Ontology Lead

Vantor Services•Bolling AFB, DC

About The Position

Vantor is seeking an Ontology Lead to join their team. In this position, you will design, develop, and maintain domain-specific ontologies and knowledge models in support of Object Based Intelligence (OBI) mission requirements. The Lead Ontologist serves as the technical authority for the design, development, and maintenance of domain-specific ontologies and knowledge models that support Object-Based Intelligence (OBI) mission requirements. This position applies semantic technologies and knowledge representation methodologies to enable data interoperability, advanced analytics, and knowledge integration across diverse data sources and object-management systems. Leveraging Semantic Web standards, including RDF, OWL, and SPARQL, the Lead Ontologist develops scalable knowledge frameworks that enhance data discoverability, support AI/ML applications, and facilitate effective knowledge transfer to Government stakeholders.

Requirements

Must be a US citizen and have an active TS/SCI with CI poly.
12 years of experience and an advanced degree or 17 years of experience with a bachelor’s degree.
Demonstrated experience designing and implementing ontologies, taxonomies, or knowledge graphs in operational or research environments.
Experience applying Semantic Web technologies, including RDF, OWL, and SPARQL.
Knowledge of ontology engineering methodologies, data modeling principles, and semantic interoperability frameworks.
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing and maintaining enterprise knowledge graphs and integrating heterogeneous data sources.
Familiarity with AI/ML workflows and the use of ontologies to improve model explainability, reasoning, and decision support.
Experience providing technical leadership, mentoring, and formal knowledge transfer to Government personnel or large multidisciplinary teams.
Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) or equivalent data architecture certification.
Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) or comparable knowledge management credential.
Formal training or certification in Semantic Web technologies, knowledge graphs, ontology engineering, RDF, OWL, or SPARQL.

Responsibilities

In coordination with domain experts, design, develop, and maintain domain-specific ontologies, taxonomies, and knowledge graphs that support Object-Based Intelligence mission objectives.
Apply Semantic Web standards and technologies, including RDF, OWL, SHACL, and SPARQL, to model, represent, and query complex data relationships.
Establish and maintain semantic data integration frameworks that enable interoperability across internal and external object-management systems.
Collaborate with analysts, data scientists, engineers, and Government stakeholders to capture requirements and translate mission needs into formal knowledge models.
Develop and maintain ontology governance processes, standards, documentation, and version-control practices to ensure consistency and scalability.
Support AI/ML initiatives by providing structured knowledge representations that enhance model explainability, interpretability, and contextual reasoning.
Conduct ontology validation, testing, and quality assurance activities to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with mission requirements.
Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and knowledge transfer activities to Government personnel and project team members on ontology development methodologies and semantic technologies.