Job openings/Project Assistant (Public Policy)

JOB TITLE

Project Assistant [CLOSED]

REPORTS TO

Education Program Manager

EMPLOYMENT DURATION

July 2010 to September 2011. The Wikimedia Foundation is currently expanding. As as we grow we are likely to have frequent positions open up. Though limited in duration, this grant based position is a potential opportunity to explore mutual fit for continued employment.

About Wikimedia's Public Outreach department and the Public Policy Initiative

With more than 100,000 active contributors globally, Wikipedia is one of the world's most successful experiments in peer production. Volunteers have always made a collective effort to recruit new contributors, by welcoming new users, developing tutorials and help pages, creating promotional materials, meeting face-to-face, and so on. The Outreach department of the Wikimedia Foundation works in collaboration with volunteers and with the Foundation's 20+ worldwide chapters to determine and foster the most effective approaches to public outreach.

With our Public Policy Initiative, we are developing a flexible model for reaching out to one specific target group: subject matter experts. Professors and students of U.S. public policy will be solicited to participate in writing and improving articles on the English language Wikipedia, and actively supported in their efforts throughout the 2010–2011 academic year. We will thoroughly evaluate and document the initiative, providing a template for our volunteers to replicate its approach in other disciplines and other geographic areas.

JOB PURPOSE

The Project Assistant provides coordination and organizational project support to the public policy project team that includes but is not limited to: coordinating event management activities with event planners and universities; booking travel as needed for the project team; coordinating meetings, conferences, trainings, and other project-related events including the Wikipedia Campus Ambassador training; working with universities, Campus Team Coordinator, and professors to manage training material logistics; assisting the Campus Team Coordinator and Education Programs Manager with project training data collection process and activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES


 * Coordinate special events, travel, conferences, and meetings for Public Policy team.
 * Assist with meeting and event logistics and participant communications including agenda and material development, production and dissemination.
 * Assist team with producing and disseminating project products and reports: including training materials, project reports and presentations and other project information and communications working in conjunction with the Communications Associate and Communications team, offsite vendors, and other technical support sources as necessary.
 * Document information to support project activities including collecting survey results, evaluations, and assisting with the documentation of metrics as needed.
 * Assist with data collection activities (collecting, organizing, and analyzing project data and research information related to project or proposal content and methodology, presenting information in appropriate format to support project/research objectives, writing section of proposals and reports, and preparing and distributing special reports requested by funders).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS


 * 3-5 years of project/administrative experience.
 * Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and interpersonal skills are a must.
 * Ability to work in an open, transparent and collaborative environment.
 * Ability to develop outstanding working relationships with internal and external WMF staff, Wikimedia Community volunteers, students, professors, and consultants.
 * Ability to adapt quickly and easily to changing requirements in a fast-paced, non-profit organization.
 * Demonstrated ability to operate independently and meet deadlines on time with limited supervision.
 * Exceptional project management skills and a proven capacity for a high level of attention to detail.
 * Working knowledge of the wiki environment a plus.