Principal, Executive Communications
Wikimedia Foundation
Job Description
The Wikimedia Foundation seeks a senior communications professional to lead our executive communications across a growing, global portfolio.
This person's main responsibility is to serve as a primary communications partner to the Foundation's CEO, providing strategic counsel and direct support across internal and external communications. This includes building a comprehensive engagement strategy spanning multiple and complex stakeholder groups. In close collaboration with colleagues on the Foundation's media relations and internal communications teams, and with the Foundation's Chief of Staff, this person will develop, shape, and implement a strategy for the CEO to communicate and advance the vision of the Wikimedia Foundation. In addition, they will support external communications for other members of the Foundation's executive team and the Board of Trustees.
The person in this role will be responsible for proactively identifying, shaping, and executing opportunities to build the thought leadership platforms for the CEO and other Foundation executives, including securing and preparing leaders for public speaking and media engagements. This role will regularly develop communications materials for the CEO, such as speeches and remarks, talking points, social media posts, internal communications, briefing documents, and blogs. They will also develop key narratives and messaging strategies that increase the awareness and understanding of how Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects work and their value in the world, in alignment with the communications objectives of the Wikimedia Foundation.
This role requires a candidate with previous experience supporting C-level executives; the ability to work autonomously to develop thought leadership strategies and excellent written materials; and the ability to thrive in a highly collaborative environment by creating connections across departments and teams within a globally-distributed, remote, matrixed organization.
Working hours: This role requires regular working hours aligned with the Eastern Time (ET) time zone, with flexibility to work across time zones as needed to support global stakeholders and executive communications.
The ideal candidate is:
- An executive communications expert. You have written for CEOs and executives before; you are comfortable working directly with senior-level stakeholders to understand their priorities and translate them into a communications strategy. You are not just a communications expert; you are a strategic partner and advisor to the principals that you support. You are responsive and curious, with a high degree of executive presence. You are able to anticipate tough questions and think strategically about messages that resonate across multiple audiences.
- Highly collaborative. You will be part of an international communications department that works to reach and engage numerous stakeholders through a range of global channels, including earned media, social media, and channels reaching Wikimedia volunteer and affiliate communities and Foundation staff. You can develop and integrate executive communications tactics into the overarching communications strategy of the Wikimedia Foundation. You will proactively develop relationships throughout the organization and broader volunteer communities to understand and surface trends to include in communications.
- An experienced storyteller. You will develop written materials that capture the tone and voice of different executives, often working under tight deadlines. This can include writing and ghostwriting speeches, op-eds, quotes, external statements, and blog posts that have a clear point of view; guiding social media strategy that captures the tone and style of our executives; and creating a consistent internal communications strategy including regular staff emails from the CEO.
- Enthusiastic about proactive external opportunities. In a swiftly evolving news and public engagement landscape, you will raise the profile of Wikimedia Foundation leadership by proactively seeking out earned media opportunities and speaking engagements, as well as co-creating thought leadership and building public presence for our leadership team. You will leverage relationships with reporters and conference organizers to identify new and compelling publications and venues for Foundation leaders to speak to key audiences. You love following technology trends and other public narratives that are relevant to our work, and you identify proactive opportunities to increase awareness about the Wikimedia projects.
Skills and Experience:
- 10+ years of professional experience in communications, with several years supporting C-level executives.
- Excellent verbal communication and writing skills, including ability to adapt communications for different stakeholders.
- Unflappable composure and ability to engage with senior leadership-level presence; ability to communicate the work of the Wikimedia Foundation at multiple levels.
- Experience navigating crisis communications, including preparing executives to respond to sensitive or rapidly evolving situations in partnership with wider Communications teams.
- Proven ability to pitch stories, engage press, and manage key relationships to drive results. Experience and comfort working with reporters, staffing media interviews, and shaping articles.
- Experience developing a social media strategy customized for specific channels (LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.) in collaboration with the organization's larger social media strategy and social media team.
- Strong project management skills and experience managing multiple projects and deadlines at once, as well as an interest in both independent and collaborative work.
- Detail-oriented with experience maintaining systems and documentation for projects with multiple moving parts and stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel as needed (potential for 3 - 5 trips per year) and work across time zones.
Additionally, we’d love it if you have:
- Ability to work with colleagues who do not have English as their primary language.
- A commitment to consistently modeling the Wikimedia Foundation's organizational values.
- Preference for candidates based in the Eastern Time time zone.
- Preference for candidates with involvement or experience within Wikimedia communities and/or editing the Wikimedia projects.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.
As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries*. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is $144,765 to $220,063 with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location.
*Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following:
US States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico*, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming (*US Territory or Federal District)
Countries: Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya*, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore*, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR) and must have current work authorization in their location. (*citizens/permanent residents only)
We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.
All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.
If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885.
More information
What does the Wikimedia Foundation do?
What makes Wikipedia different from social media platforms?