Overview

We're looking for an Ontology Architect to join our team in a remote working mode with occasional onsite visits to Barcelona, Spain. In this role, you will lead a strategic, enterprise-wide knowledge architecture initiative for a global pharmaceutical organization. You will design the conceptual foundations of the Enterprise Ontology Architecture Blueprint, develop frameworks and tooling for consistent ontology contribution and deliver production-ready artifacts that support data engineering, regulatory teams and AI/ML use cases.

This position combines strategic architecture leadership with hands-on delivery, allowing you to establish foundational standards while shaping how the enterprise models and connects its knowledge assets.

Responsibilities

  • Define and govern the Enterprise Ontology Architecture Blueprint for the organization
  • Manage the ontology lifecycle, including versioning, alignment, and impact assessments
  • Advise internal teams (data engineering, clinical, regulatory, AI/ML) on semantic web standards and practices
  • Facilitate ontology working groups to ensure consistency and cross-domain integration
  • Align internal ontologies with external standards such as W3C, HL7, EDQM, IDMP and OBO Foundry guidelines
  • Create documentation, design patterns and governance frameworks for reusable ontology components
  • Support adoption by running training sessions, workshops and mentoring domain teams
  • Deliver demonstrators and proofs of concept to validate architecture and create stakeholder value

Requirements

  • 7+ years of experience in semantic technologies, knowledge engineering or information architecture
  • Proven expertise in OWL 2, RDF/RDFS, SPARQL and related semantic web standards
  • Hands-on experience with graph databases (e.g., Neo4j, Amazon Neptune, Stardog, Ontotext)
  • Strong understanding of ontology design patterns, modular approaches and upper ontology alignment
  • Familiarity with pharmaceutical standards like IDMP, MedDRA, SNOMED CT, CDISC, HL7 FHIR
  • Practical knowledge of SHACL for data shape validation
  • Experience delivering architectural artefacts such as blueprints, design recommendations or pattern libraries
  • Proficiency in ontology tooling (Protégé, ROBOT, OntoGraph or equivalent)
  • Excellent communication skills to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams

Nice to have

  • Experience with regulatory information management systems or clinical data platforms
  • Familiarity with ontology CI/CD pipelines and automation (e.g., GitHub Actions)
  • Knowledge of LLM-assisted ontology generation or Azure AI tools
  • Contributions to standards organizations (OBO Foundry, W3C, HL7)
  • Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Knowledge Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Linguistics or related fields

Spain

  • Private health insurance
  • EPAM Employees Stock Purchase Plan
  • 100% paid sick leave
  • Referral Program
  • Professional certification
  • Language courses

[epamgdo] Spain (About EPAM)

EPAM is a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company with 61,700+ EPAMers in 55+ countries and regions. Since 1993, our multidisciplinary teams have been helping make the future real for our clients and communities around the world. In 2018, we opened an office in Spain that quickly grew to over 1,450 EPAMers distributed between the offices in Málaga, Madrid and Cáceres as well as remotely across the country. Here you will collaborate with multinational teams, contribute to numerous innovative projects, and have an opportunity to learn and grow continuously.

[epamgdo] Spain (life at EPAM)

  • Why Join EPAM
  • WORK AND LIFE BALANCE. Enjoy more of your personal time with flexible work options, 24 working days of annual leave and paid time off for numerous public holidays.
  • CONTINUOUS LEARNING CULTURE. Craft your personal Career Development Plan to align with your learning objectives. Take advantage of internal training, mentorship, sponsored certifications and LinkedIn courses.
  • CLEAR AND DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS. Grow in engineering or managerial direction to become a People Manager, in-depth technical specialist, Solution Architect, or Project/Delivery Manager.
  • STRONG PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY. Join a global EPAM community of highly skilled experts and connect with them to solve challenges, exchange ideas, share expertise and make friends.