This role is remote, but you must be based in a Sub-Saharan African country where the Wikimedia Foundation can currently hire. Its hiring list names Ghana, Kenya (citizens or permanent residents only) and South Africa. Nigeria is not on the list at the moment.
Volunteers across Africa write and edit Wikipedia in English, French, Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu and many other languages. The Wikimedia Foundation funds community groups that support this work, and it now wants a senior program officer to decide, with the community, where that money goes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit that runs Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. It is funded mostly by small donations from millions of people, with an average gift of about US$15, and is a remote first organization with staff and contractors in more than 40 countries.
About the Role
You will sit in the Community Resources team, the Foundation's main funding arm, and run the regional funding programs for Wikimedia communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. You will:
- Put the grantmaking strategy into practice, taking account of community needs and the regional context
- Manage and monitor the regional grant portfolio and lead annual grant planning
- Review proposals and run financial and narrative assessments of grantee organizations
- Build and support a regional funding committee and facilitate its funding decisions
- Act as the main contact between the Foundation and communities, grantees and applicants in the region
- Support grantees to grow stronger, and organize convenings and knowledge sharing
- Review grantee progress through calls, reports and site visits, and share what you learn
About You
- Solid knowledge of trust based philanthropy or community based grantmaking
- Experience with participatory decision making and international grantmaking
- Experience in nonprofit capacity building as a funder, consultant or nonprofit leader
- Strong strategic, analytical and organizational skills
- An open communication style and comfort working with lively volunteer communities
- Excellent written and spoken English, including public speaking
- Willingness to work across time zones and travel internationally 1 to 3 times a year
Nice to Have
- Experience with online communities, especially in the free knowledge movement
- Experience contributing to Wikipedia or other Wikimedia projects
- A second language besides English
What the Wikimedia Foundation Offers
For US based staff the Foundation lists a pay range of US$85,761 to US$130,513. Outside the US, pay is adjusted to the country of hire, and non US staff are employed through a local Employer of Record. You can ask the recruiter for the range in your country during the process.
If you live in Ghana, Kenya or South Africa and have grantmaking or nonprofit experience, this is a rare chance to shape how Wikipedia grows across the region.
Apply on the Wikimedia Foundation's official careers page: Apply for the Senior Program Officer, Sub-Saharan Africa role