Job openings/Chapter Development Director
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YOU ARE ...
.. a passionate, community-oriented, culturally competent individual who wants to make the world a better place. You're fully conscious and aware of the social potential Wikimedia's projects represent and the value of a strong global network of organizations to advance the Wikimedia mission. You are looking to leverage strong facilitation and knowledge sharing skills to work with chapters and community groups to build effective non-profit organizations that work in a mutually supportive way.
You're collaborative, action-oriented, and have a can-do attitude; you're open, honest, and excited to help volunteers build great organizations. Above all, you're driven by the relentless pursuit of the social impact that your work contributes to.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation got its start in 2003 and is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia. Based in San Francisco, California, we currently employ over 150 staff and contractors globally. The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to creating a world in which every single human being can freely and easily share in the sum of all knowledge. Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive nearly 500 million unique visitors per month, making them the 5th most popular web property worldwide. Wikipedia is available in more than 280 languages, containing more than 25 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of over 100,000 people. In an effort to continue our mission, we are hiring talented and creative individuals to join the team.
Position summary
The Chapter Development Director is responsible for coordinating the foundation's relationships with the mission-aligned, but organizationally-independent Wikimedia chapters around the world enabling them to successfully build the capacity to serve their function in the Wikimedia movement on a sustainable basis. A core role of the Director will be to support the formation of new chapters, particularly in developing countries. The Director will be successful if there are effective chapters operating in all geographies where a chapter is viable and the relationship between the Wikimedia Foundation and chapters is mutually supporting.
Position responsibilities
A. Chapter supports:
- Manage the Wikimedia Foundation's chapter grant program including grant solicitation, approval, monitoring and reporting
- Support volunteer groups in geographies without chapters to form and launch chapters successfully
- Support chapters to create plans for organizational development, initiate grant requests and serve as a ready resource for chapters on organizational development questions
- Work with chapters to design outreach and other program initiatives that can be implemented easily and are effective at expanding the Wikimedia movement
- Create support resources and seminars that help chapters build core skills including volunteer recruiting, event organizing, fund-raising, communications, financial management and governance
- Create opportunities and support professional development of key leaders within the chapters including fellowships/internships at Wikimedia or other mission-aligned organizations (e.g., GLAMs, Advocacy/outreach organizations, etc.)
- Build an open and transparent knowledge sharing information base that helps chapters learn from the successes and failures of others; encourage candid review of failures for learning benefits
- Work with chapters and Global Community Research team to rigorously assess initiatives on the ground to evaluate success and failures for the benefit of learning across the chapter network
- Be supportive of cross-chapter collaboration to work together on initiatives across multiple countries or share resources
- Support the chapters to plan the annual chapters conference
B. Chapter-Foundation relationship:
- Manage the process of developing, revising and monitoring agreements between the chapters and foundation
- Work with chapters to establish performance metrics and evaluation tools that enable chapters to assess and report on their activities to the Wikimedia movement
- Work with chapters and foundation staff to create meaningful systems of reporting and information sharing that supports transparency and accountability to the Wikimedia movement
- Serve as an informed voice within the foundation for chapter needs helping to surface issues that have implications for chapters or help solve problems between the foundation and chapters
Reports to
Chief Global Development Officer
Candidate characteristics
- High energy for, drive and commitment to the mission: Deeply believes in the value of Wikimedia exudes enthusiasm for the mission and can powerfully embody and communicate the mission
- Intellectual curiosity and flexibility: Enjoy tackling difficult, ambiguous problems and able to incorporate new knowledge into how one approaches situations and generates solutions; loves learning from others and expanding intellectual horizons
- Strong cultural competency: Ability to bridge cultures and geographic differences; Able to navigate in a truly global movement
- Open and transparent: Comfortable working in a highly transparent fashion, open to input and feedback, proactive candid communicator who wants people to know what she/he is doing and isn't afraid to bring others in when things are off-track or when you need help
- Organizational builder: Essential that the leader see her/himself as a “servant leader” supporting the growth and health of the Wikimedia chapter community; able to get things done through quality of interaction and persuasion rather than through hierarchical power
- Proficient manager and facilitator: Able to design and execute on a range of initiatives; build, organize and support volunteer-leaders of chapters to create and implement initiatives; responsible use of resources (financial and human)
- Effective organizer: Creates a range of opportunities/approaches/events that bring people together to strengthen the Wikimedia chapters; willing to experiment with new ideas
- Data-driven: Is on top of the data about the chapters and their activities; subjects her/his own approaches and activities as well as those of the team to rigorous analysis; willing to stop doing things that prove to be ineffective based on the data
- Willing to flex schedule to accommodate scheduling requirements of a role in which it is important to communicate regularly with chapters around the world
- Willing to travel: Periodic travel to engage Wikimedia chapters and attend global Wikimedia conferences;(6-8 international trips per year)
Candidate background
- Fluent in English and at least one additional language
- At least 7 years of professional experience with a strong track record of success in organizational development, knowledge management and community/volunteer organizing
- Ideal candidate would have experience developing partnerships between not-for-profit organizations in a global context
- Candidate should ideally have experience as a member of a non-profit board or be familiar with volunteer boards/governance systems
- Masters degree or equivalent preferred with strong academic results
- Demonstrated experience working in a global, multi-cultural team; Experience working outside of your home country environment preferred
- Experience as a leader or organizer in a collaborative community setting, ideally within the Wikimedia community
- Wikimedians are strongly encouraged to apply
