[Remote] Senior Software Engineer, Wikidata Platform at Wikimedia Foundation

Remote

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Technology, Open Knowledge, Non-ProfitIndustries

Requirements

5+ years of experience as a backend or platform engineer working on distributed systems or data platforms
Deep understanding of database and knowledge graph representation technologies and standards
Proficiency in Java, C++, or other systems languages (ability to set up, scale, and investigate systems is more important than expertise in a particular language)
Experience building and operating production-grade services with SLOs
Familiarity with modern observability tools (metrics, logging, tracing)
Understanding of graph databases, search indexes, or data processing pipelines
Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences
A commitment to learning, resilience, and contributing to a mission-driven engineering culture
Working hours that overlap with UTC+1 to UTC-5 time zones, specifically 14:00 UTC to 17:00 UTC

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain backend systems and APIs that power Wikidata’s query infrastructure
Improve reliability, observability, and automation of the Wikidata Query Service and data pipelines
Collaborate with SRE, data engineers, and product teams to ensure stability and scalability under growing usage
Monitor production systems, respond to operational incidents, and proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks
Support platform migrations and system upgrades (e.g., triple stores, streaming ingestion)
Contribute to deployment automation, CI/CD workflows, and service instrumentation
Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and technical planning
Document systems and share knowledge with team members and Wikimedia’s broader technical community

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Backend EngineeringDistributed SystemsData PlatformsAPIsQuery ServicesSREObservabilityAutomationCI/CDTriple StoresStreaming IngestionProduction SystemsMonitoringDeployment Automation

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this position remote?

Yes, this is a fully remote position, but your working hours must overlap with UTC+1 to UTC-5 time zones, specifically 14:00 UTC to 17:00 UTC.

What skills and experience are required for this role?

Required experience includes 5+ years as a backend or platform engineer on distributed systems or data platforms, deep understanding of database and knowledge graph technologies, proficiency in Java, C++, or similar systems languages, experience with production-grade services with SLOs, familiarity with observability tools, and graph databases or data pipelines.

What is the compensation for this role?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What is the company culture like for this team?

The team emphasizes a mission-driven engineering culture with a commitment to learning, resilience, collaborative work across disciplines, clear communication, and contributing to open knowledge.

What makes a strong candidate for this position?

Strong candidates have 5+ years of backend experience with distributed systems, expertise in systems languages like Java or C++, knowledge of graph databases and observability, plus nice-to-haves like RDF/SPARQL, Kafka, Kubernetes, or Wikimedia experience.

Wikimedia Foundation

Operates Wikipedia and free knowledge projects

About Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation operates Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects, aiming to create a world where everyone can freely access and share knowledge. It provides a platform for users to read, contribute, and share content, while also supporting the volunteer communities that help maintain these projects. The foundation is funded by donations from individuals and institutions, emphasizing its nonprofit status. Unlike many other organizations, it focuses on making knowledge accessible to all without charge, advocating for policies that support free knowledge initiatives. Its goal is to empower individuals to contribute to and benefit from a collective pool of knowledge.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2003Year Founded

$145.9MTotal Funding

GRANTCompany Stage

Social Impact, EducationIndustries

501-1,000Employees

Benefits

Remote Work Options

Risks

Reliance on Nvidia's AI tech may affect Wikimedia's data processing autonomy.

DSA audit could reveal vulnerabilities requiring significant resources to address.

Decentralized platforms like Mastodon may divert users from Wikipedia.

Differentiation

Wikimedia Foundation operates the world's largest free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

It supports a diverse range of projects like Wiktionary and Wikisource.

The Foundation is a non-profit, relying on global donations for funding.

Upsides

Nvidia's NeMo Retriever tech reduced Wikipedia processing time from 30 days to 3 days.

Holistic AI's audit under the DSA enhances Wikimedia's platform safety and accountability.

Collaboration with Open Foundation West Africa combats misinformation during Ghana's elections.

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