LEAD STRATEGIST (ANALYTICS, INSIGHTS & IMPACT)

Summary

The Global Data & Insights Team (GDI) supports the intentional use of data to inform decision-making about the Wikimedia Foundation's strategy and programs. We run community surveys, harvest available Foundation metrics and leverage data from reliable international monitoring organizations to develop dashboards and reports to inform the movement and Foundation leadership. Our team includes mixed methods researchers with decades of experience in analysis and relevant social science software such as R, SPSS, and NVivo.  

The Lead Strategist will play an essential role on the Global Data & Insights (GDI) team to develop an evaluation practice at the Foundation. They will be responsible for designing and implementing the evaluation of a set of priority strategic projects and initiatives and will act as a strategic advisor to the GDI leadership team on impact evaluation design and learning. This role also entails cross-departmental coordination and evaluation work to inform actionable solutions.

You are responsible for:

• Evaluation Design. 
  • Working across departments to design and guide implementing the evaluation strategy for a set of priority evaluation projects.
  • Maintaining alignment with the organizational theory of change and intended expectations for social returns on investments across the five dimensions of impact (Impact Management Project).
• Data Analytics & Insights.  
  • Facilitating data frames and pipelines for effective and efficient storage and retrieval of crucial evaluation data for each project’s needed measurement design and data learning.
  • Developing and carrying out the evaluation plan from formative to summative stage data learning needs. 
  • Aggregating data for learning about the successes and failures of our efforts, and our achieved impact, in terms of changes to our Wikimedia movement ecosystem and environments, scalability, and/or social return on investment.
• Reporting.
  • Answering identified evaluation and/or research questions and developing dashboards, evaluation bulletins, and quarterly and annual reports about questions of interest, agreed-upon benchmarks, and key insights.
  • Providing clarity on progress towards primary goals for implementation.
  • Guiding Foundation learning about outcomes and impact.
• Collaborating. 
  • Facilitating participatory design with leaders across the Foundation for: 
    • Monitoring the data collection systems and capacity for evaluation data management
    • Modeling the use of evaluation best practices for Foundation colleagues and Wikimedia movement stakeholders
    • Sharing results and knowledge derived from evaluation data with Foundation teams to inform them of best practices and lessons learned, and to facilitate strategic learning to identify potential next steps.

Skills and Experience:

• An evaluation professional with expertise in analytics, insights, and impact evaluation, with a Bachelor’s degree plus 8 or more years related work experience; Master’s degree plus 6 or more years related work experience; or equivalent work experience in quantitative and qualitative design and analysis with strong technical fluency.
• A strategic thinker with a solid ability to link qualitative and quantitative information to make actionable recommendations to the Wikimedia Foundation and the community. 
• Demonstrated program and project management experience with good long-term strategic implementation skills (5 or more years).
• A facilitator with strong collaboration skills and an empowerment approach to open and transparent management.
• Strong value and mission fit with the Wikimedia movement and Foundation and a commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• The candidate must be fluent in English and have excellent written and oral communication skills to communicate inspirationally both to international volunteer audiences and professional partners.
• Ability to resolve a wide range of data challenges in elegant and creative ways.
• Advanced statistics training and experience.
• Advanced data extraction, cleaning, coding, and data visualization training and experience.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Verbal and written communication skills to effectively communicate complex technical information to both lay and analytics audiences.
• Proven ability to adhere to deadlines and to seek out learning and support.
• Ability to address problems of diverse scope using good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions and optimizing for efficiency and quality.
• Collaborative working style.
• Experience with open-source tools.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness.
• Programming language and systems skills:
• R/SPSS
• SQL
• Python
• Apache Hive
• Apache Superset
• Google Workspace (Including the full suite of collaborative apps and advanced coding in Google Sheets/MS Excel)

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.

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.

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 (415) 839-6885.

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 22 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
• Paid travel to Wikimedia Foundation events all around the world!
• Equipment including a laptop, monitor, plus a one-time stipend to cover any additional needs to make sure you have the best work experience
• Great colleagues - diverse staff and contractors speaking dozens of languages from around the world, fantastic intellectual discourse, mission-driven and intensely passionate people

*Please note that for remote roles located outside of the U.S., we defer to our PEO to ensure alignment with local labor laws.

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