.
• Integrate diverse datasets into shared vocabularies to improve data accessibility and interoperability.
• Apply software engineering best practices to semantic assets, including version control, code reviews, testing, and CI/CD-aware release processes.

The ideal candidate combines expertise in ontology engineering, semantic technologies, and software development with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. This role requires experience working with complex data environments and the ability to translate information challenges into scalable technical solutions.

• Advanced degree in philosophy, computer science, information science, quantitative fields, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong experience with ontology modeling languages including RDF, OWL, SHACL, and vocabulary standards such as SKOS.
• Experience with semantic data integration, graph databases, triple stores, and knowledge graph technologies.
• Familiarity with ontology management platforms such as Stardog, Protégé, Semaphore, PoolParty, or similar solutions.
• Experience with foundational ontology frameworks such as Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), DOLCE, Common Core Ontologies, or OBO Foundry.
• Proficiency with query languages such as SPARQL, SQL, Gremlin, or openCypher.
• Experience integrating multiple data sources into common semantic models and developing production-ready queries.
• Hands-on programming experience with languages such as Python, R, or Java.
• Understanding of software engineering practices including Git workflows, testing methodologies, validation frameworks, and deployment processes.
• Strong adaptability, communication skills, and ability to work effectively across technical and business teams.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to learn and apply emerging technologies.

The role offers a competitive compensation package and the flexibility of a remote work environment.

• Competitive annual salary range of $90,000–$115,000.
• Remote work flexibility within the United States.
• Opportunity to contribute to innovative data and knowledge solutions with meaningful educational impact.
• Collaborative environment working with multidisciplinary technology and business teams.
• Professional growth opportunities through exposure to advanced semantic technologies and data practices.
• Inclusive workplace focused on respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity.