Ontologist, Product Knowledge

Amazon Amazon · Big Tech · Seattle, WA · Editorial, Writing, & Content Management

This role focuses on developing and maintaining product knowledge ontologies and taxonomies for Amazon's e-commerce platform. The Ontologist will create semantically rich data models, ensure machine ingestibility, research product understanding, and leverage generative AI for schema creation. The goal is to optimize product discovery and customer experience through a robust knowledge graph.

What you'd actually do

  1. Develop logical, semantically rich, and extensible data models for Amazon's expansive product catalog
  2. Ensure our ontologies provide comprehensive sub-domain coverage that are available for machine ingestion and inference
  3. Research worldwide understanding of Amazon products to develop scalable data models that solve customer problems and enhance product discoverability
  4. Create new schema using Generative Artificial Intelligence (generative AI) models
  5. Expand existing data retrieval techniques by utilizing our extensive product catalog and query languages

Skills

Required

  • Experience in data retrieval techniques
  • Experience in written and spoken English and an ability to compose grammatically correct, concise and accurate written responses
  • Degree in Library Science, Information Systems, Linguistics or equivalent professional experience
  • 3+ years of relevant work experience working in ontology and/or taxonomy roles
  • Ability to quickly understand complex processes and communicate them in simple language
  • Ability to communicate knowledge-based requirements and needs to engineering and retail teams
  • Familiarity with Semantic Web technologies (RDF/s, OWL), query languages (SPARQL) and validation/reasoning standards (SHACL, SPIN)
  • Knowledge of open-source and commercial ontology engineering editors (e.g. Protege, TopQuadrant products, PoolParty)
  • Detail-oriented problem-solving, ability to work in fast-changing environment and manage ambiguity
  • Proven track record of strong communication and interpersonal skills

Nice to have

  • Experience building ontologies in the e-commerce and semantic search spaces
  • Experience working with schema-level constructs like higher-order classes, punning or property inheritance
  • Knowledge of software engineering life cycle
  • Master’s degree in Library Science, Information Systems, Linguistics or other relevant fields
  • Proficiency in SQL, SPARQL
  • Exposure to data science and/or machine learning, including graph embeddings

What the JD emphasized

  • ontology and/or taxonomy roles
  • Semantic Web technologies (RDF/s, OWL), query languages (SPARQL) and validation/reasoning standards (SHACL, SPIN)
  • ontology engineering editors (e.g. Protege, TopQuadrant products, PoolParty)
  • building ontologies in the e-commerce and semantic search spaces
  • Proficiency in SQL, SPARQL

Other signals

  • develop logical, semantically rich, and extensible data models
  • ontologies provide comprehensive sub-domain coverage that are available for machine ingestion and inference
  • Create new schema using Generative Artificial Intelligence (generative AI) models
  • utilizing our extensive product catalog and query languages
  • optimizing our knowledge graph data models globally