Knowledge Engineer

Job Title: Knowledge Engineer

Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Onsite)

About The Company

Our client is a leading software and data company focused on transforming defense acquisition through AI-enabled applications, advanced analytics, and modern data infrastructure. Their platform supports supply chain, logistics, sustainment, modernization, production, and science and technology teams across the national security ecosystem. They are committed to solving complex challenges, driving innovation, and helping critical stakeholders make faster, more informed decisions.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Knowledge Engineer to join the Data Product & Operations team in Pittsburgh, PA. The ideal candidate will bring hands-on experience building ontologies, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and semantic models that create structure from complex, unstructured data. This role will involve partnering closely with data engineers, data scientists, product teams, and domain experts to build knowledge frameworks that improve AI systems, search, classification, and analytics capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Ontology & Taxonomy Development: Build and maintain ontologies, taxonomies, and controlled vocabularies across defense acquisition and related domains to create structured, reusable knowledge frameworks.
• Semantic Modeling: Map unstructured data into structured semantic models that integrate into the company’s broader data infrastructure and support AI-enabled applications.
• Metadata & Standards: Establish metadata standards, semantic modeling guidelines, and best practices in collaboration with data engineering and data science teams.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product teams, business stakeholders, and subject matter experts to translate business requirements into scalable semantic solutions.
• Documentation & Adoption: Document semantic models, provide guidance to internal teams, and help drive adoption of semantic technologies across the organization.
• Continuous Improvement: Measure adoption, monitor impact, and continuously refine semantic models, taxonomies, tools, and processes.
  
  

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field
• Experience: 3 years of experience developing ontologies, taxonomies, knowledge graphs, or semantic models
• Skills: Experience with ontology editors such as Protégé or TopBraid, experience with graph databases such as Neo4j or RDF stores, working knowledge of semantic web standards including OWL, RDF, SKOS, and SPARQL, ability to translate business and technical requirements into semantic models, and strong communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams.
  
  

Other: U.S. Citizenship is required, ability to obtain or maintain a U.S. security clearance preferred, up to 10% travel may be required, and this is a full-time onsite role in Pittsburgh, PA.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field
• Familiarity with how AI/ML and generative AI systems leverage structured knowledge and ontologies
• Experience with data modeling, metadata management, or schema design
• Familiarity with defense acquisition data, defense operations, or related government environments
• Experience working in a startup, entrepreneurial, or high-growth environment
• Active U.S. security clearance
  
  

Benefits

• Competitive Salary: Compensation will be discussed directly with qualified candidates
• Health and Wellness: Comprehensive healthcare and wellness offerings available
• Work-Life Balance: PTO and additional flexibility depending on business needs
• Professional Development: Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI, semantic technologies, and defense-focused data products
• Additional Perks: Exposure to mission-driven work supporting national security and defense modernization initiatives