Overview

Wikipedia and its sister projects are created by volunteers.  They curate the knowledge that the world has come to rely on. The Director of Community Investment is charged with developing a grantmaking strategy to 1) Grow our communities of volunteers, especially in places in the world that are just coming online, 2) Empower our existing communities to be more effective in their work and 3) Ensure that community investments are made more equitably around the world.  You will do this by making grants to our Wikimedia affiliates, free knowledge ecosystem partners and individuals, with an emphasis on those who are organizing seedling efforts to sprout communities in emerging parts of the world.

This position plays a critical role in helping the Foundation reach our priority of creating a Thriving Movement – where we are actively welcoming and supporting diverse volunteer communities, both new and existing. In addition, our global communities are completing a 10-year movement strategy, which calls for new investment, the consideration of models that engage local communities directly in investment decisions, enhanced processes for accountability, effectiveness, and the evaluation of impact in grantmaking, and a more equitable distribution of investments globally. The Director of Community Investment will also help the Wikimedia Foundation reach our content growth and diversity goals by identifying and supporting the most effective community initiatives.

We are looking for a leader with direct experience growing volunteer movements that span cultures and communities, and a detailed understanding of the challenges and opportunities volunteer leaders face. The successful candidate will have a hands-on understanding of what it takes to recruit, train, inspire, and support volunteers around the world and the unique contexts for their work. The Director of Community Investment will be highly skilled at identifying and supporting talented volunteer leaders and helping them thrive in the Wikimedia movement.

You are responsible for:

  • Building and managing a team of program officers who make grants to organizations and individuals who are poised to help the Wikimedia Foundation meet its goals and advance the vision of the Wikimedia movement.
  • Developing strategy and setting OKR’s for the grantmaking program that support the priorities of the Foundation and the goals of the Wikimedia movement. Seeing that strategy through, and structuring a plan for implementation.
  • Developing and implementing a system for measuring the impact of our investments. This includes coaching our grantees on how to collect and report their metrics.
  • Evaluating the recommendations put forward and approved in the 2030 Strategic Direction and Movement Strategy, and collaborating with communities to design solutions that achieve desired outcomes.
  • Reporting regularly to Foundation executives and the Board of Trustees on the impact that grantmaking is achieving within the movement.  Surfacing and making the case for scaling (when appropriate) the most effective programs.
  • Collaborating closely with the Finance and Legal teams to disburse, manage and ensure compliance for an international grants portfolio of around $8M.
  • Helping to grow investment in the Free Knowledge sector within the field of philanthropy.
  • Coordinating with other Foundation teams to achieve our shared goals.

Skills and Experience:

  • 7-10  years of direct experience leading volunteer efforts; recruiting, developing, and supporting volunteer initiatives; This may be as a leader of a volunteer driven movement or as the person within an organization responsible for volunteer engagement.
  • Experience and knowledge of how to use metrics to evaluate programmatic progress toward foundation goals
  • Sound financial, budgeting and work plan management skills
  • An ability and enthusiasm for engaging local volunteers in decision making processes
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and public speaking skills
  • Experience managing a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural international team with a collaborative leadership style
  • Cross-cultural communication skills, sensitivity and awareness, excellent interpersonal and networking skills among diverse stakeholder groups.
  • Demonstrated commitment to and belief in equity, inclusion and diversity
  • A visionary, trustworthy, open and flexible leadership style
  • Belief in the values, mission and ethos of the Wikimedia movement

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

  • Experience with grantmaking, preferably in an international context
  • Experience working with online communities, particularly in the free knowledge movement.
  • Experience in participatory decision making structures.
  • Fluency in languages other than English.
  • Passion for or experience contributing to Wikipedia/Wikimedia projects.
  • A global perspective, with significant experience living or working internationally.

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.

The Wikimedia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply.

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

*Eligible international workers’ benefits are specific to their location and dependent on their employer of record