The Wikimedia movement aims to become a platform that serves open knowledge to everyone. We are focusing on building strong and diverse communities that reflect the world, including those that have been left out by structures of power and privilege. In order to better support the growth of this thriving movement, the Wikimedia Foundation is improving the community infrastructure to provide safe spaces and equitable processes for all participants.

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a strategic and results-oriented Learning and Development Strategist to support the development and implementation of our global learning and leadership portfolio and capacity-building training and resources for our global volunteers. We are seeking someone who understands the capacity development needs of groups and individual volunteers who engage in the free knowledge movement and are at different stages of movement growth. Reporting to the Manager of Community Development, the successful applicant will bring a growth-mindset to the position and provide strategic insight and design of various learning and training modalities that will support the development needs of our communities in different contexts, in every major geographical center around the world.  We are seeking an individual who embraces the core principles of the Wikimedia movement, such as openness and collaboration, and who will be an effective project manager, an advocate for open knowledge, and excited to support and grow all types of leaders at diverse stages of life and in diverse cultural contexts. We need someone who understands that people make movements thrive and who is passionate about working with Wikimedians new and old to open access to free knowledge around the world.

You are responsible for:

Cultivating and Implementing the Wikimedia Volunteer-focused Learning and Leadership Strategies:

  • Collaboratively drive a global learning and training portfolio designed to engage diverse, international cohorts of volunteers with inspirational and collaborative learning opportunities.
  • Utilize a social movement lens to identify learning and leadership capacity-building needs and trends across Wikimedia volunteers and develop global learning opportunities to contribute to the overall growth of a capable body of globally diverse movement volunteers
  • Co-development and facilitation of regionally-shifting in-person volunteer-focused training events, co-design accompanying curriculums and other related learning frameworks with wider Community Development and Community Engagement teams
  • Lead research and design of iterative learning and leadership frameworks for emerging community engagement and piloting impactful programming in thought partnership with strategists focused on regional contexts and currently underrepresented populations in the movement, such as youth, women, and non-binary users.
  • In collaboration with our Learning & Evaluation team, support evaluation efforts of learning and leadership development programs and products to maximize the impact, reach, and scale of CD global programming.
  • Share team and programmatic updates publicly via movement wikis, Foundation blogs or Medium in coordination with our Communications and Community Relations teams.
  • Provide learning and leadership development support to Foundation-wide convenings and community-led, regional events
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of team, department, and Foundation strategic goals, outcomes and strategies.

Skills and Experience:

  • B.A. or relevant professional experience working with multilingual/global communities
  • Experience working in the open/free knowledge movement and the existing landscape of the Wikimedia movement will be considered a plus
  • Demonstrated curriculum development experience with a focus on online and in-person curriculum and learning tool design, ability to evolve content into impactful and accessible learning resources and experiences
  • Understanding of best practices for cultural/contextual inclusivity to ensure project work reflects multiple perspectives
  • Experience building and facilitating open, online programs for diverse and dynamic audiences, understands and can develop programming for various learning styles, accessibility needs, and inclusive engagement methods
  • Ability to collaborate and engage in shared decision-making process with various stakeholders and internal/external teams
  • Experience creating clear and realistic timelines, tracking progress and helping the team stick to deadlines, always considering the dynamic and flexibility of the process
  • Ability to break down large, complex portfolios and define actionable items for the team
  • Experience identifying blockers and other issues throughout the process and able to participate in design and application of remediation strategies, including inclusive retrospectives and clear documentation as necessary

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 [email protected] 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
  • 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.