Job openings/Software Developer (project)

Software Developer [CLOSED]
 * Job Title

August 2009 to April 2010
 * Employment Duration

The Wikipedia Usability Initiative was realized by a grant from the U.S.-based Stanton Foundation. The goal of this initiative is to measurably increase the usability of Wikipedia for new contributors by improving the underlying software on the basis of user behavioral studies, thereby reducing barriers to public participation. This position is part of the program team for the initiative.
 * About the Wikipedia Usability Initiative

For more information, please see the press release.

The core responsibility of this position is to design, develop, test and deploy new features and improvements of the MediaWiki software for the Wikipedia usability initiative by working closely with the interaction designer and peer developers of MediaWiki.
 * Job Purpose

Program Manager
 * Reports to


 * Job Summary
 * Propose software design solutions and obtain consensus from senior and peer tech teams
 * Create implementation prototypes based on design concepts
 * Develop, test, and deploy new features and improvements to the MediaWiki core and to MediaWiki extensions
 * Collaborate in designing and implementing QA processes including multi-lingual and performance tests
 * Work closely with operations staff to ensure proper integration with testing and production systems


 * Required Qualifications
 * Computer Science degree or equivalent work experience
 * 5+ years experience as a software developer is required
 * Experience with PHP development is required
 * Extensive experience with AJAX/HTML/CSS is required
 * Experience with cross-browser compatibility testing is required
 * Experience with security implications of JavaScript/PHP software is required
 * Experience with LAMP is a major plus
 * Experience with testing and analyzing usability and accessibility is a major plus
 * Experience with MediaWiki is a major plus
 * An understanding of internationalizing and localizing software products a major plus
 * Any other free/open software development experience highly welcome
 * Comfortable in a highly collaborative, consensus-oriented environment
 * Experience with wikis and participatory production environments is a plus
 * Understanding of the free culture movement is a plus
 * The ideal candidate will be creative, highly motivated, and able to operate effectively in multiple cultural and language contexts

The salary is in the range of $75,000 to $85,000 plus benefits, commensurate with experience.
 * Salary