Ontology Consultant

Enterprise Knowledge, LLC; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Enterprise Knowledge (EK) is seeking a full-time Ontology Consultant to lead ontology design and implementation for commercial and federal clients, advancing semantic best practices and scalable ontology programs. The role requires communicating ontology value to diverse audiences and guiding strategic decisions.

A successful candidate will drive ontology strategy, design, governance, and training while collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver large‑scale ontologies.

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience developing and managing ontologies in business environments.
• Experience leading full ontology development lifecycle: requirements gathering, scoping, design, implementation, management, and governance.
• Expertise in semantic standards such as RDF, OWL, SHACL, and SPARQL.
• Hands‑on experience with ontology tooling and management systems such as Protégé.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and facilitative skills for cross‑functional teamwork and stakeholder engagement.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Information Science, Knowledge Management, Library Science, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead ontology design, implementation, and management to meet client goals.
• Facilitate stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into ontology solutions.
• Develop and maintain ontologies using semantic best practices.
• Assess and evaluate existing ontologies and recommend improvements.
• Provide training, guidance, and documentation on ontology value.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure efficacy and longevity of ontology solutions.

Skills

Ontology design

Ontology lifecycle

Semantic standards

Protégé

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Information Science or related field

Tools

Ontology tooling

Ontology management systems

Job description

Enterprise Knowledge (EK) is hiring for a full-time Ontology Consultant

To join our growing Semantic Design and Modeling Practice, the Ontology Consultant will lead ontology design and implementation for commercial and federal clients. The role involves advising clients at varying levels of maturity on how to implement semantic best practices, expanding and scaling their ontology programs, and communicating ontology value to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

The Ontology Consultant will advise clients on ontology strategy and lead teams in the definition and execution of ontology design, implementation, and management to meet client goals and needs.

• Facilitate stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into ontology and semantic solutions
• Develop and maintain ontologies using semantic and data management best practices
• Assess and evaluate existing ontologies and recommend improvements and alignment with industry standards
• Provide training, guidance, and documentation on ontology value, use, and maintenance
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure efficacy and longevity of ontology solutions

A successful candidate will articulately explain design decisions and rationale to business stakeholders, and be experienced in designing, implementing, and maintaining large‑scale ontologies for complex solutions. They should be comfortable with ontology management systems and leading cross‑functional meetings.

Benefits

Join a fast‑growing company committed to equity and inclusion, enjoy a collaborative workplace, benefit from unique perks, and help build our innovative culture. For more insights, follow us on LinkedIn.

Requirements

• As a federal contractor, Enterprise Knowledge will not sponsor employment authorization or offer immigration support for this position.
• Office is in Arlington, VA, on a hybrid model. Local candidates preferred; remote candidates allowed from CO, FL, MA, NC, NH, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, TX, and WA.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 2+ years experience developing and managing ontologies in business environments with strong understanding of ontology principles and best practices.
• Experience leading full ontology development lifecycle: requirements gathering, scoping, design, implementation, management, and governance.
• Expertise in semantic standards such as RDF, OWL, SHACL, and SPARQL.
• Hands‑on experience with ontology tooling and management systems such as Protégé.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and facilitative skills for cross‑functional teamwork and stakeholder engagement.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Information Science, Knowledge Management, Library Science, Management of Information Systems, Philosophy (Formal Ontology, Epistemology), Linguistics, or related field.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Understanding of machine learning and AI concepts and experience working with ontology in an AI context.
• Understanding of typical solution architectures for semantic solutions.

Salary Information

EK considers a broad range of factors when determining salary, including skills, experience, education, certifications, past successes, and qualifications. Starting pay ranges from $110,000 to $150,000, with most candidates likely falling on the lower end. This range is not guaranteed and may be adjusted.

Data Privacy Notice

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By submitting your application, you acknowledge understanding this notice. For questions or updates, contact [e-mail].