Job openings/Software Developer Backend

YOU ARE ...

... a smart, experienced PHP/MySQL software developer with operations experience, who enjoys working with (and learning from) other smart engineers. You are passionate about Wikimedia's mission to bring free knowledge to every person on the planet, and you want to make Wikipedia and other Wikimedia-operated websites better. You want to make a difference in millions of peoples' lives.

Ideally, you are familiar with MediaWiki, the primary software used by Wikimedia. You enjoy the technical challenges associated with managing databases with millions of records, and want to support the production pipelines making it happen. You can competently optimize database queries, adjust server configuration settings, and develop new features. You understand the importance of testing and documentation, and most common pitfalls in developing secure web applications.

You understand the principles of open source software development. You recognize the importance of building a global community of supporters for Wikimedia's mission, and strive to enlist others in helping us.

If much or all of this applies to you -- please send us a thoughtful application letter and tell us why you're the right person for the job! :-)

Job Title

Software Developer - Backend

Job Summary

• Design and develop new features and enhance existing features of Wikimedia systems (MediaWiki and other system components used by Wikimedia).
• Improve efficiency, scalability, and stability of Wikimedia systems.
• Fix bugs and improve maintainability of Wikimedia systems.
• Conduct design and code reviews for Wikimedia employee and volunteer developers.
• Perform software deployments to Wikimedia websites.
• Support testing efforts for software deployments.
• Collaborate and communicate with all stakeholders on design, development and testing.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of related work experience preferred.
• 3+ years of experience building web applications.
• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or related field preferred.
• Extensive experience building large-scale server applications.
• Expert knowledge developing and debugging in Linux (LAMP) environments.
• Excellent knowledge of PHP.
• Excellent knowledge of MySQL and other relational databases.
• Experience with operating system internals, filesystems, programming language design, compilers, distributed systems, or server architectures.

Additional Qualifications

• Excellent knowledge of other scripting languages such as bash and Python a plus.
• Experience working in an open source project.
• Experience in the Wikipedia community a plus.

Open Positions

We have multiple groups hiring backend software developers:

• Feature Engineering - This group is responsible for a variety of user-facing features and support systems such as user interface improvements, fundraising, and survey tools. You will help design, build, and deliver these features.
• Data Analytics - This group is responsible for providing statistical insights to the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia volunteers, and the general public (e.g stats.wikimedia.org). You will design and build systems to ensure proper (but unobtrusive) instrumentation of critical infrastructure.

Please indicate your group preference in your cover letter.