Senior Ontology & Semantic Web Engineer

About the Company

Armada is an edge computing startup that provides computing infrastructure to remote areas where connectivity and cloud infrastructure is limited, as well as areas where data needs to be processed locally for real-time analytics and AI at the edge. We’re looking to bring on the most brilliant minds to help further our mission of bridging the digital divide with advanced technology infrastructure that can be rapidly deployed anywhere.

We are looking for a senior ontology and semantic systems engineer to design and operationalize Armada’s semantic layer—the foundation for how our AI systems understand, reason over, and act on data. You will develop and maintain ontologies, semantic schemas, and knowledge graph infrastructure that power search, reasoning, agent orchestration, and domain-specific applications across energy, industrial, defense, and logistics sectors. 

This is a role at the intersection of knowledge representation, semantic web technologies, and applied AI—ideal for someone who wants to shape the way complex, multi-modal data becomes machine-understandable and fuels AI/agent workflows at scale. 

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

• Define, model, and maintain ontologies using OWL, RDF, RDFS, SKOS, SHACL, and related W3C standards. Translate real-world operational knowledge into formal semantic models. 
• Build and manage knowledge graphs / triple stores; expose SPARQL endpoints; design performant queries; support large-scale semantic reasoning. 
• Provide APIs and access layers so AI/ML models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and autonomous agents can fetch, reason, and act on semantic data. 
• Design pipelines to transform structured and unstructured sources (CSV, XML, JSON, relational DBs, sensor feeds) into RDF/semantic formats. 
• Define best practices for ontology modularity, versioning, IRI management, vocabulary reuse, and schema evolution. 
• Partner with AI engineers, product managers, and domain experts to ensure semantic models reflect operational reality (e.g., drilling, logistics, geospatial, safety). 
• Validate data with SHACL or similar frameworks, ensuring semantic integrity, consistency, and compliance with enterprise standards. 
• Stay ahead of advances in semantic web, ontologies, and AI/knowledge graph integration; evaluate emerging tools and methods (e.g., hybrid symbolic–neural systems). 

Required Qualifications

• Master’s or Doctoral degree in Computer Science, Information Science, Knowledge Representation, Ontology Engineering, or related field. 
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in ontology engineering, semantic web, or knowledge graph development. 
• Deep expertise in RDF, OWL, SPARQL, and W3C semantic web standards. 
• Experience with at least one major triple store or graph DB (for example, GraphDB, Stardog, Virtuoso, Neptune, AllegroGraph, Neo4j where applicable). 
• Strong programming and scripting ability (Python, Java, or similar) for semantic ETL and API development. 
• Experience implementing validation rules (SHACL, ShEx) and maintaining semantic integrity at scale. 
• Strong communication skills; able to work with both technical stakeholders and domain experts to translate needs into semantic artifacts. 

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience building or operating large-scale knowledge graphs with billions of triples. 
• Familiarity with integrating ontologies with AI/LLMs (e.g., retrieval-augmented generation, agent orchestration, grounding for multimodal models). 
• Domain expertise in industrial, energy, geospatial, logistics, or defense ontologies. 
• Contributions to ontology or semantic web communities / standards bodies. 
• Cloud-native and DevOps experience: AWS/GCP/Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD for semantic systems. 

You're a Great Fit if You're

• A go-getter with a growth mindset. You're intellectually curious, have strong business acumen, and actively seek opportunities to build relevant skills and knowledge 
• A detail-oriented problem-solver. You can independently gather information, solve problems efficiently, and deliver results with a "get-it-done" attitude 
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment. You're energized by an entrepreneurial spirit, capable of working quickly, and excited to contribute to a growing company
• A collaborative team player. You focus on business success and are motivated by team accomplishment vs personal agenda 
• Highly organized and results-driven. Strong prioritization skills and a dedicated work ethic are essential for you 

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Armada, we are committed to fostering a work environment where everyone is given equal opportunities to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we strictly prohibit discrimination or harassment based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, and compensation. Our hiring is guided by qualifications, merit, and the business needs at the time.

Unsolicited Resumes and Candidates

Armada does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from external agencies or recruiters. All candidates must apply directly through our careers page. Any resumes submitted by agencies without a prior signed agreement will be considered unsolicited and Armada will not be obligated to pay any fees.