Sr. Ontologist

Description

Position at WebMD

WebMD Ignite, a division of WebMD and Internet Brands, is the growth partner for healthcare organizations. We guide people to better health at all stages of their journey, from discovery to recovery. Our combination of leading brands in the industry—including WebMD, Medscape, Krames, PulsePoint, Vitals, The Wellness Network, Mercury Healthcare, and Healthwise—offers comprehensive solutions that engage individuals with timely, relevant messaging that optimizes experiences and outcomes, driving loyalty and lifetime value for our clients. Learn more at WebMDIgnite.com.

JOB SUMMARY:

As a member of the Knowledge Engineering (KE) team, the Senior Ontologist creates and manages the enterprise schemas and information models for WebMD Ignite’s foundational taxonomies and ontologies. The Ontologist partners with software engineers to integrate the taxonomies and metadata schemas into search indices, internal and external API endpoints, and AI tools. The Ontologist also manages the team’s taxonomy management software and provides technical expertise to extract and transform data into RDF and other formats. The position is on product management and works closely with various roles, which span specialists, taxonomist, product managers, content leads, UX product designers, and software engineers. The Ontologist is a team player, an excellent verbal and written communicator, and passionate about supporting patients and consumers along their healthcare journeys.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Creates, manages, and governs the enterprise schemas for WebMD Ignite taxonomies and ontologies.
• Partners with software engineers and product managers to Integrate the information models for use in WebMD Ignite products, including clinical and consumer search, internal and external API endpoints, product information architecture, and AI tools.
• Ensures that information structures and systems support current and future product and content needs. This entails working closely with taxonomy and search strategist, the knowledge engineering manager, many product managers, integration engineers, search engineers, and sometimes clients.
• As needed, partners with product designers and user experience researchers to test and implement information structures in user interfaces.
• Acts as a power user and backup administrator for WebMD Ignite’s taxonomy and ontology management system.
• Works closely with system administrator and KE team members to coordinate software updates, optimize performance, maintain and clean up data, build and implement new features, and troubleshoot application errors.
• Partners with engineering teams to integrate our ontology management systems, update our internal data and structures with the UMLS, extract and transform data into RDF and other formats, and to work on other projects as needed.
• Leads special projects, including custom SPARQL/GraphQL reports, data cleanup and optimization projects, data mapping, and medical code set integration.
• Documents best practices and processes for managing and versioning the ontology and integrated taxonomies and metadata.
• Stays abreast of emerging trends and advancements in ontology engineering, knowledge representation, and semantic technologies.
• Trains and mentors KE team members and others in the organization on taxonomy/ontology engineering and information modeling.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s in Library Science, Information Science, Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field
• 6+ years of experience working in taxonomy/ontology engineering and semantic modeling.
• In-depth understanding of semantic web standards and technologies including RDF, OWL, SKOS, SPARQL, GraphQL, and SHACL.
• Ability to write complex queries in SPARQL, GraphQL, and/or SQL.
• Direct knowledge of the UMLS and associated taxonomies such as SNOMEDCT, ICD-10, RxNorm, CPT, and LOINC is a significant plus.
• Experience administering a taxonomy management system, such as TopBraid EDG.
• Relevant experience in the healthcare industry is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment.
• Very strong social and communication skills. Ability to present ideas clearly and with confidence across diverse settings and groups in the organization.
• All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential functions satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation.

Salary range: $110,000 - $135,000

Bonus Eligible:

• This position is also eligible for a discretionary company bonus, based upon business results.

Benefits:

• Employees in this position are eligible to participate in the company sponsored benefit programs, including the following within the first 12 months of employment:

• Health Insurance (medical, dental, and vision coverage)

• Paid Time Off (including vacation, sick leave, and flexible holiday days)

• 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer matching

• Life and Disability Insurance

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Commuter and/or Transit Benefits (if applicable)

Eligibility for specific benefits may vary based on job classification, schedule (e.g., full-time vs. part-time), work location and length of employmen