Job Description

SUMMARY

The Technology Law and Policy Fellow position is designed for a lawyer or other individual who typically has up to two years of legal or public policy experience and is passionate about free knowledge and the open internet. This position provides an immersive in-house experience with specific education and mentorship in the areas of Internet regulation and technology law and the operations of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the creation and sharing of free knowledge and maintaining Wikipedia and its sister projects). 

THIS POSITION WILL REPORT TO THE TWO LEAD PUBLIC POLICY MANAGERS AT WMF WILL LAST FOR A DURATION OF APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR FROM THE START DATE. 

THIS ROLE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

• Work individually and in teams under the supervision of Wikimedia Foundation's Senior Public Policy Managers to advise the Foundation on new and developing legal and public policy issues.
• Research and offer guidance to the Foundation on developing areas of law and policy, including copyright, patent, trademark, privacy, free speech, intermediary liability, access to knowledge, international conflict of laws, and free content licensing. 
• Manage and administer several ongoing projects under the supervision of the Foundation legal team. 
• Assist the Legal Team in its efforts to monitor global developments in public policy that may affect free knowledge.
• Work cross-departmentally with colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation to resolve legal questions, provide counsel on legal issues, and develop and communicate the Foundation's positions towards public policy issues.
• Participate in lobbying efforts in the U.S. or abroad to promote legislation and regulation that support a free and accessible internet and oppose regulations that harm free expression and access to knowledge.

REQUIREMENTS:  

• Experience related to the Wikimedia Foundation's free knowledge mission, including in areas such as free culture issues, public policy advocacy relating to law and technology, Creative Commons licensing, or similar.
• The ability to excel in a fast-paced, multitasking environment that demands fast turn-around.
• Fluency communicating complex topics in English both clearly and succinctly, in writing and orally, to expert and non-expert audiences alike.
• Intellectual curiosity and flexibility that allows them to tackle complex problems in creative ways. 
• Experience working with online user communities (experience with wikis or Wikimedia projects is preferred).
• The ability to flourish in a highly transparent and collaborative environment and work on a team with diverse demographic and cultural characteristics.
• Experience or completed coursework in some or all of the following areas of law: internet law, internet policy, freedom of speech (domestic and international), human rights, intellectual property, international law, privacy, data security, and/or licensing.  (JD, equivalent or PhD preferred)

WE WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU HAVE:

• Multilingual. Fluency in French, German, Mandarin, or Indic languages is especially helpful.
• Experience working in countries outside the United States or with clients or colleagues from outside the United States.
• Experience with policy advocacy, such as with an NGO or in government. 
• A good sense of humor.

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.

MORE INFORMATION

WMF BLOG WIKIMEDIA 2030 WIKIMEDIA MEDIUM TERM PLAN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INFORMATION FOR WIKIMEDIA WORKERS, BY THE NUMBERS WIKIMANIA 2019 ANNUAL REPORT - 2017  THIS IS WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION  FACTS MATTER OUR PROJECTS FUNDRAISING REPORT