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 [CLOSED]
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.
Please include a cover letter to your application. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Local San Francisco, CA candidates are preferred though remote candidates may be considered.
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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.
