Job Description

Director, Engineering

The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking an experienced engineering leader to serve as a Director of Engineering in the Product Department. At the Wikimedia Foundation, we operate the world’s largest collaborative project: a top ten website, reaching a billion people globally every month, while incorporating the values of privacy, transparency and community that are so important to our users.

Reporting to the VP of Product, you will be a key member of the Foundation’s team and an active participant in strategic decision-making for the Product department. You will play an active role in supporting the sustainability of the Wikimedia movement. As one of three Directors of Engineering in the Product department, you will lead a group of engineering managers across multiple teams.  You will also collaborate with Product Managers, other Directors of Engineering and our volunteer communities as you help shape a better future for the Wikimedia projects.

The Product department is responsible for delivering user-facing experiences for readers, editors and other participants in the suite of products, as well as specific engineering functions needed to execute on delivery.

You are responsible for:

• Fostering an equitable, inclusive, and supportive team environment and coaching your reports in the same
• Supporting and mentoring engineering managers and software engineers in their career development
• Delegating outcomes rather than tasks to truly empower others to solve problems
• Representing engineering expertise, opportunities and constraints within the organization and the Wikimedia communities
• Participating in hiring high-quality, diverse teams that are inclusive to people of all backgrounds 
• Identifying opportunities to improve engineering processes and culture
• Set technical strategy in collaboration with other engineering and product partners
• Own delivery of technical and product roadmaps for your area of oversight
• Budgeting, staffing, and expense management

Skills and Experience:

• Deep experience in leading engineering teams and mentoring engineers
• Experience leading engineering teams in delivering consumer-facing web platforms at scale
• Excellent technical acumen in order to participate in technical and architectural strategy 
• Demonstrated ability to balance competing interests in a complex technical and social environment
• Experience collaborating with product and design counterparts to set aligned strategies and deliver on goals
• Proven success at all stages of the engineering process and product lifecycle, leading to significant, measurable impact
• Experience building, managing, and leading intentionally diverse, inclusive, international and remote-first engineering teams

Qualities that are important to us:

• A passion for people development, team culture and the management of ideas
• A desire to make meaningful contributions to knowledge equity, free culture, and open access
• Clear communication in both synchronous and asynchronous channels

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Fluency in one or more regional languages of Africa or Asia
• Experience as a professional or volunteer in open source of open knowledge communities
• Spent time having lived or worked outside your country of origin
• Experience as a member of a volunteer community
• Experience with products backed by machine learning, especially human-in-the-loop capabilities
• Experience with native app delivery for Android and iOS / iPadOS

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that 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 freely. We host Wikipedia and 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 donations 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

re********@wi*******.org











or (415) 839-6885.

U.S. Benefits & Perks*

• Health Care Benefits Covered at 100%: We cover 100% of premiums for medical, dental and vision plans for all full time employees and eligible dependents
• Wellness Reimbursement Program: Up to 1,800.00 USD per year for reimbursement for staff wellness expenses, such as gym fees, educational expenses, and more
• Technology and Equipment Stipend: In addition to receiving a brand new laptop, monitor, & docking station, all new hires receive 600.00 USD stipend to set up their space for working virtually 
• Professional Development Program: Up to 750.00 USD reimbursement per year to encourage continuous learning through attending conferences, courses, workshops and the purchase of educational materials 
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Employer match of up to 4% of employee contributions dollar for dollar with no vesting period
• Paid Time Off: Generous paid time off policy of over 45 days, which includes: vacation days, at least one observed holiday a month, sick leave, and volunteer days
• Flexible Schedules: Options available to balance your personal and remote-work life
• Silent Fridays: No scheduled meetings so you can get caught up at the end of each week
• New Parent Leave: Fully paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, and flexible options as you embark on your return to work
• Fertility and Adoption Reimbursement Plan: Reimburses staff up to 5,000.00 USD in expenses per year, with a lifetime maximum of 10,000.00 USD
• Assistance for those unexpected life events: Long and short term disability, life insurance, and an employee assistance program
• Pre-tax Savings Plans: Generously funded health savings accounts (HSAs), pre-tax contribution options for health care, child care & elder care, public transportation and parking expenses

*Please note that for remote roles located outside of the U.S., we defer to our PEO to ensure alignment with local labor laws.

More information

Wikimedia Foundation
Applicant Privacy Policy
News from across the Wikimedia movement
Wikimedia 2030
Our Commitment to Equity
This is Wikimedia Foundation
Facts Matter
Our Projects
Our Tech Stack

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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