Executive Communications Lead

The Wikimedia Foundation seeks an experienced strategic communications professional and writer to support communications and a thought leadership strategy for senior leaders and executives at the organization.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a product and technology centered organization tasked with supporting Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects created by volunteers around the world. This role will be responsible for working with Wikimedia Foundation executives, with a focus on product and technology leadership, to identify new and compelling thought leadership opportunities and build narrative platforms that increase the awareness and understanding of how Wikipedia works and its value in the world. The role will be responsible for building communications material for executives, such as briefing documents, talking points and internal communications; supporting the development of speeches, ghostwriting blogs and other written materials; and proactively identifying and shaping public speaking and media opportunities. The Executive Communications Lead will report to the Chief of Staff/Director of Executive Communications at the Foundation.

This role would be a good fit for a candidate with previous communications experience, including work with media; expertise working with senior leadership in technology; and the ability to work autonomously to develop thought leadership strategy and craft talking points. This role will have broad visibility across the organization, including getting to work deeply with and within the Product and Technology department and collaborate and learn from colleagues across media relations, digital media, internal communications, advocacy and crisis communications. They will be part of an organization in service of a movement of volunteer editors, among other contributors. This is a community that celebrates language and appreciates that feeling of finding the perfect word or phrase. It is a fantastic place to work as a writer.

The ideal candidate is: 

• A strong, adaptable writer who has experience working with and writing for numerous stakeholders and audiences. This role will involve regularly and consistently writing materials such as internal emails and newsletters; developing briefing documents and other prep materials; and ghost-writing content such as blogs, op-eds, and speeches for a variety of communication channels. This role will bring a strong narrative voice when writing compelling content for external audiences, and will have demonstrated experience adapting to and writing for others. They will also bring curiosity and the ability to develop new thought leadership materials in response to industry trends and public narratives.
• A diplomatic and seasoned collaborator who thrives on the process of co-creation and partnership with various internal and external stakeholders on communications initiatives big and small. This role will require someone comfortable working independently with the organization’s senior leadership, including offering clear guidance and constructive feedback on communications. 
• A self-directed professional who enjoys juggling multiple projects and deadlines at once. This role will benefit from someone who excels at managing their time across short-term projects, reactive and sometimes urgent communications requests, and longer-term strategic initiatives. The Foundation is a globally distributed organization, so this role will be mostly remote with occasional yearly travel for in person gatherings.
• A connector who is enthusiastic about the opportunity to get deeply embedded within other departments within the organization and understand their communications needs and how to tell the story of their work. This role will sit within the communications function, with an expectation of collaborating closely with Product and Technology leadership to flesh out the story of innovation and technical improvement to multiple audiences.

You are responsible for:  

• Developing written materials that capture the tone and voice of different executives, often working under tight deadlines. This includes writing and ghost-writing speeches, op-eds, quotes, external statements, and blog posts that have a clear point of view.
• Following technology trends and public narratives that are relevant to our work, and identifying proactive opportunities to increase awareness about the Wikimedia projects.
• Leveraging relationships with reporters and conference organizers to identify new and compelling publications and venues for Foundation leaders to speak to key audiences.
• Anticipating tough questions and preparing executives with needed messaging on a variety of relevant topics based on the news of the day.
• Cultivating relationships throughout the organization and broader volunteer movement to understand and surface trends to include in broader communications.
• Identifying and shaping thought leadership opportunities that engage key, public audiences and help them better understand Wikipedia's vital role in society and technology today.
• Collaborating closely with the communications department to align on communications strategy and spokespeople, including shaping proactive media opportunities. 
• Creating repeatable processes and metrics to measure and improve the success of public speaking engagements and other thought leadership opportunities.

Skills & experience

• Minimum of six years experience working in an editorial, journalism, or communications role.
• Strong verbal and written communication, and editing skills, with the demonstrated ability to write both short and long form pieces and meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills and experience managing multiple projects and deadlines at once, as well as an interest in both independent and collaborative work 

• Experience and comfort working with reporters, staffing media interviews, and shaping articles.
• Experience working with technical topics and translating complex technical concepts into compelling narratives.
• Detail-oriented with experience maintaining systems and documentation for projects with multiple moving parts and stakeholders.  
• Passion for following news trends and proactively identifying media opportunities for spokespeople.
• Comfort working with senior executives and spokespeople at all levels to collaborate on communications strategy and messaging.
• Strong research skills. 

Qualities that are important to us:

• Resilience—we work on new and interesting problems in public and collaborative ways
• Being open, curious, and inquiring in our work
• Internal motivation and high standards
• Working together for outcomes, and being willing to let go to scale or change course
• Sharing a culture of constructive criticism and respect
• Eagerness to collaborate and commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and belonging

Additionally, we’d love it if you have: 

• Involvement or experience within Wikimedia communities and/or editing the Wikimedia projects
• Flexibility to schedule your workday to be in US timezones, ensuring overlap with Pacific Time 
• Ability to speak and write in multiple languages
• Knowledge of online community interaction and dynamics

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$110,663  to US$170,778  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 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

Applicant Privacy Policy

Wikimedia Foundation

What does the Wikimedia Foundation do?

What makes Wikipedia different from social media platforms?

Our Projects

Our Tech Stack

News from across the Wikimedia movement

Wikimedia Blog

Wikimedia 2030