Knowledge Engineer/Semantic Solutions Consultant

Enterprise Knowledge (EK) is hiring for a full-time Semantic Solutions Consultant to join our growing Knowledge and Data Services Sector. We are seeking a polished consultant with defined experience consulting on high-profile and technically complex efforts. The candidate must be well-organized, curious, strong communicator and quick learner who will tackle diverse challenges with creative, logical solutions. The right candidate will love reasoning and rule based systems (think logic puzzles, workflow diagrams, linguistics and grammar rules, mathematical proofs, set theory, etc.). They will also have a knack for explaining complex concepts in engaging and easy to understand ways. If this sounds like you, keep reading.

The consultant will be leading teams working on semantic solutions to complex problems, developing metadata, taxonomies, ontologies and knowledge graphs to organize and unify information, and leveraging inference to make sense of large quantities of data, answering practical questions and uncovering unexpected connections. This person will play an important, unifying role in cross-disciplinary teams as they will be able to translate between business needs and technical implementation. They will be comfortable operating in ambiguity and are a champion of the art of the possible.

As an EK team member, you will have the opportunity to learn from enthusiastic colleagues, take advantage of our unique benefits, and help build our innovative culture. Don’t just take our word for it – we were recently featured as one of Washington Business Journal and Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces five years in a row!

Please note: This job has the option to work remotely if you are not local to the WDC area.

Responsibilities will include:

Consultative Skills

• Justify the “why” of technical decisions to a range of stakeholders, including executives
• Explain and guide on complex semantic topics to all levels (business stakeholders, IT, executive leadership, etc.), helping each audience understand the value of our approach
• Proactively spot opportunities and risks on the project, filling gaps where necessary
• Drive consensus or agreement

Technical Leadership

• Lead the strategy, design and development of enterprise semantic solutions (metadata, taxonomies, ontologies, knowledge graphs, etc.) for global clients
• Lead the implementation of semantic layer solutions, such as taxonomy/ontology management tools, graph databases/triple stores, labeled property graphs (LPGs), etc.
• Motivate, guide, and unblock team members to work at their greatest potential
• Facilitate design and analysis sessions
• Interpret existing semantic schemas and help to develop and deliver the design and implementation of solutions architectures and governance plans
• Experience using semantic standards like RDF, OWL, SKOS, and SPARQL

Analytical

• Provide analysis of client information and data management landscape to provide semantic layer recommendations
• Lead the development of Enterprise Knowledge semantic solutions consulting deliverables

Communications

• Effectively engage business and technical stakeholders to foster buy-in on semantic initiatives through demonstrating understanding of business value and strategic approaches
• Tailor messaging to best resonate with a given audience
• Coordinate and collaborate across business and technology functions to ensure comprehensive solutions are delivered
• Lead client meetings, presentations and trainings to technical and non-technical audiences

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• 5+ years of consulting experience
• At least 3 years designing and managing taxonomies, thesauri, and/or ontologies
• Understanding and passion for logic (e.g., logic puzzles, linguistic and grammar rules, mathematical proofs, set theory, formal logic, etc.)
• Ability to adapt to new technology
• Ability to problem-solve and learn new skills quickly and effectively
• Ability to synthesize critical aspects of discovery for project team members
• Detail-oriented to be "last eye" on deliverables
• Basic understanding of prioritization approaches for content and data analysis
• Exceptional communication skills (verbal, written, and visual)
• Ability to understand client business requirements and co-facilitate client meetings

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Science, Knowledge Management, Library Science, Data Science or related field
• Experience using visual diagramming tools (e.g., Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart, Draw.io)
• Basic understanding of XML or JSON
• Familiarity with taxonomy and thesauri standards including ANSI/NISO Z.39.19 and ISO 25964
• Familiarity with interoperability standards including SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System), RDF (Resource Description Framework), and OWL (Web Ontology Language)
• Experience with taxonomy or ontology management tools and semantic technologies (Metadata management and data catalogs, graph databases, master data management, taxonomy/ontology management tools, etc.)
• Basic understanding of Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• Basic understanding of enterprise search functionality and logic for recommendation engines

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

“We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.”