Ontological Engineer

InterImage, Inc.; Virginia; On-site; USD 130,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

InterImage, Inc. seeks an Ontological Engineer to shape the knowledge foundations behind enterprise AI systems used by government customers.

This role involves defining domain concepts, standardizing vocabularies, and building machine-readable models using OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL to enable safer reasoning and effective data integration. You will work with cross-functional teams, translate ontology decisions for technical and non-technical stakeholders, and contribute to Graph RAG and LLM

Qualifications

• Degree in computer science, information technology, cyber, mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience designing enterprise ontologies and controlled vocabularies.
• Experience building AI systems from scratch and shaping prototype applications.
• Proficiency with OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL standards.
• Knowledge of knowledge graphs, Graph RAG, and LLM applications.
• Experience collaborating with enterprise data or AI teams and translating ontology decisions for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to work in the United States are required.
• Experience working with government customers is a plus.
• An active security clearance is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define domain concepts, entities, categories, attributes, and relationships in formal ontologies.
• Standardize vocabularies to establish shared meaning across systems.
• Build and maintain machine-readable knowledge models using OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL.
• Provide structured context and guardrails for enterprise AI, knowledge graphs, Graph RAG, and LLM applications to improve reasoning and data integration.

Skills

Ontology design

Knowledge graphs

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical communication

Education

Degree in CS/IT/math or related

Tools

OWL

RDF

SPARQL

SHACL

Job description

InterImage develops AI solutions for government customers, with a focus on enterprise knowledge platforms, ontologies, knowledge graphs, and generative AI applications. Our work centers on turning complex, distributed information into structured, usable knowledge that supports better decision-making, stronger interoperability, and more reliable AI outcomes.

As an Ontological Engineer, you will help shape the knowledge foundations behind enterprise AI systems. This role is well suited to someone who enjoys bringing clarity to complex domains and creating formal models that enable people, data, and systems to work from a shared understanding.

Responsibilities

• Define domain concepts, entities, categories, attributes, and relationships in formal ontologies.
• Standardize vocabularies to establish shared business or scientific meaning across systems and departments.
• Build and maintain machine-readable knowledge models using OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL.
• Provide structured context and guardrails for enterprise AI, knowledge graphs, Graph RAG, and LLM applications to improve reasoning, reduce hallucinations, and integrate heterogeneous data.

• Degree in computer science, information technology, cyber, mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience designing enterprise ontologies and controlled vocabularies, including hands-on work building upper ontology frameworks or domain-specific ontology frameworks.
• Experience building AI systems from scratch and helping shape prototype applications.
• Proficiency with OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL standards.
• Knowledge of knowledge graphs, Graph RAG, and LLM applications.
• Experience collaborating with enterprise data or AI teams and translating ontology decisions for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to work in the United States are required.
• Experience working with government customers is a plus.
• An active security clearance is a plus.

The likely salary range for this position is $129,813 - $172,500. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your data for identity verification and security purposes.