portal resources jobs companies w wikimedia foundation, inc. software engineer, machine learning

Software Engineer, Machine Learning 🔥


Summary

The Scoring Platform team [1] builds and maintains machine learning technologies [2] to empower millions of users – readers, contributors, and donors – who contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects on a daily basis.  We address process inefficiencies with machine learning technologies, we design and test new technology, we produce empirical insights, and we publish and present research on the intersection of technology and culture. We are strongly committed to principles of transparency, privacy and collaboration.  We use free and open source technology and we collaborate with researchers in the industry and academia. 

As a Software Engineer of the Scoring Platform team, you will help us build and scale our machine prediction service, train new machine learning models, and implement other data-intensive applications. You’ll travel to conferences to interact with researchers and volunteer contributors to Wikimedia Projects. You’ll help translate abstractions from current research and volunteers’ needs into concrete technologies and we’ll learn about the impacts of those technologies together.

You are responsible for:

  • Implementing the Scoring Platform’s data intensive infrastructure and APIs
  • Collaborating with researchers and product managers to bring forward foundational technologies for new products
  • Coordinating and communicating with other members of the Wikimedia engineering teams on relevant projects
  • Engaging with internal documentation efforts and inform other staff in various aspects of Scoring Platform infrastructure and services
  • Working in coordination with volunteer developers, editors, and researchers to understand their needs. 
  • Sharing our values [3], respect our code of conduct [4], adhere to our team norms, and work in accordance with all three

Skills and Experience:

  • Experience with web programming languages (PHP, Javascript, Python, etc.) 
  • Understanding or willingness to learn basic statistics, machine learning, and/or data analysis techniques.
  • Demonstrable experience developing and debugging web applications
  • Strong verbal and written proficiency with the English language
  • BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Information science, or equivalent work experience

Qualities that are important to us:

  • Engineering mindset and strong experience in Linux ecosystems
  • Real world experience writing horizontally scalable web applications

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

  • Experience participating in open source software projects and communities
  • Familiarity with scientific computing libraries in Python
  • Experience with web UI development (Javascript, HTML, CSS
  • Experience working with collaborating in online spaces (chatrooms, web forums, etc.)

The Wikimedia Foundation is... 

...the nonprofit organization that hosts and 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, free of interference. We host 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. The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive financial support from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

The Wikimedia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply.

U.S. Benefits & Perks*

  • Fully paid medical, dental and vision coverage for employees and their eligible families (yes, fully paid premiums!)
  • The Wellness Program provides reimbursement for mind, body and soul activities such as fitness memberships, baby sitting, continuing education and much more
  • The 401(k) retirement plan offers matched contributions at 4% of annual salary
  • Flexible and generous time off - vacation, sick and volunteer days, plus 19 paid holidays - including the last week of the year.
  • Family friendly! 100% paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, flexible options to phase back in after leave, fully equipped lactation room.
  • For those emergency moments - long and short term disability, life insurance (2x salary) and an employee assistance program
  • Pre-tax savings plans for health care, child care, elder care, public transportation and parking expenses
  • Telecommuting and flexible work schedules available
  • Appropriate fuel for thinking and coding (aka, a pantry full of treats) and monthly massages to help staff relax
  • Great colleagues - diverse staff and contractors speaking dozens of languages from around the world, fantastic intellectual discourse, mission-driven and intensely passionate people

*Eligible international workers' benefits are specific to their location and dependent on their employer of record


  1. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Scoring_Platform_team
  2. https://www.wired.com/2015/12/wikipedia-is-using-ai-to-expand-the-ranks-of-human-editors/
  3. https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/values/
  4. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Code_of_Conduct

Other openings you might be interested in

More remote jobs

Let us send you new openings similar to Software Engineer, Machine Learning straight to your Inbox. Weekly or Daily. 7-day free trial 💌

The ability to work remotely increases employee happiness by 20 percent.