Wikimedia Careers
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge
Help us make it a reality
US Benefits* — We have a high commitment to taking care of our staff
- Fully paid medical, dental and vision insurance premiums for employees and their eligible families.
- Family friendly! 100% paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, flexible options to phase back in after leave, fully equipped lactation room and a parents Employee Resources Group, which puts on events and talks.
- Foundation funded HSA for those electing a high deductible medical insurance plan.
- Wellness Program ($1800 annual) for fitness memberships, baby sitting, continuing education, house cleaning, arts and music events, student loans, etc.
- Professional development.
- 401(k) retirement plan with matched contributions of 4% of annual salary.
- Flexible and generous time off, including, but not limited to:
- Vacation (starts at 12 days and increases after one year)
- Sick leave (9 days)
- Holiday (19 days) - Ensuring there is at least one day off every month, including a full office shut down between Christmas and New Years.
- Volunteer (2 days)
- Staff donation program for sick leave and volunteer time.
- Vacation cash out option for emergencies or continuing education for employees and eligible family.
- Pre-tax savings plans for health care, child care, elder care, public transportation and parking expenses.
- Monthly on-site massages
- Long and short term disability, life insurance (2x salary) and an employee assistance program.
- Flexible work schedules and remote working options
Going the extra mile — We do so much more than just benefits
- Great colleagues - We are a diverse group of people, who speak dozens of languages from around the world, have fantastic intellectual discourse, are mission-driven, and are passionate people. We care.
- Diversity & Inclusion - Join in and thrive with us! We are committed to diversity and inclusion. We have established programs to maintain this commitment throughout the employee lifecycle: recruiting, hiring, compensation, training, performance, promotions, leadership, and more. Wondering about gender neutral bathrooms? We had them over 4 years ago. Staff have created several Employee Resource Groups as communities for extra connection and support including, but not limited to:
- WMF Women - A group for those interested in matters related to women at work.
- Aliens (self-named) - A group for employees and contractors who are interested in topics that are of particular relevance to US-based immigrants.
- WikiKids - Parents group.
- QueERG - An LGBTQ + employee resource group.
- Intercultural Initiative - A group formed to talk about intercultural communications.
- Bike Club - employees interest in cycling including Bike to Work participation.
- Pets - We welcome pets in the San Francisco office, they just make our day better. (Of course the building has a few rules we need to follow as part of this.)
- Environment - We keep an eye on our footprint, in our offices, in our travels, in how we work. We take this seriously, whether on-site or remote.
- Appropriate fuel for thinking and coding (aka, a pantry full of treats).
- Downtown San Francisco location, minutes from public transit: BART, SFMuni, AC Transit, SamTrans.
- On-site ergonomic assessments to make sure your desk space supports your individual needs.
Meet us: Staff spotlight
Adele Vrana, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Global Emerging Markets
I lead a team of talented, multi-cultural people who bring Wikipedia and all Wikimedia projects to new users in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. I couldn’t be prouder of the partnerships we build because they aim to address the barriers that are preventing people from joining our free-knowledge movement. My life is proof of how knowledge and education can be transformative. I could work elsewhere, but I’m lucky enough to spend my days bringing a positive impact to people around the world.
For a current list of Wikimedia Foundation employees and contractors, see staff and contractors.
Our values
We strive for excellence.
With leaps and bounds as well as stumbles and false-starts, we seek to continually improve ourselves, our projects, our communities, our world. With initiative and experimentation, we iterate our way toward making the world a better place, an excellent place. With curiosity and humility, we learn from our mistakes as well as our successes. We are duty-bound to steward our resources and deliver exceptional products and services.
We welcome and cherish our differences.
The sum of all knowledge for every single human being; we can’t do that by leaving people out. Our vision is about more than providing universal access to all forms of knowledge. It’s about creating an inclusive culture. It’s about inviting others to join in and thrive with us. It’s about embracing human diversity. It’s about saying, “We see you and you belong with us.”
Our differences are precious; they make us smarter, stronger, more humble. They balance our biases and weaknesses. They open our minds. We do our best work when we understand a problem from all its perspectives.
We encourage others to do what we can’t, and we help them succeed. When voices are absent, ignored, or silenced, we seek them out. We are welcoming hosts, caring neighbors, and equitable allies. We don’t fear difference. We welcome it with curiosity, delight, and hope.
We are in this together.
Collaboration is not always easy. Sometimes we struggle. Working together is hard, but it’s worth it. We do it because it makes us stronger. We solve problems better together. For it to work well, each of us needs to be honest, accountable, and transparent to one another.
But it runs deeper still for many of us: we find joy and belonging in human connection. We are there for one another; we support one another through life’s ups and downs, our mistakes, our successes. We challenge one another in service of our personal and professional development.
We engage in civil discourse.
Our words have power. What we say has consequences. Engaging in civil discourse requires kindness, care, respect, tact, empathy, trust, and safety. It is key to getting, giving, and receiving good information. We must create space where people feel safe to express themselves and be heard. This is true especially when we disagree. If we do not understand what the other is feeling, we are still open-minded to where they are coming from. We strive for empathy, we accept no less than civility.
We are inspired.
We are guided by a vision of a better world. We are taking on a huge challenge. We revere what has come before and are in awe of the work ahead. It brings us hope. It fills us with wonder. When we are inspired, we play and laugh together. It’s not about one big party, it’s about making space for new ideas and new connections, making space for creativity. Inquisitiveness arises when we’re having fun. It’s ok to wonder, to ponder. We don’t need to take ourselves too seriously. When we are inspired, we do excellent work.
You can read more about why values are important to us and our process in selecting these particular values here: Wikimedia Foundation values framing.
Volunteers
Join our editing community
Join us! It's easy to get started, and you will likely learn something new in the process. If you've never edited before, try our tutorial in your native language. And, of course, be sure to check out all of our projects. Every Wikimedia project is always in search of volunteers. Be bold!
Philosophy and policies
- Non-discrimination policy
- Pluralism, internationalism, and diversity policy
- Compensation practices (PDF)
Frequently asked questions