Ontologist , Customer Engagement Technology

Mid • On-site

$74,400 - $166,500/yr

Seattle, WA , +1

DESCRIPTION

The Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) team is a new function within Customer Engagement Technology. We own the end-to-end process of defining, building, implementing, and monitoring a comprehensive data strategy. We also develop and apply Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Computer Vision, Machine Learning (ML), Ontology, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to customer service associate experiences and foundational technologies.

As an Ontologist, you'll architect comprehensive taxonomy and ontology models, collaborating with global teams to optimize Amazon's customer service. Leveraging expertise in knowledge representation, semantic search, and data modeling, you'll deliver knowledge-based solutions that drive business impact. Your expertise will be instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies and tackling complex data challenges. By partnering with science and engineering teams, you'll advance ontology best practices, enhance Amazon's customer service foundation, and transform customer interactions.

You should care deeply about customers and strive to deliver customer value through applied science. You should work well in a fast-paced setting, using your skills to create effective solutions. With a combination of deep business knowledge and hands-on skills, you will tackle complex challenges and drive continuous improvement.

Key job responsibilities
- Design and develop robust, semantically rich, and extensible data models for Amazon Customer Service, enabling seamless machine ingestion and inference.
- Create novel schema using innovative generative AI models.
- Enhance data retrieval capabilities by leveraging our vast product catalog and advanced query languages.
- Analyze website metrics and behaviors to inform data-driven decisions on optimizing knowledge graph data models globally.
- Drive adoption of ontology modeling and technology best practices across Amazon.
- Lead cross-functional projects, collaborating with diverse technical and non-technical teams.
- Ensure comprehensive sub-domain coverage and ontology alignment across Amazon.

Come join a team of bright, passionate, and customer-obsessed individuals who are having fun and making history. We would love to talk to you!

A day in the life
A typical day for an Ontologist involves balancing domain expertise with hands-on ontology development. You'll tackle complex knowledge modeling initiatives, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer needs, and translate domain requirements into practical ontology solutions. Working with cross-functional teams, you'll design and enhance ontologies, focusing on semantic accuracy, scalability, and interoperability. You'll mentor team members, fostering skill growth and encouraging innovative knowledge modeling approaches. Your day will involve ensuring data consistency, ontology quality, and generating actionable insights from vast amounts of data, driving business impact and transforming Amazon's customer service experience.

If you are not sure that every qualification on the list above describes you exactly, we'd still love to hear from you! At Amazon, we value people with unique backgrounds, experiences, and skillsets. If you’re passionate about this role and want to make an impact on a global scale, please apply!

Benefits Summary:
Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members, including domestic partners and their children. Benefits can vary by location, the number of regularly scheduled hours you work, length of employment, and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular, full-time employees include:
1. Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
2. Maternity and Parental Leave Options
3. Paid Time Off (PTO)
4. 401(k) Plan

About the team
The Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) team is a new function within Customer Engagement Technology. We own the end-to-end process of defining, building, implementing, and monitoring a comprehensive data strategy. We also develop and apply Generative AI (GenAI), Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Ontologies, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to customer service associate experiences and foundational technologies.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- 3+ years of relevant work experience working in ontology and/or taxonomy roles
- Degree in Library Science, Information Systems, Linguistics or equivalent professional experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Master’s degree in Library Science, Information Systems, Linguistics or other relevant fields
- Experience building ontologies in the e-commerce and semantic search spaces
- Experience working with schema-level constructs (e.g. higher-order classes, punning, property inheritance)
- Proficiency in SQL, SPARQL
- Familiarity with ontology manipulation programming libraries
- Exposure to data science and/or machine learning, including graph embeddings

Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $74,400/year in our lowest geographic market up to $166,500/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.

Amazon

Amazon.com, Inc. founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in the cozy confines of his Seattle garage, Amazon.com, Inc. quickly evolved from a humble online bookstore to a colossal e-commerce powerhouse. Today, it offers an extensive range of products from DVDs and electronics to furniture and groceries. With a global footprint that spans continents—from Canada and the UK to Japan and Brazil—Amazon's presence is truly international. The company has not only diversified into various domains, including acquiring Twitch in 2014 and venturing into the film industry in 2015, but also introduced initiatives like the brand registry program to safeguard intellectual property. Despite the hurdles of labor relations and competitive practices, Amazon remains a dominant force in the global e-commerce landscape.