Director, People Transformation

Summary

At the Wikimedia Foundation, people are our most important asset. The innovative work of our People department is critical to identifying, developing and supporting the policies, systems and practices of the Foundation to provide a remote work environment and people culture that will advance the Foundation's mission. The Director of People Innovation & Transformation role will work side-by-side with the Chief People Officer, the VP of People Experience, VP of People Growth & Belonging and the Director of Recruiting to develop and implement strategies that impact the Foundation's ways of working while supporting our mission and organization culture.

In this role, you will be driving culturally- and values-aligned HR investments that enable a stellar employee experience and position Wikimedia as an employer of choice in the global nonprofit, technology, and advocacy fields. You will lead a team that is responsible for overseeing a variety of key projects.

The Director of People Transformation's scope will include: (1) Leading People Department systems updates and innovations, including compensation and total rewards, performance management, HR information systems, vendor management and data analytics & reporting. (2) Representing the People Department in cross-department projects and working groups. (3) Ensuring efficient cross-departmental collaboration and execution by managing the People department budget.

This is a fully remote position. The selected candidate must be available to work core hours of 16:00-00:00 UTC. The role will also require travel approximately 4-6 times per year.

Main Responsibilities

• Refresh Current Policies and Processes and Innovate New Policies and Processes: Complete an in-depth review of current policies and process; lead a refresh process for those that are identified as in need of change.
• Performance Management: In collaboration with the VP, People Growth & Belonging and the VP, People Experience, develop and implement performance management processes and systems.
• HRIS Implementation: Oversee the improvements and additions to the implementation of WMF's HR Information Systems (Dayforce) to streamline operations and enhance data management.
• People Analytics: Develop and leverage client-facing workforce analytics to support business decisions and track progress against performance expectations.
• Annual Work Scoping & Budgeting: Lead the annual scoping of the People Department's work as part of the Foundation's Annual Planning Process (APP).
• Continuous Improvement Projects: Lead and coordinate internal improvement initiatives within the People Team.
• Cross-Department Projects: Serve as the People Team Lead on cross-departmental projects.
• Change Management: Establish and implement change management frameworks and best practices.
• Team Management: Lead, develop and manage the team to deliver on the different initiatives and projects.

Required Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of experience in management consulting or project management.
• Proven leadership in innovation, strategy design and implementation, with a track record of influencing organisational culture.
• Expertise in project management and creating compelling arguments through written and visual aids.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, particularly in mission-driven, global organisations.
• Experience coaching and managing multicultural teams.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on programme execution.
• Familiarity with learning technology platforms and data-driven approaches to measuring impact.
• Strong communication skills, with fluency in English and the ability to craft compelling narratives and build consensus.
• Commitment to Wikimedia's values and the free knowledge movement.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with the free knowledge / open source movement.
• Experience working in an async and/or remote-first organisation.
• Experience in tech and/or not-for-profit organisations.
• Experience working across different sociopolitical and cultural contexts.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that 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. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based in 40+ countries. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is $161,678 to $241,569.