Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join our Platform Engineering team. This role is crucial for developing and maintaining the core services and infrastructure that power Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects globally. If you are passionate about open knowledge and have a strong background in building large-scale, resilient systems, we encourage you to apply!
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and maintain robust, scalable, and high-performance software systems.
- Lead technical projects, from conception to deployment, ensuring successful delivery.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Product, SRE, Frontend) to define technical requirements and solutions.
- Mentor junior and mid-level engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and growth.
- Participate in code reviews, ensuring code quality, maintainability, and adherence to best practices.
- Contribute to the architectural evolution of our platform, identifying and implementing improvements.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, ensuring high availability and reliability of services.
- Drive innovation by exploring new technologies and methodologies.
Skills and Experience:
- 8+ years of professional experience in software development, with a significant portion in a Staff or Lead Engineer role.
- Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, C++, Rust).
- Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Cassandra).
- Proven track record of designing and implementing scalable, fault-tolerant, and secure systems.
- Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative, and remote environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Bonus Points For:
- Experience with open-source contributions or working on large-scale open-source projects.
- Familiarity with mediawiki or other wiki platforms.
- Knowledge of search technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr).
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
If you’re excited by the opportunity to make a global impact and work on systems that millions of people rely on daily, we encourage you to apply. Join us in our mission to empower and engage people across the world to collect and develop educational content and to make it available to all!
