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Director of Engineering, MediaWiki job at Wikimedia Foundation | Apply Now
Remote, OR, USA
Full Time
Are you looking for Engineering jobs in 2025 today with possibility of working remotely? then you might be interested in Director of Engineering, MediaWiki job at Wikimedia Foundation
About the Organisation
The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering free knowledge by supporting Wikipedia and other open-content projects that provide accessible, reliable, and freely available information to the world. Recognized globally for revolutionizing knowledge-sharing, it upholds a strong reputation for transparency, collaboration, and innovation in the digital space.
The Foundation fosters a remote-friendly, inclusive, and mission-driven work culture that values diversity, creativity, and professional growth, offering job opportunities in various fields such as technology, community engagement, and communications. Established in 2003 to support the rapidly growing Wikipedia project, the Foundation has since expanded its reach, managing a range of knowledge-based initiatives powered by volunteers and donors.
Its business model is rooted in open-source technology and community-driven content creation, ensuring the sustainability of its platforms without advertisements. With a worldwide presence, the Wikimedia Foundation empowers millions of users and contributors across multiple languages and cultures. Guided by core values of openness, equity, and collaboration, it is committed to advancing knowledge access for all. As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Foundation advocates for digital literacy, free speech, and open knowledge policies. More information can be found at www.wikimediafoundation.org.
Job Title
Director of Engineering, MediaWiki job at Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation
Job Description
The Director of Engineering, MediaWiki will oversee a team of 25 engineers, including principal engineers and managers, to build, maintain, and enhance MediaWiki. This role will involve:
Strategic leadership: Participating in decision-making for the Product and Technology department and Wikimedia movement.
Technical and product collaboration: Working with the Director of Product for MediaWiki to develop and execute a roadmap.
Team development: Hiring, coaching, and empowering engineering managers and senior contributors.
Community engagement: Managing interactions with the volunteer technical contributor community.
Engineering execution: Ensuring efficient software development processes and project deliveries.
Budgeting and planning: Managing financial and staffing priorities for the MediaWiki Engineering team.
Operational oversight: Collaborating with engineering leaders to ensure stability, reliability, and performance of production services.
Duties, Roles and Responsibilities
Lead a team working on MediaWiki, the open-source software powering Wikipedia.
Foster an inclusive and collaborative team environment that aligns with Wikimedia’s mission and values.
Coach, mentor, and develop engineering managers and senior engineers.
Collaborate with product management and engineering teams on technical roadmaps and strategies.
Contribute to strategic decision-making at the organizational level.
Manage team staffing, budgeting, and expense priorities.
Ensure software stability, reliability, and performance.
Represent Wikimedia Foundation in developer communities and technical discussions.
Qualifications, Education and Competencies
Required:
Proven leadership experience in an engineering organization with 100+ software engineers.
Experience leading or managing a backend platform engineering team.
Strong background in managing managers and senior technical staff.
Experience working with a community of volunteer technical contributors.
Ability to work effectively with multinational and remote-first teams.
Ability to travel up to 2-3 times a year.
Comfortable working flexible hours across multiple time zones.
Preferred:
Experience contributing to open-source projects or working with open governance bodies (IETF, W3C, etc.).
Familiarity with MediaWiki or similar large-scale content management systems.
Knowledge of high-traffic, monolithic software architectures.
Experience working with globally distributed teams.
Past experience editing Wikipedia or contributing to other wiki projects.
How to Apply
ONLINE APPLICATION ONLY!
Interested candidates are advised that applications for this position must be submitted online. To apply, please click on the "Apply" button below.