Job Description
Project Contractor
Summary
Contract role to design and deliver a proof-of-concept knowledge graph modeling investment fund data for one of the world’s largest asset managers. You will encode business rules, regulatory constraints, and identifier relationships as machine-readable ontologies — directly eliminating manual fund data processes and enabling automated validation across thousands of funds in 6 global markets. Defined POC scope, executive sponsorship, and weekly technical guidance from two of the most recognized knowledge graph practitioners in financial services.What You’ll Deliver (POC Scope)An investment fund ontology (OWL 2 / RDF / Linked Data) modeling the product hierarchy: Fund > ShareClass > Listing > Security, with 73+ identifier types (ISIN, SEDOL, CUSIP, LEI, Bloomberg, and more) governed across US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and MexicoSHACL validation shapes encoding business rules as executable constraints — e.g., “A US-domiciled ETF listing must have a valid ISIN” — that flag violations at fund launch and throughout the fund lifecycleSKOS concept schemes harmonizing vocabulary across 8+ internal systems, providing a semantic bridge between source-of-record platformsData integration pipelines mapping relational data into RDF triples (Turtle/N-Quads) using R2RML, rdflib, or equivalent mapping toolingAPI layer enabling downstream applications to consume graph data programmaticallyAutomated governance reports surfacing data quality gaps, missing identifiers, and cross-system inconsistenciesRequired Skills5+ years hands-on experience building and deploying RDF/OWL ontologies in production (not solely academic — you have shipped something real)SHACL for constraint validation, data quality enforcement, and shape-based governanceSPARQL 1.1 — fluent in complex queries, property paths, and federated queriesAt least one enterprise triple store / graph platform: TopBraid, GraphDB (Ontotext), Stardog, RDFox, Amazon Neptune (RDF mode), or equivalentPython or Java for data transformation, pipeline orchestration, and integration workFamiliarity with financial or securities identifiers (ISIN, SEDOL, CUSIP, LEI, or similar instrument identification schemes) — you don’t need to be a fund accountant, but you need to understand what an identifier is and why it mattersWorking knowledge of data governance — you understand why constraints exist, not just how to code themPreferred ExperienceFinancial services domain: fund data, securities master, regulatory compliance (MiFID, UCITS, listing rules)FIBO (Financial Industry Business Ontology) or similar financial ontologiesTopBraid EDG / GraphWise (our target platform — evaluation input from this hire is welcome)SKOS for vocabulary management and cross-system term harmonizationR2RML / RML or equivalent relational-to-RDF mapping standardsOntology design patterns, modular schema design, ontology versioning (Git-based workflows)Enterprise-scale data modeling (thousands of entities, multi-market, multi-product-type)Exposure to rules engines, inference, or deterministic AI (SHACL-based reasoning, business rules automation)Agile delivery in a regulated environment
How We Work
Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.
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