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CEO

Wikimedia Foundation • Full-time • Remote (United States) • 19h ago

The talent we need now for the future of knowledge

The Opportunity: Chief Executive Officer

Reports to: Board of Trustees

Location: United States of America (Significant travel globally and within the United States)

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Wikipedia is the only top ten global website operated by a nonprofit organization, the Wikimedia Foundation. In January 2026, Wikipedia turns 25 years old and the Foundation will welcome its fifth Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as part of a planned transition, to lead the next phase of growth and innovation for this unique global knowledge resource. The next leader will inherit an organization on strong financial footing, with a reputable brand worldwide, and that is successfully delivering on shared goals with its volunteer communities.

The CEO will lead an experienced, cohesive and committed executive team, and oversee a remote-first, globally distributed workforce of nearly 700 staff across 40+ countries. They will inspire and steward thousands of stakeholders around the world including volunteers, Wikimedia project communities, affiliates, user/thematic groups, partners, donors, and readers.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cappadocia_Balloon_Inflating_Wikimedia_Commons.JPG

At a time of growing complexity – and opportunity – for Wikipedia and its sister projects, the next CEO will have a proven track record of vision, leadership and management to take the organization to the next level of ambition and impact in a rapidly evolving world. Externally, the organization is tracking and responding to global trends related to AI, neutrality, regulation, and changing patterns of how people consume content online. Internally, there is a need to continue centering the Foundation's priorities and resources on its product and technology initiatives.

We aim to hire a globally-minded, collaborative, forward-thinking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is committed to the principles of free knowledge, neutrality, open data, freedom of expression and anti-censorship, transparency, and privacy. The CEO will be accountable for leading strategy, stakeholder management, enterprise risk, and sustaining a culture of innovation and collaboration across the Foundation and with Wikimedia communities. This requires building trust and deep relationships with mission-driven executives and staff, gaining insights into their motivations and priorities. The CEO will steward the goals of volunteer communities and communicate a vision that is compelling to policymakers, donors, and the media.

The Wikimedia Foundation operates under an expectation of significant transparency and public scrutiny. The CEO will embody, promote, and defend Wikimedia's values in all of their interactions. They will marshal the talent and resources necessary to successfully achieve Wikimedia's mission and future aspirations.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jimmy_Wales_-_August_2019.jpg

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting to and working with the Board of Trustees, the CEO has accountability for leading and inspiring the vision, strategic, programmatic, financial, and management operations of the Wikimedia Foundation. Specific competencies include:

Strategy & Planning:

Lead multi-year strategy and planning efforts focused on priorities that include Wikimedia's financial model, product and technology efforts, and shared governance with communities.
Set and execute compelling annual and multi-year plans that align investments, resources and talent in response to global trends and organizational objectives.
Communicate clearly, transparently, and regularly with the Board of Trustees and key internal and external constituents about Wikimedia's opportunities, choices, and progress toward its goals.

Management & Culture:

Experience and capacity to lead and manage a wide range of constituencies, including staff, volunteers, and the Board of Trustees.
Lead a high-performance culture that values inclusion and manages people and teams in line with organizational values.
Drive towards solutions with clear decision-making and accountability.
Empower executives to foster cross-organization and multidisciplinary collaboration, as well as operational excellence, creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Demonstrated ability to recruit, cultivate, and retain talent.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimania_2023_Singapore_Group_Photo.jpg

Governance and Risk:

Manage the organization's current and future risk profile across areas that include legal, finance, policy, government regulation, technology, security, and brand reputation.
Partner effectively with the Board of Trustees in their fiduciary, oversight, and governance responsibilities.

External Relations:

Serve as an effective spokesperson, brand ambassador, and thought leader to multiple audiences in a wide variety of settings and sectors globally.
Cultivate major gifts and donor relationships to meet revenue goals in partnership with the fundraising team. Fundraising covers annual ongoing operations for the Foundation, the Wikimedia Endowment (separate endowment structure with distinct board), and Wikimedia Enterprise (earned revenue channel targeting large-scale reusers of Wikimedia content).
Inspire stakeholders and the public as a champion of Wikipedia's mission and values.

Community:

Build trusted relationships throughout the global Wikimedia community; listen intently to community members, affiliates and user/thematic groups to develop, adapt and champion strategies that grow volunteer engagement and readership.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimania_2023_in_Singapore_-_Day_one_-_020.jpg

The Leader

Requirements:

Previous experience as a CEO and/or equivalent track record in other applicable executive capacities.
The ability to manage a large organization similar in scale and complexity to the Wikimedia Foundation with a significant operating budget (~ USD$200M currently) as well as hundreds of globally dispersed staff (~ 700 currently) and programs.
Proven track record in recruiting, building, retaining and mentoring high-performing, diverse, global leadership teams. Managerial maturity that empowers leaders to exercise their judgment and discretion.
Experience with multi-faceted stakeholder environments, particularly structures similar to the community/affiliate model. Listens to, integrates, and champions ideas from a variety of stakeholders, especially those voices not typically championed.
The ability to manage fast-moving crisis response situations with strong communication skills and calm, measured, strategic actions.
Deep experience in board management and skilled at navigating community-led governance structures.
Track record as an effective public spokesperson and ambassador in a wide variety of settings globally.
Familiarity with and an ability to oversee annual fundraising efforts across multiple philanthropic and earned revenue channels.
The ability to travel regularly to meet with Foundation staff, volunteer communities, donors, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
Deep resonance with Wikimedia's values and mission, ideally with personal experience in a closely related field (open/free knowledge, public policy, neutrality, knowledge access, human rights, technology's vital role in enabling the mission).

Qualities that are important to us:

Exceptional character and unquestionable personal integrity.
Impeccable judgement and discernment, with an ability to instill confidence and earn trust. Someone who possesses high emotional intelligence, and is an attentive, empathetic listener. Has the deference to recognize that they are a steward of a broad-based, large-scale movement.
Ability to collaborate to make decisions and communicate them effectively in a highly complex environment with numerous stakeholders.
Brings a relationship orientation and a communication style that inspires and galvanizes volunteers to engage, donors to invest, and the public to trust the brand.
Ability to lead calmly through uncertainty, and to influence with empathy and humility.
A lifelong learner; curiosity and critical thinking skills to assess situations through multiple lenses.
Ability to explain goals and strategies clearly to non-specialist audiences and gain their understanding and confidence.
Empathy towards and commitment to work with Wikimedia communities and volunteers.
Strong asynchronous communication and decision-making in a highly consensus-based environment that is geographically distributed.
As a global citizen, has a track record of leading outside of only a North American context.

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Compensation: The Wikimedia Foundation complies with legal and organizational obligations related to salary transparency. Disclosures from our most recent Form 990 list the total compensation for the CEO role at $500,000. Any final offer will be determined by a candidate's relevant experience and internal pay equity. We review global compensation benchmarks on a regular basis to ensure non-profit market competitiveness.

How to Apply:

Please share nominations or submit a resume and cover letter to:

wikimediaCEO@viewcrestadvisors.com

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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.

Viewcrest Advisors, our search partner, is committed to social justice and access to opportunity and actively cultivates relationships with leaders who have varied life experiences as well as the skills needed to lead strong, innovative organizations. Additionally, Viewcrest Advisors commits to protecting your personal data privacy; please visit www.viewcrestadvisors.com to view their privacy policy.

This position was originally posted by Wikimedia Foundation / Prospectus and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link on the side. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.

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