Job openings/Facilitator (Strategic Plan)

Facilitator [CLOSED]
 * Job Title

July 2009 to July 2010.
 * Employment Duration

This is a one year contract position with the possibility of extension.

Project Manager (Strategic Plan)
 * Reports To

In July 2009, the Wikimedia Foundation will kick off a completely open, collaborative and transparent strategy development process aimed at maximizing the social impact of the Wikimedia movement world-wide over the coming years. The project will run from July 2009 until July 2010, and will draw upon the experiences and knowledge of a wide range of contributors including Wikimedia volunteers, specialists providing pro bono support, Wikimedia staff and board members, and an external strategy consulting firm. The strategy will be primarily developed through wikis and other online tools, and all planning outputs will be publicly available for review and free re-use.
 * About the Collaborative Strategy Development Process

The Wikimedia Foundation is hiring three positions to support this process: a Project Manager, a Facilitator, and a Research Analyst.

The purpose of the Facilitator role is to support project participants during the process of creating actionable strategy recommendations. The Facilitator will be responsible for establishing and maintaining a tone of openness and transparency throughout the strategy project process, for orienting new participants and helping existing participants contribute to the project's goals. Part of this job will include actively moderating wiki and mailing list discussions to help them be focused and productive.
 * Job description


 * Responsibilities
 * Set up and moderate project mailing lists and wiki pages;
 * Develop and maintain FAQs, Glossary pages, Guiding Principles, and other communications/transparency materials documenting and explaining the project process;
 * Coordinate community translation of key documents and surveys;
 * Welcome new strategy project participants and assist them in getting oriented;
 * Help working groups and sub-groups articulate their goals, and support them in working through specific activities (e.g., developing timelines, staging meetings, developing documents, etc.);
 * Respond to questions from strategy project participants;
 * Seek clarity from project team as required by participants;
 * Actively facilitate key discussions (e.g., paraphrasing, summarizing, reflecting back, keeping on task, keeping on time);
 * Promote constructive dialogue, mediate conflict and encourage creativity and participation;
 * Carry information (particularly best practices) among working groups and sub-groups;
 * Track down and recruit "experts" upon the request of working group and sub-group members.


 * Requirements
 * 3+ years of online community facilitation or leadership experience is a requirement;
 * Experience with Wikimedia goals, policies and social norms is a major plus;
 * Experience in professional development, coaching, facilitation and/or working with volunteers is a plus;
 * Friendly, diplomatic and helpful;
 * Comfortable working with a diverse array of people including Wikimedians, academics, consultants, and professionals offering pro bono support;
 * Excellent English-language writing and communications skills;
 * International experience or ability to speak multiple languages is a plus;
 * Must be able to set priorities and work independently;
 * Must be highly skilled using a wide variety of communications/collaboration tools including wikis, mailing lists and IRC.