Software Engineer III (Anti-Harassment Tools Team)

Summary

The Anti-Harassment Tools Team at Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Software Engineer to work with us to build features that help identify and stop harassment on all of our Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia. This role is full-time, 100% remote, and global.

The Anti-Harassment Tools Team is an interdisciplinary product team developing tools that help administrators and staff in their efforts to combat these people who would use our projects to harm civil discourse, the integrity of the content, or other users of our projects. This includes some light data analysis tools and some enforcement tools.

We are seeking a software engineer to join us in this fight to protect our users and our projects. Stopping harassment on our projects is a pillar of our Foundation’s strategy and planning for the future. This is important, highly visible work. Currently, we are working on a broad set of tools related to user privacy and protection. You can see more details in our backlog or the community discussion of our latest epic.

Your daily work will include contributing new patches or pull requests for existing features, generating requirements and prototypes for new features, estimating new work, collaborating with a designer, or helping a volunteer engineer get their code shaped up. The team is fully staffed with a Product Manager, Engineering Manager, Product Designer, Research Analyst, Data Analyst, Community Liaison, Test Engineer, and several Software Engineers, of course.

Because of the sensitive nature of the tools we build, our work is highly collaborative and heavily tested. We interact with database administrators, security engineers, and other teams on a regular basis.

We use open source tools as much as possible, and always open source our own work (check out our main Github repository, our documentation, and some good tasks for new contributors). Being an engineer at the Foundation requires being comfortable researching and learning an old codebase, so it involves reading documentation frequently. The codebase is so complex that it’s impossible to keep everything in your head at all times. PHP and JavaScript make up most of our code, but we value using the right tool for the job. Developers at the Foundation have autonomy and responsibility, and can have a large and immediate impact on the future of the site and the movement. Our world is vast and can be complicated, so we value communication, enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn as much as certificates or degrees.

You are responsible for:

• Develop, test, and deploy new features, improvements and upgrades to various systems and tools used by administrators and staff
• Work with Foundation staff and volunteers on software design, development, testing and evaluation of potential technical solutions
• Ensure positive and constructive discussions with the community and the Foundation
• Work and communicate effectively within a small team distributed across multiple time zones

Qualities that are important to us:

• Education and/or experience with Object-Oriented development using a scripting language (such as PHP, Python, Ruby, or JavaScript). Most of our work is in PHP and JavaScript
• Interest in front-end web application development skills
• Openness to working with a diverse and geographically distributed team
• Strong written communication skills as our collaboration largely happens online
• Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field or the equivalent in work related experience

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

In addition to the basic skills needed for being successful, these skills could set you apart from the pack!

• Experience with MediaWiki development or as a contributor to Wikimedia projects
• Experience with legacy codebases and/or experience in free/open source software development experience is highly welcome
• Experience with unit testing and integration testing and agile methodologies
• Understanding of the free culture movement
• Experience with machine learning or AI technologies
• Experience with online community moderation or anti-harassment tools

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(c)(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.

U.S. Benefits & Perks*

• Health Care Benefits Covered at 100%: We cover 100% of premiums for medical, dental and vision plans for all full time employees and eligible dependents
• Wellness Reimbursement Program: Up to 1,800.00 USD per year for reimbursement for staff wellness expenses, such as gym fees, educational expenses, and more
• Technology and Equipment Stipend: In addition to receiving a brand new laptop, monitor, & docking station, all new hires receive 600.00 USD stipend to set up their space for working virtually 
• Professional Development Program: Up to 750.00 USD reimbursement per year to encourage continuous learning through attending conferences, courses, workshops and the purchase of educational materials 
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Employer match of up to 4% of employee contributions dollar for dollar with no vesting period
• Paid Time Off: Generous paid time off policy of over 45 days, which includes: vacation days, at least one observed holiday a month, sick leave, and volunteer days
• Flexible Schedules: Options available to balance your personal and remote-work life
• Silent Fridays: No scheduled meetings so you can get caught up at the end of each week
• New Parent Leave: Fully paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, and flexible options as you embark on your return to work
• Fertility and Adoption Reimbursement Plan: Reimburses staff up to 5,000.00 USD in expenses per year, with a lifetime maximum of 10,000.00 USD
• Assistance for those unexpected life events: Long and short term disability, life insurance, and an employee assistance program
• Pre-tax Savings Plans: Generously funded health savings accounts (HSAs), pre-tax contribution options for health care, child care & elder care, public transportation and parking expenses

*Please note that for remote roles located outside of the U.S., we defer to our PEO (Professional Employee Organization) to ensure alignment with local labor laws.