Software Engineer, MediaWiki Interfaces

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Software Engineer to join the MediaWiki Interfaces team. MediaWiki is the open‑source platform that powers Wikipedia and its sister projects – impacting hundreds of millions of users worldwide. This team owns the web API and other integration interfaces of MediaWiki, enabling other teams to create features that allow users to access, edit, and consume knowledge efficiently and reliably.

This role offers a chance to work on large‑scale, mission‑driven software while deepening your technical expertise and contributing to systems used globally. You’ll collaborate with other engineers and product managers to improve performance, reliability and the responsible adoption of our APIs.

Important: We are a fully remote team. Your working hours will need to overlap with UTC‑4 to UTC+2 time zones to best accommodate members of your team around the world.

You Will Be Responsible For:

• Designing, developing, and maintaining key parts of the MediaWiki stack
• Writing clean, well‑documented, and maintainable code
• Participating in code reviews, design discussions, and technical planning
• Investigating and resolving production issues with support from other engineers
• Contributing to the adoption and advocacy of API‑first development, and influencing best practices in system design, SLOs/SLAs, and OpenAPI Specification
• Contributing to improving observability (metrics, logging, monitoring) and reliability of our systems
• Collaborating with the Product team and the Wikimedia community to ensure technical solutions meet user needs
• Working with other engineers to improve the development workflow

Qualities We Are Looking For:

• Clear communicator – can explain ideas simply and adapt communication to different audiences
• Outcome‑oriented – prioritises work that delivers value to users and aligns with organizational goals, breaking it into manageable steps to deliver incremental value
• Accountable – owns work end‑to‑end and helps establish a culture of responsibility and follow‑through
• Candid and respectful – offers feedback directly, constructively, and with care; invites the same in return; supports growth by challenging ideas, not people
• Collaborative – enjoys working with others to solve problems and is open to feedback

Requirements:

• Commitment to the Foundation's Mission and Values
• Bachelor's + 2 years of related experience or equivalent work experience
• Proficiency in PHP and JavaScript, or willingness to learn and work with both
• Understanding of HTTP and web application architecture
• Familiarity with observability and testing practices

Additionally, We’d Love It If You Have:

• Experience contributing to open‑source software
• Familiarity with MediaWiki
• Experience working in a remote, distributed team
• Interest in API‑first development or improving developer experience
• Professional experience in large‑scale web platforms

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.

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 in 40+ countries. Salaries are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range for applicants based within the United States is US$92,267 to US$144,201, with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the United States, 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.

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. This position requires candidates to be legally eligible to work in the United States. Eligibility for the U.S. position will have to be verified. All applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of background or qualifications. Applicants in other countries are hired through a local third‑party Employer of Record (EOR). Currently we can hire in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay.