Lead Software Engineer (Fixed Project Contractor) at Wikimedia Foundation

Statement of Purpose

• The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for an experienced Software Engineer to support a project in the product department on a temporary basis for a period of 8-10 weeks. 
• This role is an hourly paid position, with payments structured around pre-determined milestones to ensure clear expectations and progress tracking.

Scope of Work

• The engineer will support our “New Engagement Experiments“ effort, reporting to product design management.
• You will collaborate with product design, communications, and other engineers – building and deploying software experiments that explore ways to invite more interaction and learning with Wikipedia content.
• The focus of this work will be a time limited ‘daily play’ web-based game, utilizing Wikipedia content.

Key Responsibilities

• Acting as a thought-partner on a small cross-functional team
• Developing highly interactive experimental solutions for mobile web
• Working independently with minimal engineering support
• Using third-party and Wikimedia APIs
• Staying informed about new technologies and platforms
• Instrumenting components for monitoring and analysis
• Recommending improvements to R&D infrastructure
• Collaborating with design and engineering teams

Deliverables

• Specific deliverables and timelines for these deliverables will be defined by the Project lead at the start of the contract. 

Outcome and Performance standards

• This work will be overseen by a Design Manager, who will be responsible for reviewing the deliverables and ensuring they meet our standards.

Requirements
The ideal candidate should have:

• 5-8+ years of professional software development experience
• Experience with cross-functional teams and new product development
• Ability to work in a self-driven, lean environment
• Quick adaptability to new codebases and technologies
• Experience integrating third-party API services
• Mobile web  development skills, including frontend frameworks (Vue.js or React), as well as API development and integration.

Additional desired qualities include:

• Strong belief in Wikimedia's principles of using technology ethically
• Willingness to iterate quickly and pivot strategically
• Background in mobile game development 
• Clear communication skills in both synchronous and asynchronous channels
• Cloud environment experience (preferred)
• Open source contribution history (preferred)

Remuneration

• 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 US$52/hour  to US$75/hour 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.