Ontology Architect

Our Client is building the first Policy Decision Engine for government. We're hiring an Ontology Architect to lead the structuring of Delaware's unemployment insurance statutes, regulations, and operational policies into a machine-readable ontology. You don't need to be a UI policy expert — the state is providing subject matter experts for that. You need to be exceptional at extracting what they know and turning it into structured decision logic.
What the role covers:
Knowledge Extraction — Sit with state adjudicators, caseworkers, and policy experts. Ask the right questions. Pull out the operational knowledge that lives in their heads — the exceptions, the edge cases, the "it depends" logic that isn't written down anywhere.
Policy-to-Logic Translation — Take statutes, regulations, and the SME knowledge you've captured and structure it into a machine-readable ontology. Map eligibility criteria, exceptions, disqualification conditions, and the relationships between them into a graph the decision engine can reason over.
Structured Reasoning — Design the ontology architecture. Define how concepts relate, when exceptions apply, and how the engine should evaluate a set of facts against the statute. This is logic design, not software development.
Validation — Shadow-run the ontology against historical cases. Work with SMEs to confirm the engine produces the same determination they would. Identify gaps, tune, iterate until it's accurate.
Citation Integrity — Ensure every recommendation traces to the specific statute, section, and rule applied. Version-pinned and exhibit-ready for hearings.
Documentation — Document the ontology architecture, design decisions, and coverage so the work is transferable and extensible to other programs and states.

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-Experience with knowledge engineering, ontology design, taxonomy, rules-based systems, or policy analysis
-Structured, analytical thinker who can break complex, real-world work into clear logic and decision pathways.
-Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills—able to work effectively with experienced practitioners and earn trust quickly.
-Knowledge elicitation ability: can capture “tacit” expertise (intuition, edge cases, unwritten rules) from subject matter experts and formalize it into structured logic (e.g., decision trees).
-Learning agility: able to learn a complex domain quickly by working closely with the people who know it best.
-Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to progress work through iterative refinement (draft → validate → revise cycles).

-Government experience is a plus

Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.