Role Specialist in Multi-language Product Development and Region-specific Adaptation
The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organisation behind Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects, is making significant strides in fostering local Wikimedia communities across the globe. The Language and Product Localization team is spearheading this initiative, focusing on regions such as the Middle East, Africa, South and South East Asia, and Latin America.
The team's strategy is rooted in equity, inclusion, and community empowerment. They aim to ensure that Wikimedia user-facing products are relevant, accessible, and equitable for these audiences.
One key aspect of their strategy is supporting diverse perspectives and underrepresented knowledge. By integrating global perspectives, particularly from regions traditionally underrepresented in Wikimedia projects, they improve product relevance and accessibility for users in these regions.
Empowering local communities is another crucial element. Through workshops, training sessions, and events, the team nurtures local Wikimedia communities, enabling editors to contribute more effectively and shape product localization that meets local needs.
Strategic partnerships with regional user groups also play a significant role. Collaborations with Wikimedia user groups in regions like Indonesia, East Africa, and Latin America facilitate sustainable project implementations and enable tailored product development responsive to local contexts.
Localization efforts extend beyond mere translations. The team creates versions of Wikimedia projects adapted for local languages, cultures, and contexts, often leading to the formation of localized Wikimedia organizational chapters that support community growth.
Equity in decision-making and product development is another commitment. Products are developed with input from diverse user communities, ensuring cultural contextualization is accurate and relevant.
The Content Translation tool, used to create over 2 million articles since 2015, is a testament to the team's success. The ideal candidate for the product manager position in this team would have 3 to 5 years of experience as a product manager, expertise in user-facing products, mobile application development, and mobile user experience.
The suitable location for the candidate is within UTC+0000 and UTC+0530. The product manager will work with community members, researchers, engineers, designers, program managers, and partners to drive strategy, build roadmaps, and deliver products.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organisation with staff members in 40+ countries. The candidate should have proficiency with data, reporting, analytics, or A/B testing and experience working with cross-functional teams and in an agile or iterative software development environment.
The Foundation values diversity and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. The ideal candidate should have a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field, a desire to make meaningful contributions to knowledge equity, free culture, and open access, and awareness of multilingual digital content practices.
The position is for the Language and Product Localization team at the Wikimedia Foundation. The team's aim is to make meaningful product innovations that are visually rich, mobile-friendly, and multilingual. The candidate should have experience with digital marketing tactics and products backed by machine-learning.
The Wikimedia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Wikipedia is visited by over 1 billion people a month across more than 300 languages. The candidate should have experience working with users and digital communities in the Middle East, Africa, South and South East Asia, or Latin America. The ideal candidate has the ability to clearly communicate product plans and results to stakeholders and collaborators.
In summary, the Wikimedia Foundation's Language and Product Localization team is making significant strides in fostering local Wikimedia communities, supporting diverse cultural perspectives, and building partnerships in underserved regions to ensure Wikimedia user-facing products are relevant, accessible, and equitable for these audiences.
- The Language and Product Localization team's strategy, rooted in equity and inclusion, emphasizes integrating technology and lifestyle elements, ensuring that Wikimedia user-facing products are visually rich, mobile-friendly, and multilingual.
- The ideal candidate for the product manager position in the Language and Product Localization team at the Wikimedia Foundation should have experience with digital marketing tactics, products backed by machine-learning, and a focus on working with users and digital communities in the Middle East, Africa, South and South East Asia, or Latin America.
