Ontology Subject Matter Expert (TS/SCI)

Vantor; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Mental health resources

Student loan repayment assistance

Adoption reimbursement

Pet insurance

Job summary

Vantor seeks a Data Engineering Subject Matter Expert to lead enterprise data architectures and pipelines for Object-Based Intelligence mission requirements. You will shape data integration across ontologies, knowledge graphs, and semantic web tech, while ensuring governance, security, and interoperability across systems.

You’ll collaborate with ontologists, software, and government stakeholders to deliver scalable, secure data solutions and support AI/ML initiatives with reliable datasets and

Qualifications

• U.S. citizen with TS/SCI CI poly clearance.
• Design and implement enterprise-scale data solutions.
• Experience with ETL/ELT pipelines and data integration.
• Experience with structured, semi-structured, unstructured data.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and containerized data systems.
• Knowledge of data governance, metadata, and lineage.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development and deployment of data engineering solutions.
• Build scalable data pipelines for multi-source ingestion and transformation.
• Develop data integration frameworks: ontologies, knowledge graphs, RDF/OWL.
• Collaborate with engineers and government stakeholders to map requirements.
• Design data architectures for cloud-native and hybrid environments.
• Establish data quality, governance, and metadata management processes.
• Improve processing performance using distributed frameworks.
• Support AI/ML initiatives with curated data pipelines.
• Create monitoring, validation and testing for data accuracy.
• Produce documentation and engineering standards; mentor team members.

Skills

TS/SCI with CI poly

Data engineering

ETL/ELT pipelines

Cloud platforms

Kubernetes/OpenShift

Knowledge graphs

Semantic Web

Stakeholder communication

Education

Advanced degree

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Spark

Kafka

NiFi

Airflow

RDF/OWL/SPARQL

Job description

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status.

Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Please review the job details below.

This position requires an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level with CI polygraph.

Vantor is seeking a Data Engineering Subject Matter Expert (SME) to join our team. In this position you will provide technical leadership for the design, implementation, and optimization of enterprise data engineering solutions supporting Object-Based Intelligence (OBI) mission requirements, ontology-driven data integration, and advanced analytics.

The Data Engineering Subject Matter Expert serves as the senior technical authority for developing and implementing scalable data architectures, pipelines, and integration frameworks that enable the ingestion, transformation, management, and delivery of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. This position applies data engineering best practices to support enterprise ontologies, knowledge graphs, Semantic Web technologies, and AI/ML applications while ensuring data quality, governance, interoperability, and security across diverse mission systems. Working closely with ontology engineers, software engineers, database engineers, data scientists, and Government stakeholders, the Data Engineering SME develops modern data solutions that support mission analytics, knowledge discovery, and decision advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise data engineering solutions supporting Object-Based Intelligence mission requirements.
• Design and optimize scalable data pipelines for ingesting, transforming, validating, and integrating data from multiple internal and external sources.
• Develop data integration frameworks that support enterprise ontologies, knowledge graphs, and Semantic Web technologies, including RDF, OWL, and SPARQL.
• Collaborate with ontology engineers, software engineers, database engineers, analysts, and Government stakeholders to translate mission requirements into scalable data engineering solutions.
• Design and implement data architectures supporting cloud-native, distributed, and hybrid computing environments.
• Establish data quality, metadata management, lineage, and governance processes to ensure consistency, traceability, and interoperability across enterprise data assets.
• Optimize data processing performance using modern distributed processing frameworks and scalable storage technologies.
• Support AI/ML initiatives by developing reliable, high-quality data pipelines that provide curated datasets and semantic context for model training, inference, and decision support.
• Develop automated monitoring, validation, and testing capabilities to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and operational reliability.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, data flow diagrams, interface specifications, data dictionaries, and engineering standards.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and knowledge transfer activities to Government personnel and project team members regarding data engineering best practices, modern data architectures, and enterprise integration strategies.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen and have an active TS/SCI with CI polygraph.
• 12 years of experience and an advanced degree or 17 years of experience with a bachelor's degree.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data engineering solutions and data integration architectures.
• Experience developing ETL/ELT pipelines using modern data engineering tools and frameworks.
• Experience integrating structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data from heterogeneous enterprise data sources.
• Experience with relational databases, NoSQL databases, graph databases, and distributed data processing platforms.
• Knowledge of data modeling, metadata management, data governance, and enterprise data architecture principles.
• Familiarity with Semantic Web technologies, knowledge graphs, or ontology-based data integration.
• Experience supporting cloud-based or containerized data platforms, including Kubernetes and OpenShift.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Object-Based Intelligence, Intelligence Community, or Department of Defense mission systems.
• Experience developing enterprise data lakes, lakehouses, or data fabric architectures.
• Experience with distributed data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark, Kafka, NiFi, Airflow, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience implementing data governance, master data management, metadata management, and data lineage solutions.
• Familiarity with AI/ML data engineering workflows, feature engineering, and semantic enrichment techniques.
• Experience integrating RDF triple stores, knowledge graphs, and semantic reasoning platforms into enterprise data architectures.
• AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate, Google Professional Data Engineer, Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate, Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), or equivalent certification.
• Experience providing technical leadership, mentoring, and formal knowledge transfer to Government personnel or large multidisciplinary teams.

Pay Transparency:

To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate’s experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

• The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $165,000.00 - $220,000.00 - $242,000.00 annually.

Benefits:

Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks like student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life. You can find more information on our benefits at: https://www.Vantor.com/careers

EEO Policy:

Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.