Data Ontologist

Programmers.io; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Programm ers.io is seeking a Data Ontologist to design, develop, and maintain enterprise ontologies, taxonomies, and knowledge graphs to support governance, analytics, AI, and knowledge management. You will collaborate with business and technical teams to translate concepts into semantic structures and ensure data quality and interoperability.

The role emphasizes semantic technologies (RDF/OWL/SKOS/SPARQL), data governance, and cross-domain modeling, with opportunities to enable generative AI

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Information Science, Data Science, AI, or related field.
• Experience with enterprise data platforms (Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud).
• Familiarity with healthcare, finance, retail, or insurance data domains.
• Understanding of Generative AI, LLMs, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
• Knowledge of data catalog and governance tools (Collibra, Alation, Informatica, Purview).
• Strong understanding of ontologies, knowledge graphs, data modeling, metadata management, MDM, and governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain enterprise ontologies, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and knowledge graphs.
• Define entity relationships, metadata standards, and semantic models across domains.
• Translate business concepts into semantic data structures with stakeholders.
• Support data governance with data definitions, standards, and lineage.
• Develop ontology documentation, naming conventions, and glossaries.
• Implement semantic technologies such as RDF, OWL, SKOS, SPARQL, and graph DBs.
• Collaborate with data engineers to integrate ontology models with platforms.
• Improve data discovery, interoperability, and reuse across systems.
• Support AI/ML and Generative AI initiatives through semantic enrichment and knowledge graphs.
• Conduct ontology reviews, impact assessments, and change management.
• Ensure compliance with data governance, privacy, and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Semantic Web Techs

Knowledge Graph Design

SQL

Python

Data Modeling

Metadata Management

Graph Databases

Data Governance

Machine Learning Concepts

Cloud Data Platforms

Education

Master's degree in Information Science/DS/AI or related

Tools

Collibra

Alation

Informatica

Microsoft Purview

Azure

AWS

Google Cloud

Neo4j

Amazon Neptune

Stardog/GraphDB

Job description

We are seeking a skilled Data Ontologist to develop and manage enterprise ontologies and semantic data models that support data governance, analytics, AI, and knowledge management initiatives. The ideal candidate will collaborate with business stakeholders, data architects, data scientists, and engineers to create semantic frameworks that improve data interoperability, quality, discoverability, and business understanding.

• Design, develop, and maintain enterprise ontologies, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and knowledge graphs.
• Define entity relationships, metadata standards, and semantic models across multiple business domains.
• Collaborate with business and technical teams to translate business concepts into semantic data structures.
• Support data governance initiatives by establishing data definitions, standards, and lineage frameworks.
• Develop and maintain ontology documentation, naming conventions, and business glossaries.
• Implement semantic technologies such as RDF, OWL, SKOS, SPARQL, and graph databases.
• Partner with data engineers and architects to integrate ontology models with enterprise data platforms.
• Improve data discoverability, interoperability, and reuse across systems.
• Support AI, machine learning, and generative AI initiatives through semantic enrichment and knowledge graph development.
• Conduct ontology reviews, impact assessments, and change management activities.
• Ensure compliance with data governance, privacy, and regulatory requirements.

Technical Skills

• Semantic Web Technologies
• Knowledge Graph Design
• SQL
• Python
• Data Modeling
• Metadata Management
• Graph Databases
• Data Governance
• Machine Learning Concepts
• Cloud Data Platforms

Key Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail
• Data Governance Mindset
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Communication and Documentation
• Strategic Thinking

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Information Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related discipline.
• Experience with enterprise data platforms such as Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
• Familiarity with healthcare, finance, retail, or insurance data domains.
• Understanding of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
• Knowledge of data catalog and governance tools such as Collibra, Alation, Informatica, or Microsoft Purview.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Ontologies and taxonomy design
  • Knowledge graphs
  • Data modeling concepts
  • Metadata management
  • Master Data Management (MDM)
  • Data governance frameworks
• Experience with any one of:
  • RDF
  • OWL
  • SPARQL
  • SKOS
  • Prot g
  • Graph databases (Neo4j, Amazon Neptune, Stardog, GraphDB)
• SQL and data analysis experience.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills