📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Lead Product Manager, Reader Growth
🔹 Company: Wikimedia Foundation
🔹 Location: Remote
🔹 Job Type: Full-time
🔹 Category: Product Management
🔹 Date Posted: 2025-07-19
🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years
🔹 Remote Status: Remote (Global)
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Lead the development of modern and engaging Wikipedia reading experiences
- Drive a cross-functional team to build and deploy features and experiments
- Work with diverse communities and stakeholders to gather feedback and brainstorm ideas
- Collaborate with Communications, Marketing, and Legal functions on high-profile projects
- Persevere through setbacks and communicate effectively to ensure team goals are met
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of independence, initiative, and adaptability in a dynamic and complex environment.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Lead the development of modern and engaging Wikipedia learning experiences on both desktop and mobile websites
✅ Drive a cross-functional team of engineers, a designer, community specialist, and data analyst to build and deploy features and experiments
✅ Design lightweight experiments that can scale to fully deployed features
✅ Apply standardized measurement practices and develop creative approaches to learn in a privacy-sensitive environment
✅ Track and communicate progress, and maintain planning artifacts such as roadmaps, specs, and release plans
✅ Collaborate with Communications, Marketing, and Legal functions to execute high-profile projects
✅ Proactively conduct conversations with volunteer communities to gather feedback and brainstorm ideas
✅ Maintain an understanding of current developments and innovations in knowledge seeking, AI, and industry best practices
✅ Develop an understanding of the diversity of the global user base and how it drives the work
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a strong understanding of the current knowledge landscape, modern learning preferences, and content discovery trends.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in a professional setting
Experience: 8 years of professional experience, including 5 years as a product manager working with consumer-facing software development teams, preferably in an agile environment
Required Skills:
- Strong understanding of the current knowledge landscape, modern learning preferences, and content discovery trends
- Past success building and iterating high-scale consumer-facing products on both desktop and mobile websites
- Mastery of applying controlled experiments to make product decisions
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with all levels of management, staff, and communities
- Ability to manage a diverse range of responsibilities in a dynamic and results-oriented environment
Preferred Skills:
- Experience applying AI and machine learning in web products
- Experience building products for multiple languages and geographies
- Experience working with large online communities
- Experience working with a fully remote globally-distributed team
- Technical data and analytics skills
- Fluency in multiple spoken languages or dialects
- Experience editing Wikipedia or with the Wikipedia, Wikidata, or Wikimedia Commons communities or other collaborative enterprises
- Familiarity with MediaWiki
ASSUMPTION: Candidates must be available for critical meetings and synchronous work between 15:00 UTC and 18:00 UTC, and open to traveling internationally up to four times per year.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: The anticipated annual pay range for this position for applicants based within the United States is USD 124,463 to USD 193,900. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire.
Benefits:
- Health, dental, and vision coverage by the Wikimedia Foundation, starting on your first day
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
- Paid leave for new parents and flexible work arrangements
- Monthly paid days off ("Wikimedia Days") for every full month an employee works
- Taxable stipend to help cover any additional costs working from home
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible work arrangements
ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is an estimate and may vary based on the candidate's location and experience.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: The Wikimedia Foundation operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia free knowledge projects, focusing on providing free access to knowledge for every human being.
Company Size: Medium-sized nonprofit organization with 501-1,000 employees
Founded: 2003, in San Francisco, California, USA
Company Description:
- Nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia free knowledge projects
- Focuses on providing free access to knowledge for every human being
- Reliant on donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15
- Also receives donations through institutional grants and gifts
- United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
Company Specialties:
- Non-Profit
- Free knowledge
- Open Source Culture
- Internet
- Technology
- Mobile
- Open Source
- Education
- Free Knowledge and Wikipedia
Company Website: wikimediafoundation.org
ASSUMPTION: The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members based in over 40 countries.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Experienced professional with 5-10 years of experience in product management
Reporting Structure: Reports to the Group Product Manager, Readers
Work Arrangement: Remote (Global) with critical meetings and synchronous work required between 15:00 UTC and 18:00 UTC
Growth Opportunities:
- Potential to have a significant impact on one of the most beloved parts of the internet
- Opportunity to work with a diverse global user base and volunteer communities
- Chance to collaborate with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders
- Potential to develop leadership skills and advance within the organization
ASSUMPTION: This role offers a high level of autonomy and the opportunity to drive significant change within the organization.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Remote (Global)
Office Location(s): San Francisco, CA, USA (Headquarters)
Geographic Context:
- Wikimedia Foundation is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA
- Remote work is available for this role, with critical meetings and synchronous work required between 15:00 UTC and 18:00 UTC
- Applicants must be open to traveling internationally up to four times per year
Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible work arrangements
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of self-motivation, time management, and communication skills to work effectively in a remote environment.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Online application submission
- Phone or video screen with the hiring manager
- Technical assessment or case study
- Final interview with the team
Key Assessment Areas:
- Product management skills and experience
- Understanding of the current knowledge landscape and modern learning preferences
- Ability to work effectively in a remote and dynamic environment
- Communication and collaboration skills
- Alignment with Wikimedia Foundation's mission and values
Application Tips:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant skills and experiences for this role
- Be prepared to discuss your approach to product management, controlled experiments, and stakeholder communication
- Showcase your understanding of the Wikimedia Foundation's mission and values
- Prepare examples of your past successes in building and iterating high-scale consumer-facing products
ATS Keywords: Product Management, Consumer-Facing Software, Agile Environment, Content Discovery, High-Scale Products, Controlled Experiments, Cross-Functional Leadership, Communication Skills, Dynamic Environment, AI and Machine Learning, Multilingual Products, Online Communities, Remote Team Collaboration, Data Analytics, Fluency in Languages, MediaWiki Familiarity
ASSUMPTION: The Wikimedia Foundation uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage job applications. Including relevant keywords in your resume can help your application be found by the system.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- MediaWiki
- Wikimedia Foundation's tech stack (see techblog.wikimedia.org)
- Relevant project management and collaboration tools
ASSUMPTION: The Wikimedia Foundation uses a variety of tools and technologies to support its projects and operations. Familiarity with MediaWiki and the organization's tech stack is beneficial for this role.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.
- Everyone has something to contribute to our shared knowledge.
- Knowledge wants to be free.
- In the age of information, access to information matters.
- As a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization, we depend on the support of a large community of individual donors to sustain our projects.
Work Style:
- Collaborative and inclusive
- Remote-first and globally-distributed
- Focused on impact and results
- Adaptable and responsive to change
Self-Assessment Questions:
- How do you align with the Wikimedia Foundation's mission and values?
- How comfortable are you working in a remote, globally-distributed team with critical meetings and synchronous work required between 15:00 UTC and 18:00 UTC?
- How do you approach collaborating with diverse communities and stakeholders to gather feedback and brainstorm ideas?
ASSUMPTION: The Wikimedia Foundation values candidates who are open, curious, inquiring, and able to share in a culture of constructive criticism and respect.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Working in a complex and dynamic environment with a large number of stakeholders
- Managing a diverse range of responsibilities and evolving priorities
- Balancing the needs of a global user base with varying preferences and requirements
- Navigating a remote-first, globally-distributed work environment
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of adaptability, resilience, and patience to succeed in a large and complex ecosystem of stakeholders.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- This role is unique in its focus on driving reader growth and engagement for Wikipedia
- Unlike other product management roles, this position requires a strong understanding of the current knowledge landscape, modern learning preferences, and content discovery trends
- Career path for this role may include advancing to senior leadership positions within the Wikimedia Foundation or related organizations
ASSUMPTION: This role offers a unique opportunity to work with one of the most beloved parts of the internet and drive significant change within the organization.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing new ways of engaging with Wikipedia content geared towards new generations of users
- Building features that enable readers to browse and discover content more intuitively, contextualize and frame knowledge in novel ways, and engage with visual, audio, and other multimedia formats
- Scaling features to millions of people across hundreds of languages
ASSUMPTION: The Reader Growth team will work on a variety of projects aimed at driving reader growth and engagement for Wikipedia.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Can you describe the current reader growth initiatives and how this role fits into the overall strategy?
- How does the Wikimedia Foundation support and collaborate with volunteer communities to drive reader growth?
- What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for this role, and how will success be measured?
- How does the Wikimedia Foundation approach product development and iteration in a privacy-sensitive environment?
- What opportunities are there for professional growth and development within the Wikimedia Foundation?
ASSUMPTION: Asking thoughtful and informed questions during the interview process demonstrates your interest in the role and the organization.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant skills and experiences for this role
- Prepare examples of your past successes in building and iterating high-scale consumer-facing products
- Prepare for interviews by researching the Wikimedia Foundation's mission, values, and projects
- Follow up with the hiring manager after your interview to express your interest in the role
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
