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The AO is a medically guided, not-for-profit organization, a global network of surgeons, and the world's leading education, innovation, and research organization specializing in the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. We are home to people from all over the world, from different backgrounds, with diverse talents and specialist areas. What binds us together is our passion for excellence, our dedication to our mission of improving patient care, and our understanding that we are stronger together: we are one AO., For more information, visit:

At the , we're committed to advancing medical education. We focus on equipping surgeons and healthcare professionals with cutting-edge learning programs, driving excellence in patient care

Our Education Design team works at the forefront of digital learning, harnessing the power of media and graphic design to create immersive educational content. Our work spans curriculum and assessment development, medical simulations, video production, development of educational materials, and establishment of digital platforms on a global scale

English or German

You are the technical builder on the team. While your colleagues keep the existing platform stack running, your focus is on what comes next: designing the knowledge architecture and middleware that makes AO’s educational content AI-ready and agentic-capable. You’ll build ontologies, prototype AI-powered tools, develop integration layers, and work closely with Curriculum Design and clinical commissions to ensure the technical architecture reflects both pedagogical and clinical logic. You work within IT governance frameworks — you don’t set policy, but you design compliant systems from the start

Main Responsibilities

• Build the knowledge architecture:
• Design and develop AO’s Knowledge Core: ontology models, content metadata schemas, and structured vocabularies that make educational content discoverable by AI agents
• Build and maintain the middleware layer connecting content to existing platforms (Totara LMS, Area9, Salesforce E&A) and future AI pipelines
• Collaborate with Curriculum Design (educational taxonomy) and clinical commissions (clinical ontology) to ensure the architecture reflects domain logic
• Develop AI-powered tools and integrations:
• Prototype and implement AI tools: RAG-based retrieval, content transformation pipelines, intelligent tagging, and structured data feeds for personalized learning products
• Support the AO Companion Product Owner with technical coordination, sprint planning, and release management
• Evaluate emerging AI/ML technologies and translate them into practical implementation proposals
• Maintain platform awareness:
• Understand the existing platform stack well enough to build on top of it — not to operate it day-to-day
• Ensure new solutions integrate cleanly with existing systems and comply with IT security and data privacy standards
• Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing across the team

Main Requirements

• 5–8 years of experience in learning technology, digital platform engineering, knowledge architecture, or enterprise systems integration. A relevant degree (e.g., computer science, data science, information systems) is valued but not required; equivalent practical experience is equally accepted
• Hands-on experience with at least two of: knowledge graphs/ontology modeling, API design and middleware development, AI/ML in educational contexts (RAG, LLMs, adaptive learning), or content/asset management platforms
• Coding and scripting capability (Python, JavaScript, or similar) for prototyping, data transformation, and technical validation — this is a building role, not a coordinating role
• Ability to translate educational and clinical requirements into technical specifications
• Experience working within IT governance frameworks and alongside IT departments
• English fluency required; German is an advantage

Personal Attributes:

• You’re a builder — you’d rather prototype something and test it than write a specification document about it
• You think in systems: how platforms, data models, and content structures connect across an ecosystem
• You’re comfortable working at the intersection of technology and education — you don’t need every requirement to be a Jira ticket
• You learn fast and stay current with AI and knowledge engineering developments
• You work well with non-technical stakeholders (surgeons, curriculum designers) and can explain complex concepts simply

We offer

• An interesting and varied job in an exciting and innovative organization
• The opportunity to be part of a highly committed international team
• Modern infrastructure
• High degree of flexibility regarding working hours and location (depending on operational requirements)
• Generous package of social benefits, including supplementary vacation days and pension scheme contributions
• Internal skills training opportunities and support for continued education

If you meet the requirements of this challenging opportunity, please submit your complete online application (motivation letter, CV, certificates, reference letters, etc) through our online application system