Ontologist / Semantic Architect (Remote), Dalhousie University / NIKLA

Location: Remote
Compensation: $80,000 - $95,000 per annum (for 35 hours/ week)  

The Respectful Terminologies Platform Project (RTPP) is a key project of the National Indigenous Knowledge Language Alliance (NIKLA-ANCLA). The project builds on the efforts of generations of Indigenous people and allies working to create an Indigenous-centred platform featuring terminology that more accurately represents Indigenous cultural heritage and lived experience. The goal is to build an open, online platform providing multilingual terminologies and vocabularies (or metadata) that reflect Indigenous knowledge systems, histories, cultures, places, and people from our perspectives. Research is focused on working with Indigenous communities and allies to develop Indigenous protocols and community-driven solutions for controlled vocabularies. It will be used by museums, archives, libraries, cultural centres, and other knowledge organizations to enrich the information they share. Most importantly, it enables Indigenous communities to be known by the names and terms we determine for ourselves. The project has received a 1.8 million dollar grant to create and test prototypes of the project.

Description and Duties    

Reporting to the Respectful Terminologies Platform Project (RTPP) Co-Leads, the Ontologist/Semantic Analyst will be a part of the project team and will recommend, plan, test and implement metadata schemas and vocabulary structures. They will support the creation of the RTPP prototype. The prototype will support workflows to create structured vocabularies related to Indigenous communities. Particular attention will be paid to the possible integration of these structures into a variety of metadata management systems, including library and archival collection platforms. They will help develop data models; scope prototype development in relation to vocabularies; and advise on data governance, scale, sustainability and maintenance.

• Assisting to harmonize and develop controlled vocabularies, including data cleaning and reconciliation. Oversee the preparation of structured vocabularies for ingest into the platform.
• Assisting with research, recommendations, and testing of software related to vocabulary management.
• Working with the prototype testing groups to understand and define appropriate standards and assist with the development of governance frameworks for controlled vocabularies.
• Assisting with the development of documentation of project initiatives as well as training and instructional materials relating to vocabulary management and use.
• Ensuring technical specifications are backwards and forward-compatible, with ongoing client training for accessibility & ease of use.
• Reporting on vocabulary work in project meetings and discuss progress and options.

Required Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a technical field with at least 3 years of experience in semantic technologies and/or metadata management.
• Experience with metadata schemas and the development of related vocabularies.
• Experience or knowledge of semantic web standards and encoding (e.g. RDF, JSON-LD, SKOS, OWL, Schema.org, SPARQL) and data shape expressions (e.g SHAQL).
• Experience writing documentation and developing workflows and familiarity with data governance and Indigenous data sovereignty.
• Experience with multilingual environments and multilingual controlled vocabularies or taxonomies.
• Effective verbal and written communication, particularly with people from a variety of technical and non-technical backgrounds.

Assets

• Masters degree in Information Studies or allied degree.
• Knowledge of best practices and international metadata standards and schemas (e.g. Library of Congress Subject Headings, Dublin Core, BIBFRAME, MARC, CIDOC-CRM,
• Wikidata) and familiarity with Community-specific vocabularies such as the Homosaurus.
• Knowledge of Indigenous-specific issues within vocabulary and descriptive standards.
• Knowledge of emerging standards, policies, and practices related to data, particularly with
• Natural Language Processing and ML.
• Knowledge or experience with semantic web software tools (e.g. PoolParty, Wikibase, Research Space).
• Proficiency in French.

Additional Information    

The successful applicant may work in-person on campus at Dalhousie University, primarily remotely, or perform a hybrid of the two as agreed by all parties based on operational requirements
 
How to Apply    

For questions or more information about this opportunity, please email: respectfulterminology@nikla-ancla.com
For access to the full posting and information on how to apply, please visit the Dalhousie University link below and submit your Résumé / Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Cover Letter.
Application Webpage (URL)    https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/18159
Application Deadline: January 31, 2025