Software Engineer

Description

The Wikipedia Library Team at Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Software Engineer to work with us to add features and capabilities to the Wikipedia Library project as part of a new team.

The Wikipedia Library project allows approved users to freely access paywalled research databases to use as reference and background when editing articles on Wikipedia. The tool is primarily written in Django with several other Python libraries included.

The Community Programs team has envisioned and built the current version of the Wikipedia Library. We are seeking a Software Engineer to help maintain and expand the tool as part of a strategy to grow the tool’s usage and capabilities. This work will not, at first, directly interface with MediaWiki PHP code but will use Wikipedia APIs to enable some features including authentication and access. Working directly with MediaWiki PHP might be part of the team’s responsibilities in the future.

This is an ideal opportunity for a developer interested in working towards the Wikimedia Foundation mission who is primarily a Python developer. The application is in production so you’ll need an interest to understand the existing system. You’ll also be working with a Product Manager to identify, plan, and deliver new features. The team will start small with two engineers but could grow and take on even more projects.

We use open source tools as much as possible, and always open source our own work (https://github.com/WikipediaLibrary/TWLight). Python 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 mission 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.

This role is fully remote or located in our office in San Francisco, CA. Most of the leadership team on this project is remote.