Wikimedia Foundation

Privacy Fellow

Summary

Wikimedia envisions a world where the sum total of human knowledge is available to everyone.  

The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit home of Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and other free educational projects, serves as the hub of a global movement of hundreds of thousands of contributors collaborating to collect and share the sum of all human knowledge with the world.  

As Wikimedia pursues a new global strategic direction, our Legal department is tasked with solving many legal questions, including some that no one has fully considered before. We are looking for a privacy-focused lawyer to join our in-house legal department as Privacy Fellow, specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Privacy Fellow will provide research and drafting on a variety of topics, as well as gain experience in product counseling, data governance, and privacy-related public policy work. The Privacy Fellow will monitor current developments in Latin America and around the world to help the legal department adapt to changing regulations and promote people’s ability to participate in knowledge online. This position provides an immersive in-house experience with specific education and mentorship in the areas of internet regulation, data governance, and privacy law.

This position will report to the Senior Legal Manager. Wikimedia Foundation staff are currently working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic; the candidate may be located anywhere, if they are able to be generally available during the workday on the West Coast.

The position will last until June 30, 2023.

Who Should Apply:

At Wikimedia, we serve the world. We believe that there is no way to meaningfully achieve our goal of reaching every single human unless our organization reflects the full breadth of the human experience. To that end, the Wikimedia Foundation recruits candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, including those from historically marginalized groups — women, people with disabilities, people of color, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender nonconforming, first and second generation immigrants, and people from low-income families. A diversity of lived experiences is reflective of those who create and use Wikimedia every day.

Essential Functions of Role:

• Work individually and in teams under the supervision of attorneys on Wikimedia Foundation’s privacy team, on new and developing issues related to privacy.
• Research and offer guidance to the Foundation on existing and developing data protection regimes in Latin America and the Caribbean, and around the world. 
• Assist the privacy team in its efforts to monitor global developments in privacy that may affect free knowledge.
• Manage and administer several ongoing projects under the supervision of the Foundation legal team. 
• Work cross-departmentally with colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation to resolve legal questions and provide counsel.

Skills and Experience:

• Graduate degree in law, public policy or related fields and excellent academic credentials. (Equivalent experience will be considered.)
• Ability to work in Spanish and English.
• Deep understanding of privacy and other internet law issues and their context in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Experience with large and comprehensive research projects, especially on legal topics.
• Ability to adhere to deadlines, and complete work independently. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail.
• Experience working with a remote team.
• Availability for meetings during at least some Pacific Time business hours.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Appreciation for and alignment with Wikimedia’s mission.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills and ability to work well on a team. 
• A desire to learn, stretch, and grow.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have: 

• Knowledge of Portuguese as a working language.
• License to practice law in the United States and/or countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Training, knowledge, or experience with global data privacy law.
• Experience working internationally, for international clients, or on international law.
• Experience with public policy or government relations. 
• Experience with open source, free culture, free software, or online communities. Experience with wikis or Wikimedia projects is preferred.
• Experience working in the technology or nonprofit sector.

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. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and 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 donations 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 or +1 (415) 839-6885.

More information

Wikimedia Foundation
Applicant Privacy Policy
News from across the Wikimedia movement
Wikimedia 2030
Our Commitment to Equity
This is Wikimedia Foundation 
Facts Matter
Our Projects
Our Tech Stack