Senior Program Officer, Libraries Full-time

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Senior Program Officer, Libraries. In this role, you will work at the intersection of librarianship and the Wikimedia movement to grow and diversify information sources—in all languages—and invite librarians to contribute their specialized knowledge and skills to Wikimedia projects.

You are responsible for

• Work with national and regional organizers to reimagine the twice-annual newcomer’s campaign for librarians (currently #1Lib1Ref).
• Manage ongoing partnerships with libraries and professional bodies, such as AfLIA, and identify new collaborations to grow library outreach in underrepresented regions.
• Support professional library networks and institutions to adopt open technologies⁠—such as Wikidata, Wikibase Cloud, and OpenRefine⁠—through documentation and training.
• Get involved in the Wikimedia and Libraries User Group, WikiProject LD4 Wikidata Affinity Group, and other Wikimedia and Libraries spaces to network and foster knowledge exchange.
• Analyze, document and share innovations and workflows, in order to inspire librarian and Wikimedia communities.
• Communicate the needs of library institutions and professionals to technical and non-technical teams within the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia movement.
• Understand the relevance of emerging issues and opportunities in librarianship, such as reparative and inclusive cataloging, the impact of AI and machine learning, and the role of media and information literacy in addressing disinformation.

Skills and experience

• Professional experience working with libraries or archives to meet the information needs of a range of users.
• Expertise in digital librarianship, cataloging and linked open data.
• A track record of promoting skills development and shared practices through documentation and storytelling, conference presentations, and/or workshop facilitation.
• Experience working with a distributed and remote team with people of diverse skill sets and backgrounds.
• Strong written and spoken English. Non-native English speakers are welcomed.

Qualities that are important to us

• A passion for free and open knowledge, and a willingness to get involved in the complex, decentralized process of creating it.
• Committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive movement.
• Self motivated with a curiosity to learn and experiment.
• Collaborative, flexible, and interested in feedback from people with diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have one or more of the following

• Proficiency in languages other than English.
• A library; archives and records management; digital humanities; scholarly communications; or information science degree.
• Practical experience with different Wikimedia projects or other open source tools like OpenRefine.
• Experience working with professional networks or communities in Central and Eastern Europe and/or Africa.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501©(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.

If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885.