Summary
You are a community-centered leader ready to inspire the people who set knowledge free as a global movement
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia—serving nearly half a billion users every month—and its related knowledge projects. We are supported by a community of more than 250,000 global volunteers.
We’d like you to:
Develop large scale engagement techniques borrowed from proven best practices: Build strategies and practices to foster collaboration between our organizations and individuals by reviewing and integrating tactics proven successful in everything from politics, to grass roots community building, to video game player management.
Work to make our movement communications equitable and inclusive: Increase representational equity by identifying and addressing communication gaps among underrepresented and less vocal groups in the movement. Establish ways of engaging communities which have generally not participated in movement-wide discussions.
Prove that it’s working: Find ways to measure the relationship value between the Foundation and movement entities, and strengthen these connections through evidence-based decision making. Establish metrics to help measure successes and challenges to move us towards equitable and concrete understandings of dissent, agreement, and shared commitment.
Responsibilities
Understand and communicate the importance of Wikimedia’s community relations work as it relates to the Foundation’s ethos, value proposition, and unique “selling” points
Tell a global movement of multiple cultures and communities what the Foundation is doing and planning.
Manage a team of community relations specialists.
Develop and implement policies, protocols, and strategic plans to extend and foster relationships between Foundation staff and our communities of volunteers in multiple languages on an ongoing basis.
Collaborate with departments across the Foundation and with stakeholders across our movement to build an equitable and welcoming atmosphere where many cultures thrive.
Promote proactive communications, trust and transparency with the movement community working with other Foundation departments.
Provide guidance to Foundation leadership on best practices in communicating with the movement community about programs and initiatives.
Work closely with the Communications team to ensure that external communications capture movement priorities and leverage opportunities for storytelling from within communities.
Partner with the Audience Engagement team to gather and use data for CRM programs, research global markets and audiences, value relationships, and track and analyze metrics to inform your work and the work of the entire organization.
Qualities that are important to us as a team
Resilience—we work on new and interesting problems in public and collaborative ways
Being open, curious, and inquiring in our work
Internal motivation and high standards
Working together for outcomes, and being willing to change course
Sharing a culture of constructive criticism and respect
Natural inclination for team collaboration and for helping colleagues succeed
Required
7+ years experience as a strategic leader in online community management, political campaigning, or a related field.
Experience creating and implementing successful community engagement strategies with collaborative outcomes.
Ability to create and maintain strong relationships around the world, and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience in delivering and quantifying relationship value
Experience in cross-cultural communications, including communicating across multiple languages.
Familiarity with use of English with people whose primary language is not English.
Nice to have
Experience working with programs that bridge communications, product, marketing, technology, and law.
A strong international perspective with personal experience in non-native cultures is highly valued.
Experience working with a distributed workforce and a very strong culture.
Experience developing programs for developing markets or audiences with limited access to high-speed internet.
Experience with rapid response communications or situation management.
The Wikimedia Foundation is...
...the nonprofit organization that hosts and operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge, free of interference. We host the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive. The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive financial support from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.
As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.
If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or (415) 839-6885.
U.S. Benefits & Perks*
Fully paid medical, dental and vision coverage for employees and their eligible families (yes, fully paid premiums!)
The Wellness Program provides reimbursement for mind, body and soul activities such as fitness memberships, baby sitting, continuing education and much more
The 401(k) retirement plan offers matched contributions at 4% of annual salary
Flexible and generous time off - vacation, sick and volunteer days, plus 19 paid holidays - including the last week of the year.
Family friendly! 100% paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, flexible options to phase back in after leave, fully equipped lactation room.
For those emergency moments - long and short term disability, life insurance (2x salary) and an employee assistance program
Pre-tax savings plans for health care, child care, elder care, public transportation and parking expenses
Telecommuting and flexible work schedules available
Appropriate fuel for thinking and coding (aka, a pantry full of treats) and monthly massages to help staff relax
Great colleagues - diverse staff and contractors speaking dozens of languages from around the world, fantastic intellectual discourse, mission-driven and intensely passionate people
*Please note that for remote roles located outside of the U.S., we defer to our PEO to ensure alignment with local labor laws.
