Wikimedia Foundation · 3 weeks ago
Senior Program Officer (Northern & Western Europe)
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior LevelThe Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. The Senior Program Officer will implement regional funding programs serving Wikimedian communities in Northern & Western Europe, focusing on grantmaking strategy and community engagement to promote Knowledge Equity.
Computer Software
Responsibilities
Implement the Community Resources grantmaking strategy while taking into consideration community needs, opportunities, movement trends, and the regional geopolitical and cultural context
Analyze regional and global patterns to shape funding rationales and priorities
Design program activities with colleagues to achieve significant, scalable impact
Manage , implement and monitor the regional grant portfolio to ensure alignment with strategy, criteria, and impact goals
Lead annual grant planning: identify and support prospective and returning grantees, review proposals, co-develop funding rationales with the regional funding committee. This also includes conducting organizational assessments (financial and narrative) to inform funding rationales
Work collaboratively across Foundation teams to support implementation of funding program and team objectives
Represent the Foundation internally and externally as an ambassador for regional knowledge, priorities and insights
Build, onboard, and develop regional funding committees aligned with regional needs and opportunities to enable transparent decision-making as part of participatory grantmaking approaches
Set agendas for committee discussions (priorities, financial analysis, partner and regional insights) and facilitate inclusive funding deliberations
Provide context, analysis, and synthesis of committee feedback into funding recommendations and decisions
Provide constructive feedback to applicants and grantees on outcomes and expectations linked to funding decisions
Build and sustain trust-based relationships with communities, grantees, and applicants across the region; act as primary liaison between WMF and partners
Understand community needs, dynamics, and challenges; support conflict resolution or sensitive discussions when required
Support institutional strengthening of grantee partners; connect them with relevant and needed best practices and resources
Design and support convenings, collaborations, and knowledge sharing to enable learning amongst partners within the portfolio, with the community and ecosystem
Engage regional philanthropic spaces and leaders to strengthen grantee support and advance meaningful and mission-aligned philanthropy practices
Review grantee progress through conversations, reports, and site visits and share insight reports
Reviews and approves grant reports, following up when necessary to ensure completeness, discussing concerns, and offering appropriate guidance and support
Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities from grantmaking data to inform the grant strategy, regional priorities and resource allocation
Share learnings with colleagues, committees, and movement partners; contribute to strategic conversations on resource allocation
Qualification
Required
Solid knowledge of trust-based philanthropy or community-based grantmaking
Experience in participatory decision-making structures
Experience in grantmaking, particularly in an international context
Experience in nonprofit capacity building as a funder, consultant, or nonprofit leader
Strong strategic and analytical skills and creative problem-solving ability
Excellent organizational skills and judgment; ability to prioritize work, manage time and multiple priorities, and meet deadlines; attention to detail and accuracy; the ability to set realistic goals and objectives
Proven ability that would translate to creating constructive partnerships with the Wikimedia community, stakeholders, and fund-seekers: skills in facilitating engaging, motivating, coordinating and supporting volunteer communities, and in negotiating the sometimes chaotic and contentious nature of free-thinking communities
An open and transparent communication style; ability to engage and have dialogue with individuals in a public setting and in a non-polarizing way
Experience managing high complexity projects and stakeholders
Willingness to accommodate scheduling requirements of frequent interactions across time zones, with individuals and organizations across the world
Proven English proficiency in written and spoken communication, including speaking in front of large groups and reacting publicly in high-pressure situations, and comfort in producing widely distributed written material
Demonstrated commitment to and belief in equity, inclusion, and diversity
A global perspective, with significant experience living or working internationally
Preferred
Experience working with online communities, particularly in the free knowledge movement
Passion for or experience contributing to Wikipedia/Wikimedia project
Besides English, proficiency in another language would be an added value
Company
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation encourages the development and distribution of free educational content with projects such as Wikipedia.
Founded in 2003
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Wikimedia Foundation has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2024 (4)
2023 (5)
2022 (3)
2021 (1)
2020 (5)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$158.98MKey Investors
Alfred P. Sloan FoundationCraig Newmark PhilanthropiesGoogle.org
2020-01-01Grant· $2.1M
2019-09-10Grant· $2.5M
2019-01-22Grant· $1.1M
Leadership Team
Maryana Iskander
Chief Executive Officer
Denny Vrandečić
Head of Special Projects
Recent News
MarketScreener
2025-12-04
Company data provided by crunchbase