Overview

The Wikimedia Foundation seeks a dynamic communications professional with strong digital communications and editorial skills to elevate and amplify the goals and stories of the knowledge equity movement.  

You will craft and implement strategies to advance the foundation’s mission, major initiatives and media campaigns, with a particular focus on digital communications, including social media and other platforms. The communications professional will be leader in storytelling and messaging across communications channels, and must possess the judgment and writing skills to be one of the public voices of Wikimedia.  They will champion organization-wide collaboration and knowledge sharing, deliver metrics that inform decisions, and create new ways to hear and share perspectives about our movement. 

This is a highly collaborative global role, with regular opportunities to reinforce and protect the foundation’s reputation, create content strategies, and foster knowledge and learning. You will execute communications campaigns in close partnership with peers and colleagues in the department, and work jointly with branding and marketing to ensure content and storytelling are consistent with the foundation’s values, voice and tone.  

Ideally you are:  

  • A strategic, innovative thinker with a strong understanding of digital communications, messaging, trends and techniques that resonate with the media, bloggers, advocacy and policy influencers, and the public. 
  • A motivated self starter who can leverage digital communications tools and strategies to raise awareness and scale the influence, tone and voice of the Wikimedia Foundation around the world. 
  • An evidence-based decision maker with the ability to create digital strategy success metrics, and mentor strong reporting practices. 
  • An impactful verbal and written communicator who can craft, connect and weave strong storytelling on multiple social media and communications platforms to advance meaningful engagement with our community and diverse external audiences. 
  • A focused project manager who can set and meet deadlines and multitask, while ensuring timely, high-quality work and open communications across departments. 
  • A highly collaborative manager and vibrant team player committed to continuous learning, who can work closely with department colleagues, build support for shared visions, and integrate into a dynamic Communications department. 

You will join a growing team of highly collaborative and adaptive media, creative strategists, marketers, writers and designers working to champion free information and knowledge around the world.  

You are accountable for: 

Developing and implementing key strategic communications campaigns with a particular focus on digital platforms, including:  

  • Creating, leading and executing digital communications strategies that generate significant engagement around major foundation milestones, launches, and strategic initiatives.  
  • Using metrics, data, research to create strategy and developing content to advance our strategic initiatives and goals. 
  • Working with the marketing team to develop and execute paid social media campaigns that amplify key content, campaigns and events
  • Training and cultivating staff as online thought leaders and leveraging the foundation’s volunteer communities as messengers for the free knowledge movement.  
  • Advising on rapid response and crisis management to protect and elevate the foundation’s brand reputation.  
  • Empowering and developing a direct report to manage online content creation and advance the worldwide narrative of Wikimedia across digital platforms. 

Developing and applying a consistent messaging strategy:  

  • Creating consistent messaging across communications, developing strategic messaging for campaigns and major initiatives, and ensuring that our story resonates across a variety of formats.  
  • Cultivating messaging for media, influencer and public engagement, and working with branding and marketing to reinforce brand values and voice across the foundation and volunteer community. 
  • Researching and understanding the impact of messaging on different backgrounds and cultures, so that it can be adapted to resonate with wide global audiences. 

Supporting media relations efforts: 

  • Shaping media relations strategy side-by-side with the communications team to develop integrated campaigns that amplify the foundation’s voice, brand and the knowledge equity movement.
     
  • Networking and connecting with journalists, bloggers and media relations professionals to build Wikimedia’s influence and clout with key journalists.
     
  • Guiding and drafting materials including press releases, blogs, pitch notes that highlight foundation goals, while underlining their connection to wider news trends and topics.  

Collaboratively supporting communications department work:  

  • Organizing and sharing outcomes and metrics that reflect the impact of digital and media engagement.  
  • Model leadership that cultivates a collaborative and respectful team culture, serve as a collaborative thought partner and sounding board. 
  • Working collaboratively with other Foundation departments (e.g. product, legal, community engagement, fundraising, etc) to support their communications needs.  

Skills and experience 

  • Minimum of 5 years of communications experience. 
  • Excellent interpersonal, listening, verbal and written communications skills. 
  • Wide experience and knowledge of digital communications platforms and engagement strategies, as well as metrics and measurement tools. 
  • Experience creating and implementing integrated communications strategies  and a successful track record in developing campaigns that reach or influence global audiences. 
  • Experience managing emerging talent, as well as working with and supervising external vendor or agency relationships. 
  • Knowledge of global media and digital trends, behavior and products. 
  • Experience cultivating diverse stakeholder relationships, including with media, advancing partnerships and stewarding collaboration. 

Qualities that are important to us as a team 

  • Resilience—we work on new and interesting problems in public and collaborative ways 
  • Being open, curious, and inquiring in our work 
  • Internal motivation and high standards 
  • Working together for outcomes, and being willing to let go to scale or change course 
  • Sharing a culture of constructive criticism and respect 

Additionally 

  • Experience working with global nonprofit, media or technology service organizations is a plus. 
  • Fluency or familiarity with languages in addition to English is a plus 

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 

More information 

WMF
Blog
Wikimedia 2030
Wikimedia Medium Term Plan
Diversity and inclusion information for Wikimedia workers, by the numbers
Wikimania 2019
Annual Report – 2017