Software Engineer (Wikibase Product Platform) (m/f/d) Full-time

We are looking for a Software Engineer for our Wikibase Product Platform Team (m/f/d) (Full time / min. 30 hpw) to join and support one of our agile development teams. The position is based in Berlin and we offer hybrid workplace options.

About the position:

You will be working with the team that develops and improves the software platform that serves as a base to the Wikidata project and the Wikibase Ecosystem of interconnected knowledge graphs. You will be developing open source software that puts user needs first and increases our users’ satisfaction. At Wikimedia Deutschland – with volunteers and institutions – we work towards a future in which people share the power to collect and organize the data that shapes humanity’s understanding of the world.

Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain the functionality of Wikibase Product Platform, collaborating with the team on finding the best solution to users problems.
• Work in an agile work environment
• Participate in all the stages of software development including code, design, and architectural reviews providing constructive feedback
• Maintain a good understanding of the technical aspects of the product roadmap as well as the team goals
• Engage in constantly improving the team processes and agile practices.

What we offer:

• You will be part of a cohesive and engaged team that fosters unity and supports each other
• Flexible working hours adjusted to the team and people needs
• Work in cross-functional teams towards a common goal
• You will be creating open source software on a daily basis – almost all software created by Wikimedia Deutschland is published under open source licences.
• A working culture that supports releasing a quality product over releasing in order to meet a deadline
• We dedicate one day per quarter in the department to work on self-chosen, non-work-related projects
• Opportunity for personal and professional development
• You can attend local user groups meetings during working hours
• Opportunity to improve your presentation skills and to share your favourite topics in internal presentations to the other engineering teams
• Opportunity to go to conferences, both as participants and contributors
• The possibility of working from home when needed as well as a modern and centrally located office space
• A contract that is not term limited, with the hope and expectation of permanent longevity.
• And a lot more: 30 days of holidays, public transport allowance, access to complementary pension benefits, continued salary in the event of ill children, free-of-cost external life coaching

Learn more about our team by visiting our Wikimedia Tech News Blog.

About you:

• You are passionate and care about software.
• You are able to communicate in English at a professional capacity
• Your background is not important as long as you have a solid understanding and experience with object oriented programming and basic experience with web development
• You like being in a team working towards a common goal, learning together, and supporting and lifting up your peers
• You have an eye for software design and quality and you understand the importance of automated tests
• You can recognize legacy code and know how to effectively deal with it
• You like to participate in technical discussions and are open to new ideas
• You are a fan of innovation and like to promote innovative approaches within the team
• You are not afraid of making mistakes and enjoy learning from them
• You want to keep learning and developing yourself

Technologies we use:

Knowledge and experience in these technologies is not a requirement. We believe they all can be learned on the job; and WMDE, your team, and your line manager will support you in this learning. We list only a few of them here.

Most of our server side code is written in PHP, and we use Git for version control. We use Vue.js and TypeScript for our frontends. We are migrating our legacy code into these and newer technologies. Testing is important to us; we use testing frameworks and practice continuous integration across all of our projects.

Interested?

Then apply now! Send us your detailed application documents (Resume & Motivational Letter (yes, we read them) via our job portal. Our HR team will be happy to answer your questions. We kindly ask you to refrain from application photos and information on date of birth, marital status and parents. We look forward to hearing from you!

Wikimedia Germany is committed to equal opportunities and does not discriminate on the basis of, for example, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or belief, political or other convictions, gender, age, disability or sexual identity or orientation.

About Wikimedia Deutschland :

Wikimedia Deutschland – Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e. V. is a non-profit organisation based in Berlin, Germany. With over 150 employees and about 100,000 members, it is the oldest and largest of about 40 independent chapters of the international Wikimedia movement. The best known Wikimedia project, the free online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, is used by millions of people across the world every day and is continuously updated and improved by millions of users.

Wikimedia Deutschland promotes these ideals even beyond the free encyclopaedia; it is our aim to establish and advocate for the creation, collection, and distribution of free knowledge in all parts of society. The Wikimedia vision is to create a world in which the sum of all human knowledge is freely accessible for everyone. The main focus of our activities is the support of volunteers, the development of technology and software, and the cooperation with cultural and scientific institutions. Furthermore, we advocate on both the national and EU-level a legal framework which allows for free knowledge to become part of our everyday life.