Overview

The Community Tech Team at Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Back-end Developer to work on software tools aimed at reducing online harassment on the Wikimedia projects.

The Wikimedia Foundation is launching a new initiative to curb online harassment of Wikipedia editors. We will build new tools that will help detect harassment and stalking, create a safe space for people to report harassment, help wiki administrators to evaluate reports, and block unwanted harassers from our projects. You will be working with a project manager, an analyst, and another developer to tackle these objectives.

This work will be done under the umbrella of the Community Tech team which is focused on meeting the needs of active Wikimedia contributors for improved curation and moderation tools. This is an ideal opportunity for a member of the community to leverage their skills and experience and help the Foundation support the community better.

We use open source tools as much as possible, and always open source our own work (https://git.wikimedia.org). PHP, Javascript, and Python make up most of our code, but we value using the right tool for the job. Developers at the Foundation have autonomy and responsibility, and can have a large and immediate impact on the future of the site and the movement. Our world is vast and can be complicated, so we value communication, enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn as much as certificates or degrees.

As a Back-end Developer, we’d like you to do these things:

  • Design, develop, test, and deploy new features, improvements and upgrades to various systems and tools used by the Wikipedia community
  • Partner with Foundation staff and volunteers on software design, development, testing and evaluation
    • Assist project analyst with data compilation and analysis
  • Help identify and implement best practices in engineering processes across the team
  • Ensure positive and constructive discussions with the community and the Foundation
  • Work and communicate effectively within a small team distributed across multiple time zones

We’d like you to have these skills:

  • 4+ years programming experience with PHP and MySQL
  • Strong back-end development skills, including working with large data sets
  • Experience with the Wikimedia community, or a similar open source or collaborative community
  • Proven ability to work both independently and as part of a distributed team
  • Experience using a wide variety of communications and collaboration tools, including wikis, mailing lists and IRC
  • BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent in related work experience

And it would be even more awesome if you have this:

In addition to the basic skills needed for being successful, these skills could set you apart from the pack!

  • Programming experience with Python or JavaScript
  • Experience with MediaWiki development
  • Experience with Hadoop or similar frameworks
  • Experience with machine learning or AI technologies
  • Experience with Test-Driven Development and agile methodologies
  • Any other free/open source software development experience is highly welcome
  • Understanding of the free culture movement
  • Experience with online community moderation or anti-harassment tools

Show us your stuff!

If you have any existing open source software that you’ve developed (these could be your own software or patches to other packages), please share the URLs for the source. Links to GitHub, etc. are exceptionally useful.

About Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive more than 431 million unique visitors per month, making them the 5th most popular web property worldwide.

Available in more than 287 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 32 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than 100,000 people.

Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants. The Wikimedia Foundation was created in 2003 to manage the operation of Wikipedia and its sister projects. It currently employs over 208 staff members. Wikimedia is supported by local chapter organizations in 40 countries or regions.

The Wikimedia Foundation offers competitive benefits including 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, massages, cooking classes, and much more. The 401(k) retirement plan offers matched contributions at 4% of annual salary.