The Anti-Harassment Tools Team at Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Software Engineer to work on software tools aimed at reducing online harassment on the Wikimedia projects.

In 2017, the Wikimedia Foundation launched a new initiative to curb online harassment of Wikipedia editors. We are building new tools that 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 work with a product manager, an analyst, an engineering manager, and other developers to tackle these objectives.

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 are interested in supporting and growing a newer developer through mentorship, coaching, and increasing opportunity.

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 Software Engineer, 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
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:

Education and beginner experience with Object-Oriented development using a scripting language (PHP, Python, Ruby, JavaScript)
Interest in front-end web application development skills
Experience with the Wikimedia community, or a similar open source or collaborative community
Openness to working with a diverse and geographically distributed team
Strong written communication skills as our collaboration largely happens online
Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field or the equivalent in work related 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!

Experience with MediaWiki development
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 machine learning or AI technologies
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. This is optional and your candidacy will not be negatively impacted if you don’t have public work to share.

The Wikimedia Foundation is…

…the nonprofit organization that supports 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

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

* for benefits eligible staff, benefits may vary by location

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