Senior Trust & Safety Policy Manager at Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Senior Trust & Safety Policy Manager to advance our mission of empowering every human to freely share in the sum of all knowledge. As part of our Legal team, you will help build and maintain safe, welcoming environments for the diverse global community of volunteers who create and curate free knowledge on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Our commitment to safety, efficiency, and fairness is essential to ensuring access to free, reliable information worldwide.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Trust & Safety, you will play a critical role in reviewing, enhancing, and developing trust and safety policies. The Wikimedia movement has multiple suites of policies: those which guide our Foundation and those which guide our volunteers. Your work will largely revolve around our internal policies, where you will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and recommend changes to address gaps or inefficiencies or for regulatory compliance. By ensuring that our policies reflect our movement’s values and meet community needs, you will help strengthen our commitment to transparency, fairness, and inclusivity.

In addition to reviewing and enhancing the Foundation’s internal policies, you will also support in the development of some of the trust and safety policies which guide our volunteers, including in the continued rollout and implementation of the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) across Wikimedia’s global, multilingual communities. To do this, you will strengthen collaboration with the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) and partner with multiple language-based project communities in their own review and improvement of UCoC adherence. You may be asked to help develop public resources and training materials to promote consistent, fair enforcement and to build capacity throughout the Wikimedia ecosystem.

You will also play an important role in investigating and responding to threats to the safety of Wikimedia projects, communities, and the public. You will help review and escalate emergency contacts to law enforcement when necessary and contribute to confidential case reviews to shape policy recommendations and ensure appropriate application of standards.

Success in this role requires a deep understanding of what fosters healthy online communities and how to build equitable systems that support users in distress. Your ability to understand and navigate community norms and processes will be key. You will also need to be able to work well with volunteers and staff from a broad range of backgrounds to establish a culture of peer support and excellence within the framework of the Universal Code of Conduct. 

We welcome candidates from any background who are excited to bring their expertise to this mission-driven role. If you are passionate about creating safe, equitable, and resilient online communities, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing, enhancing, and developing Foundation-internal trust and safety policies to ensure they reflect Wikimedia’s values and meet the needs of diverse global communities. In collaboration with manager and team members, identifying areas for improvement within existing policies, and recommending changes to address gaps, inefficiencies, or emerging challenges. 
• Collaborating with U4C, project communities, and affiliate groups to promote UCoC adherence, provide training as requested, and build capacity for consistent enforcement. (Occasional international travel may be required.)
• Providing safety risk assessments on new Wikimedia products, projects, tools, and features before they are launched on request.
• Contributing to team discussions and confidential case reviews both to shape policy recommendations and ensure the appropriate application of standards, aligning with broader safety goals.
• Maintaining and promoting awareness of community norms, processes, and emerging trends to support proactive policy development and community engagement.
• Participating in a team rotation to ensure 24/7 coverage for emergencies, assessing and escalating high-risk threats when necessary.
• Performing other duties as required to support the Trust & Safety team’s mission and objectives.

Skills and Experience:

• Experience supporting and enhancing implementing complex policies in alignment with organizational values and goals. 
• Ability to thrive with general guidance on new initiatives but the expectation of independence on day-to-day tasks. 
• Strong critical thinking skills 
• Ability to assess risks, evaluate options, and recommend data-informed solutions that align with strategic objectives. 
• Experience coordinating and supporting diverse stakeholders, including volunteers, staff, and external partners.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills 
• Experience building and maintaining productive relationships with stakeholders across diverse cultural, linguistic, and professional backgrounds.
• Experience working with international and multilingual communities. 
• A collaborative mindset paired with the ability to work autonomously when needed.
• Fluency in English  - Advanced command of another major language is a strong plus (Spanish, Russian, Japanese, or Mandarin preferred).
• Educational background: Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of related experience, a Master’s degree and 3+ years of related experience, or equivalent work experience.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Experience with, or understanding of, free knowledge, open source, free culture, or other online communities and operates with high sensitivity around culture with the goal to respect, preserve and enhance.
• Experience  in developing and implementing behavioral, governance, or community safety policies within complex, values-driven ecosystems.
• Experience working with online communities/volunteers.