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.
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.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive more than 489 million unique visitors per month, making them the 5th most popular web property worldwide. Available in more than 270 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 21 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than 100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants. The Wikimedia Foundation was created in 2003 to manage the operation of Wikipedia and its sister projects. It currently employs 138 staff members. Wikimedia is supported by local chapter organizations in 39 countries or regions.
