Job openings/Project Manager (Strategic Plan)

Project Manager [CLOSED]
 * Job Title

June 2009 to July 2010.
 * Employment Duration

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

Executive Director
 * 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 Project Manager is responsible for successfully executing the Collaborative Strategy Development project: for making sure high quality outputs are developed on time and inside the project budget. The Project Manager will need excellent communications skills, a basic understanding of strategy development and a passion for doing high-quality work. The Project Manager will need a solid understanding of project management fundamentals, but will not need to be skilled with Gantt charts and other tools of high-complexity projects.
 * Job description


 * Responsibilities
 * Create and get sign-off for the project plan, including review-and-refine cycles;
 * If possible as per the time of hiring, help to recruit the dedicated project team (Research Analyst and Facilitator);
 * Lead the creation of the project work framework (e.g., wikis, mailing lists, newsletters);
 * Ensure that non-English speakers have appropriate means to participate, and to obtain community translations of project output;
 * Create and execute communications plan (encompassing internal project team communications, project participant communications, stakeholder; communications including the steering committee and non-project participant Wikimedia volunteers, as well as non-Wikimedia external communications including media);
 * Be the central hub of communications for people working on the project including the steering committee, project team, working group heads and external experts;
 * Keep the project on track: on time and on budget;
 * Ensure all deliverables are of appropriate quality level, and success measures are met or exceeded;
 * Escalate problems to the project team, and recommend solutions.


 * Requirements
 * 5+ years of experience managing and leading projects is required;
 * A basic understanding of strategy development fundamentals is required;
 * Experience working on decentralized projects is a major plus;
 * Excellent communications abilities are required, particularly writing skills;
 * Must be comfortable using a wide variety of communications/collaboration tools including wikis, mailing lists and IRC;
 * Must be articulate, persuasive, and tactful, able to successfully manage stakeholder relationships;
 * Must be able to set priorities and work independently;
 * A passion for moving work forward and achieving high-quality outcomes is essential;
 * Experience designing simple questionnaires and surveys is a plus;
 * Experience managing translations and/or localization work is a big plus;
 * Must be able to work in a collaborative, consensus-oriented, highly-diverse environment;
 * International experience or ability to speak multiple languages is a big plus;
 * Experience with Wikimedia goals, policies and social norms is a plus.

The salary is in the range of $80,000 to $95,000, commensurate with experience.
 * Salary