Job Description

Introduction to role

Join our Global Operations Data Office as an Ontologist and be part of a team that is transforming the pharmaceutical industry through data innovation.


Our mission is to ensure AI-ready data that supports our Operations 2030 ambition, enabling life-changing medicines. We partner with various business areas, including Pharmaceutical Technology and Development, Manufacturing, and Global Supply Chain, operating from hub sites in the UK, Sweden, US, China, and Global Technology Centres in India and Mexico. Here, your work will directly impact patients by empowering the business to perform at its peak through cutting-edge science and digital technology platforms.

Accountabilities

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As an Ontologist, you will play a crucial role in developing semantic data solutions across manufacturing, supply chain, and development functions. You will engineer robust ontology driven knowledge models, integrate structured and unstructured data, and apply semantic standards to enhance data interoperability. Collaborating closely with product teams and data engineers, you will bring semantic capabilities into real-world business applications. This is your chance to work at the forefront of semantic data technologies in the pharmaceutical industry--enabling FAIR data, accelerating AI use cases, and driving smarter digital operations.

Essential Skills/Experience

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Proficiency with RDF, SKOS, OWL, SHACL, SPARQL, and other semantic web technologies. Ability to translate business concepts into structured, ontology driven knowledge models. End-to-end experience delivering graph or semantic data projects in production environments. Taxonomy and thesaurus development experience such as by having standardised terminology across datasets. Experience in engaging with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Strong programming skills for scripting and automating as well as GitHub for version control. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field, with equivalent experience also accepted (Master's preferred).

Desirable Skills/Experience

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Understanding of data governance, metadata, and FAIR principles. Hands-on experience with Neo4j, Cypher, and property graph modelling. Experience with industrial or manufacturing data from systems such as ERP, MES, IoT platforms, or Cognite Data Fusion. Experience with semantic graph platforms such as GraphDB, Accenta, or Amazon Neptune. Familiarity with tools like Protege, VocBench, or Metaphactory for ontology development. Exposure to graph-based AI/ML use cases such as embeddings, reasoning, or LLM integration.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.


AstraZeneca offers an environment where you can make a significant impact on society through our sustainability goals. We are committed to making a difference beyond patients by pioneering our sustainability strategy. You will have the opportunity to contribute to our goal of becoming Zero Carbon by 2025 and carbon negative across the entire value chain by 2030. Everyone here plays a part in our collective legacy of doing good for people, the environment, and society.


Ready to take on this exciting challenge? Apply now and be part of a team that is changing lives through innovation!