Backend Engineer
ZipSalary not specified
Full Time
Mid-level (3 to 4 years), Senior (5 to 8 years)
Not SpecifiedCompensation
Mid-level (3 to 4 years), Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Technology, Non-Profit, Open SourceIndustries
Requirements
- Commitment to the Foundation's Mission and Values
- Bachelor's + 2 years of related experience or equivalent work experience
- Proficiency in PHP and JavaScript, or a willingness to learn and work with both
- Understanding of HTTP and web application architecture
- Familiarity with observability and testing practices
- Working hours overlap with UTC-4 to UTC+2 time zones
Responsibilities
- Designing, developing, and maintaining key parts of the MediaWiki stack
- Writing clean, well-documented, and maintainable code
- Participating in code reviews, design discussions, and technical planning
- Investigating and resolving production issues with support from other engineers
- Contributing to the adoption and advocacy of API-first development, and influencing best practices in system design, SLOs/SLAs, and OpenAPI Specification
- Contributing to improving observability (metrics, logging, monitoring) and reliability of our systems
- Collaborating with the Product team and the Wikimedia community to ensure technical solutions meet user needs
- Working with other engineers to improve the development workflow
Skills
Key technologies and capabilities for this role
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-4 to UTC+2 time zones to accommodate the global team.
What technical skills are required for this role?
Required skills include proficiency in PHP and JavaScript (or willingness to learn both), understanding of HTTP and web application architecture, and familiarity with observability and testing practices.
What qualities make a strong candidate for this position?
Strong candidates are clear communicators, outcome-oriented, accountable, candid and respectful, and collaborative, along with a commitment to the Foundation's mission and values.
What is the experience level required?
The role requires a Bachelor's degree plus 2 years of related experience or equivalent work experience.
What is the team culture like?
The team emphasizes collaboration with engineers and product managers, a culture of responsibility and follow-through, candid and respectful feedback, and working in a fully remote, distributed environment.
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.
Related Jobs
RemoteRemoteJunior Software Developer
7shiftsSalary not specified
- Full Time
- Junior (1 to 2 years)
RemoteFull Stack Engineer
thatgamecompanySalary not specified
- Full Time
- Junior (1 to 2 years)
RemotePlatform Engineer
KnockSalary not specified
- Full Time
- Junior (1 to 2 years)
RemoteSenior Developer, Backend
1PasswordSalary not specified
- Full Time
- Senior (5 to 8 years)
RemoteSoftware Engineer - Backend
JasperSalary not specified
- Full Time
- Mid-level (3 to 4 years), Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)
RemoteSenior Systems Engineer
MrBeastSalary not specified
- Full Time
- Senior (5 to 8 years)
RemoteDesign Engineer, Web
Modern Treasury$150,000 - $200,000/year
- Full Time
- Senior (5 to 8 years)