Job Details of Committee Support Specialist

Job description

Summary

The Wikimedia movement aims to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to free knowledge. In order to better support the growth of a thriving, inclusive free knowledge movement, the Wikimedia Foundation is focused on building strong and diverse communities of knowledge contributors around the world. Our goal of 'knowledge equity' includes a particular emphasis on traditionally excluded groups (e.g., women, people of color, minority or marginalized groups, 'the global south,' indigenous communities). As an organization we are committed to providing safe spaces for the global, robust, diverse community of volunteers we serve and equitable processes for all participants.

One of the ways we support this goal is through providing essential infrastructure and support to a growing network of Wikimedia self-governance committees and groups who enable the communities to govern themselves within the framework set by Foundation policies.

This role, housed in the Committee Support Team, is dedicated to supporting multiple key governance and safety committees and makes meaningful contributions to their growth, diversity, inclusiveness, strength, and capacity by supporting their governance, health, and sustainability. This role blends strategic support with operational support, in the service of helping these groups to reach their best potential in a framework that supports the time and energies of the volunteers involved.

Community governance and safety committees and groups within the role's scope include:

• The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) that is tasked with monitoring adherence and investigating breaches to the Universal Code of Conduct;
• The Elections committee (ElectCom) that oversees the community-and-affiliate trustee selection process for the Wikimedia Foundation Board and other community elections.
• The Affiliations Committee (AffCom) which supports the overall health of the ecosystem of Wikimedia movement affiliates and advises the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees on matters related to affiliate recognition and the affiliate ecosystem;
• The Ombuds Commission (OmbCom) which investigates complaints about infringements of policies on Wikimedia projects related to access to non-public information;
• The Case Review Committee (CRC) which reviews appeals for eligible Foundation office actions;
• The Wikimedia Stewards, an elected group of users with complete access to the wiki interface on all public Wikimedia wikis;
• The various Arbitration Committees (ArbComs) created to serve as binding, dispute resolution panels on various public Wikimedia wikis by the volunteer communities of those public Wikimedia wikis; and
• Forthcoming community self-governance or safety committees that contribute to movement governance and safety.

Responsibilities

This will include working across the governance committees within the Committee Support Team and within the Legal department, as well as connecting with other stakeholder staff and providing targeted support to other committees. Among other duties, the individual is called to:

• In coordination with other committee support staff, help committees within the role's scope to identify and close gaps within their policies, processes, and workflows in collaboration with any staff partners these groups may have.
• Provide critical and timely connections between committees and staff essential to support their functions.
• Plan, organize, and provide facilitation for various committees, including supporting meetings that accommodate for different time zones and availability.
• Provide management, documentation, and administration support for volunteer committee and group members including task management for their key workflows, coordination calls within these bodies and with partnering staff, and weekly progress updates.
• Provide calendaring support for meetings of other important community governance groups, such as stewards and functionaries, as assigned.
• Support knowledge management and selection processes in the committees and groups within the role's scope to help maintain high-functioning, motivated members
• Build strong working relationships with committees and groups within the role's scope.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience:

• Experience and ease working internationally within multilingual and multicultural contexts and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to work systematically to ensure accuracy and quality.
• Capability to independently plan and coordinate with stakeholders of varying levels
• A good understanding of the impact that can be had from improving the functioning of the Foundation's ability to recognize movement affiliates and address their needs.
• Ability to listen actively, moderate discussions, resolve challenges and facilitate solutions calmly and constructively.
• A participatory approach to meeting goals, which prioritizes respect for and openness to diverse backgrounds and expertise.
• Experience maintaining projects and workflows in Asana, Zendesk, or similar tools, with the expectation that Asana and Zendesk will be primary tools at work.
• A strong level of written and spoken English, as well as the ability to communicate clearly with non-native English speakers. Non-native English speakers are welcomed.

Qualities that are important to us:

• A passion for and belief in free and open knowledge, especially in Wikimedia projects.
• Experience facilitating support for decentralized online or volunteer communities.
• Respect for and acceptance of multiple cultures and customs, and a curiosity about the world.
• Commitment to and belief in the value of inclusion, equity and diversity.
• Willingness to undertake travel 2-3 times per year.
• Energy and ability to work in a fast paced environment.
• Proficiency and fluency in languages other than English.

Additionally, we'd love it if you have

• Experience working in a highly transparent and collaborative working environment.
• Experience working with online communities/volunteers.
• Familiarity with the Wikimedia movement and its challenges and strengths.

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.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries*. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$70,210 to US$108,239 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.

• Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay. Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR).

We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.

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 recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885.

More information

U.S. Benefits & Perks
Wikimedia Foundation
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Wikimedia 2030
Our Commitment to Equity
This is Wikimedia Foundation
Facts Matter
Our Projects
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