Executive Director-Ontology

JPMorgan Chase & Co.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

JPMorgan Chase & Co. seeks an Executive Director-Ontologist to shape the knowledge representation strategy across data, analytics, and AI initiatives. You will lead ontology and taxonomy efforts, drive adoption of standard ontologies, and partner with Data, Product, and Tech teams to enable interoperable data and AI readiness.

The role emphasizes mentoring, strategic alignment with enterprise goals, and staying ahead of semantic technology trends, enabling scalable data governance across domains.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of ontology development and management experience.
• Expertise in ISO 20022, OWL, RDF, SKOS and SHACL.
• Experience with ontology and taxonomy tools such as Protégé, TopBraid Composer, PoolParty.

Responsibilities

• Development and adoption of ontologies to represent complex domains.
• Evaluate industry standard ontologies for adoption across JPMorgan Chase.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, product owners, and engineers to understand use cases and dependencies.
• Provide expert input into the firm's data strategy.
• Mentor fellow ontologists to align with standards and strategic initiatives.
• Stay current with ontology engineering and semantic technologies.

Skills

Ontology development

Structured thinking

Stakeholder communication

Data governance

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in ontology engineering / knowledge representation / semantic technologies

Tools

Protégé

TopBraid Composer

PoolParty

Job description

The Firmwide Chief Data Office is responsible for maximizing the value and impact of data globally, in a highly governed way. It consists of several teams focused on accelerating JPMorgan Chase’s data, analytics, and AI journey, including data strategy, data impact optimization, privacy, data governance, transformation, and talent. We are looking for a data executive to help shape the strategy for how we make data available to power everything from new product development to Artificial Intelligence models. This leader will join the team responsible for setting the firmwide data publishing strategy and driving the adoption of the strategy across the firm.

As an Executive Director-Ontologist within the JP Morgan Chase team, you will be instrumental in shaping our knowledge representation. Your role will involve utilizing ontologies and taxonomies to enhance data interoperability and management, preparing our data for AI applications. Your responsibilities will range from engaging with and educating domain experts, to assessing standard ontologies and developing our organization-wide ontology. Your work will traverse multiple domains, influencing departments like Data & Analytics, Product, and Tech.

Jobresponsibilities:

• Development and adoption of ontologies to represent complex domains
• Evaluate industry standard ontologies for adoption across JPMC
• Work closely with stakeholders, subject matter experts, product owners, and engineers to understand their use cases, requirements, and dependencies, critically assessing proposed solutions
• Provide expert input into the JP Morgan Chase’s firmwide data strategy
• Communicate complex ideas effectively to collaborators using precise terminology and relatable examples, and ask clarifying questions to define core meanings.
• Mentor fellow ontologists to ensure alignment with accepted practices, standards, objectives, key results, and strategic initiatives.
• Keep abreast of emerging trends and advancements in ontology engineering, knowledge representation, and semantic technologies.
• Balance timeliness with quality under tight deadlines, managing multiple priorities and partners.

• Ensure end-to-end relevance to stakeholder needs, from gathering competency questions to achieving successful integrations.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills:

• 5+ years of experience developing and managing ontologies for real-world applications
• Expertise in Data and Financial service standards such as ISO 20022, OWL, RDF, SKOS, and SHACL.
• Experience with ontology and taxonomy development process and tools (e.g., Protégé, TopBraid Composer, PoolParty, etc.).
• Structured thinker and effective communicator with excellent written communication skills. Ability to crisply articulate complex technical concepts to senior audiences with poise and confidence.

Preferredqualifications, capabilities, and skills:

• Master's or Ph.D. in a field focused on ontology engineering, knowledge representation, or semantic technologies, such as Information Science, Library Science, Philosophy, Linguistics, or Computer Science.
• Experience with Financial sector data standards and ontologies
• Experience with program management and collaborative development best practices
• Understanding of large-scale, distributed, end-to-end systems.
• Knowledge of Data Governance and Data Management
• Contributions to the Ontology community, such as papers, conference presentations, industry standard contributions, or open source contributions (e.g., Github repos)