Communications Specialist (Contract)

Contract duration: 12 months with potential for extension or conversion

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Communications Specialist to provide collaborative, operational support to the Wikimedia Endowment Board, the Advancement department, and the Chief Advancement Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation. Reporting to the Planning and Communications Manager of Advancement, you will write content for various media platforms to make announcements and share updates on behalf of Advancement. You will actively support the Chief Advancement Officer and other senior leadership in developing and maintaining strong Board relations. You will work directly with several teams to inform, arrange, and deliver various communication needs that support the Foundation's annual plan and its related strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with the Advancement Manager, Planning and Communications.
• Help produce Executive communications and coordinate speaking engagements.
• Facilitate a shared understanding across a diverse set of stakeholders, including the Advancement department, Communications team, and the Wikimedia Endowment Board.
• Develop multiple cross-team and cross-department projects efficiently and on-time.
• Write with particular attention to detail, adaptability to accommodate shifting priorities, and a capacity to meet deadlines.
• Work closely with your manager to develop and maintain materials for the Wikimedia Endowment Board, including presentations, full board meeting materials, committee reports, and other relevant documents.
• Write, edit, and proofread content for a variety of media platforms, including press releases, social media posts, newsletters, reports, and website updates.
• Liaise with cross-functional teams to gather information, insights, and data needed for communication projects.
• Ensure consistency in messaging across a number of communication channels.
• Work closely with a small team of administrative and communication staff.
• Champion, role model, and embed Wikimedia Foundation’s core values into your work each day.

Skills and experience:

• 2+ years of experience in communications, public relations, or related roles.
• Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).

Qualities that are important to us: 

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with acute attention to detail.
• Ability to produce in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize, adapt, and meet deadlines under pressure.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Experience working with senior leadership and boards is a plus.
• Strong understanding of various media platforms and best practices for effective communication.
• Experience with communication tools (Google Suite, Adobe Acrobat).
• Experience working in an international organization that has a distributed workforce and a very strong culture.

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.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based in more than 50 countries. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated hourly pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$33 per hour to US$52 per hour with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location. 

All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.

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 [email protected] or +1 (415) 839-6885.

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