Overview

RESEARCH COMMUNITY OFFICER

Summary

The sustainability and resilience of more than 800 Wikimedia projects including Wikipedia in 160 actively edited languages partially relies on a distributed network of researchers and research organizations who study the Wikimedia projects and innovate. We’re hiring a Research Community Officer to nurture and expand the network of Wikimedia researchers globally in coordination with teams within the Wikimedia Foundation, the Wikimedia volunteer communities, and the Wikimedia affiliates.

You’ll work remotely with the fully distributed Research team, with members currently spread between Europe, North America and South America. You will also work closely with Policy, Technical Engagement, Community Resources (Grantmaking), and Community Relations Specialists teams within the Wikimedia Foundation as well as the existing Wikimedia research community. Here are some things we’ve worked on recently that might give you a better sense of what you will be working on:

  • We organize Research Office Hours and Research Showcases on a monthly basis.
  • We are co-organizing the 8th Wiki Workshop, our annual research workshop.
  • We are preparing a Wikipedia data-set to be used as part of the Fair Ranking Track at TREC.
  • Along with the Technical Engagement team, we worked with the Community Resources team to help develop a new Software and Research Grantmaking framework.

You are responsible for:

  • Developing, maintaining, and executing a research capacity and outreach strategy in collaboration with the Head of Research and rooted in the identified priority areas
  • Maintaining, revamping and expanding the already existing research community programs including the Formal Collaboration program, the Research Internship program, and the Research Fellow program
  • Organizing events such as the public Monthly Office Hours, Monthly Research Showcases, and the annual Wiki Workshop in collaboration with the rest of the team
  • Serving as the liaison and facilitating engagement between the existing Wikimedia research community and the Wikimedia Research team
  • Actively working to expand the existing Wikimedia research community to include more regions of the world and more diverse disciplines
  • Understanding and triaging the needs of the Wikimedia research communities and advocating for resources within the Wikimedia Foundation to meet them
  • Coordinating the Research team’s activities around Software and Research Grants, in collaboration with Technical Engagement and Community Resources teams
  • Communicating and promoting the Research team’s work to external and diverse audiences
  • Discussing, documenting and communicating the process and results of your work publicly

Skills and Experience:

  • Experience in community organizing, community mobilization, or research advocacy
  • Demonstrated ability to start a multi-stakeholder program or project and bring it to completion
  • Experience managing resources beyond oneself (people, budget, etc.) as well as coordinating and leading people to achieve a goal
  • Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to communicate complex technical issues to a cross-team and cross-functional audience

Qualities that are important to us:

  • Commitment to the mission of the organization and our values
  • Commitment to our guiding principles
  • Empathy towards the volunteer communities and their challenges
  • Ability to disagree in a respectful manner and yet work towards a solution even when you disagree
  • Good at async communication
  • Solution-focused. The Wikimedia ecosystem is complex, resources are limited, and our guiding principles are ambitious. We want you to work to find solutions embracing these factors.
  • Self motivated with an ability to navigate through ambiguity and bring a project to completion with limited directions and resources
  • Curiosity and commitment to learn

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

  • Experience in research dissemination through non-academic channels including blogs, social media and online video-sharing platforms
  • Experience building and publishing data-sets in open data repositories
  • Contributions to research communities and research initiatives including publishing in relevant conferences and journals, organizing academic events, …
  • A passion for Open Access; extra points if you have experience working on initiatives to bring open access to the scholarly world
  • Knowledge of the Wikimedia ecosystem or experience with volunteer or open source/data communities
  • Fluency or familiarity with languages in addition to English
  • Programming experience in Python
  • PhD or other post-graduate degree

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 22 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
  • Paid travel to Wikimedia Foundation events all around the world!
  • Equipment including a laptop, monitor, plus a one-time stipend to cover any additional needs to make sure you have the best work experience
  • 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.