Semantic Ontology/Navigator Engineer

Description: This is a Hybrid engagement. Overview We are seeking a Semantic Ontology/Navigator Designer Engineer with at least 10 years of experience in enterprise software engineering, semantic technologies, and distributed systems. In this role, you will design and maintain ontologies, develop navigation services for knowledge graphs, and build distributed microservices. You will work closely with technical and business teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and user-friendly semantic solutions. Key Responsibilities, Core Skills, and Secondary Skills 1. Ontology Design & Modeling Key Responsibilities: · You will work with business analysts and subject matter experts to gather requirements and understand business processes. · You will translate business concepts into formal ontology models using OWL and RDF, making sure they accurately reflect real-world relationships. · You will extend existing ontologies as the business evolves, ensuring alignment with existing standards and keeping documentation up to date. · You will help create clear guidelines for how ontologies are versioned and updated, supporting smooth transitions as models change. · You will participate in regular reviews to validate that ontologies are practical and usable for all relevant teams. 1. Semantic Navigator Engine Development Key Responsibilities: · You will design and build a semantic navigator in Java 17 that allows applications to traverse and query knowledge graphs easily and efficiently · You will implement APIs (REST or GraphQL) that let other systems and applications interact with semantic data, find related information, and perform searches. · You will optimize navigation and search features so that users receive results quickly, even with large datasets. · You will ensure that navigation and search endpoints are robust and handle errors gracefully, providing clear feedback to users and developers. · You will review and maintain code to ensure readability, maintainability, and alignment with best practices. 1. Fluree or Similar Integration & Data Ingestion Key Responsibilities: · You will set up and maintain data pipelines to import RDF or JSON-LD data into Fluree or a similar semantic database, ensuring data is loaded accurately and on schedule. · You will configure database indexes and access controls, making sure data is easily retrievable and properly secured · You will work with other teams to validate that incoming data matches ontology definitions and is free from errors. · You will support incremental updates and schema changes, making sure data remains consistent and accessible. · You will monitor data health and integrity, proactively addressing issues as they arise. 1. Akka-Based Microservices & Distributed Systems Key Responsibilities: · You will develop and maintain microservices in Java 17 using Akka, focusing on reliability, scalability, and clear separation of concerns. · You will implement supervision strategies to recover gracefully from failures and ensure that services remain available. · You will design microservices to support horizontal scaling, using Akka clustering features where appropriate. · You will integrate your services with message brokers or other backend systems for robust, event-driven communication. · You will participate in troubleshooting and on-call rotations to resolve production issues as needed. 1. Testing, Documentation & Collaboration Key Responsibilities: · You will develop unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests to ensure the reliability and correctness of your code. · You will write and maintain clear, user-friendly documentation for APIs, ontology models, and data pipelines. · You will participate in code reviews, offering constructive feedback to peers and accepting suggestions for your own work. · You will collaborate with cross-functional teams in agile ceremonies, knowledge sharing sessions, and architecture discussions. · You will help onboard new team members and support ongoing team learning. Required Qualifications · Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field. · At least 10 years of hands-on experience building Java-based applications and microservices, with recent experience in Java 17 · 3 years Practical experience with Akka for actor-based concurrency, resilience, and distributed systems. · 2 years Experience modeling ontologies with OWL/RDF and querying them via SPARQL or equivalent. · 1 year Proven ability to work with Fluree or a similar blockchain-backed semantic or graph database. · 6 years Strong understanding of distributed system design, fault tolerance, and performance optimization. · Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills. Tools & Technologies · Java 17 · Akka (Scala/Java) · Fluree or similar semantic/graph database · OWL, RDF, SPARQL · REST/GraphQL APIs · Docker, Kubernetes · SHACL · Kafka/RabbitMQ or similar message brokers · Git, CI/CD tools