Software Engineering Internship Program
Location: Remote (US)*
Duration: 4 months (start in late February 2027)
Hours: 40 hrs/week paid experience
Application Deadline: All interested applicants must apply by November 20, 2026.
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia – one of the most popular websites in the world, accessed by over 1.8 billion unique devices every month. It is the only non-profit in the top 50 websites, supported by a community of millions of individual donors around the world.
We are looking for graduates, non-graduates, or those seeking a career change who are interested in developing software engineering skills through an immersive “learn on the job” internship program. As an intern, you will be embedded into an engineering team within our Product and Technology departments and assigned a primary project with clear deliverables. Alongside your manager and dedicated mentor, you will learn the inner workings of our open source code that helps to create “a world in which everyone can freely share in the sum of all knowledge”. You will work with software that serves over half a billion page views per day through Wikipedia (and other Wikimedia projects). The outcome of your work will impact how all people everywhere discover, share, and contribute to free knowledge.
Additionally, you will have the opportunity to learn about various departments at the Foundation and connect with the wider volunteer movement and community.
Applicants who identify from a group that is underrepresented in the global conversation of technology advancement are encouraged to apply. We’re also welcoming applicants from communities where access to free knowledge and Wikimedia projects are just emerging.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Successful candidates must be able to commit to a four month, 40hr/week internship which will fall between late February to late June 2027. We will provide laptops and necessary software installed for the duration of the program. This role is 100% remote, and in some cases there may be potential opportunities to participate in in-person events to meet other fellow interns and teams.
POTENTIAL TEAM OPPORTUNITIES
Mobile Apps Engineering TeamThe Mobile Apps team's primary objective lies in constructing native Android and iOS applications for the Wikimedia Foundation.
EditingThe Editing team is part of the Contributors group. They work on tools for editing across MediaWiki, principally VisualEditor, DiscussionTools, and Edit check. The team is currently working on Suggestion Mode, a feature for the VisualEditor that proactively suggests actions that people can consider taking to improve Wikipedia articles.
Data Platform EngineeringThe Mission of the Data Platform Engineering team is to empower Wiki Communities and the Wikimedia Foundation to gain insights, conduct research, and build compelling user experiences, through access to privacy-aware data and data platform services. The Data Platform is a collection of systems and services providing end-to-end capabilities for our data producers and consumers to collect, discover, and use data.
Release EngineeringThe Release Engineering team enables developers to confidently build, test, and deploy code changes across Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia, by creating the tools, infrastructure, and automation that keep software delivery fast and reliable.
Connection team
The Connection team is part of the Contributors group. They aim to improve how contributors connect and understand their impact. The team was formed in 2021 to focus on the needs of campaign and event organizers and participants and hopefully improve the experience of Wikimedia campaigns.
Tools Infrastructure (with Observability)
The mission of the Tools Infrastructure team is to provide a free, reliable, secure and scalable Cloud hosting platform to support Wikimedia contributors and developers to run tools, bots, data pipelines, and services that support Wikipedia and its sister projects.
The Observability team’s mission is to provide insight into the health, performance and behaviour of production code and systems for teams within the Wikimedia Foundation and for volunteers at large.
As we form our internship cohort, we are looking for candidates who possess:
- Basic experience with at least one back end or front end programming language (e.g PHP, Javascript, Python) OR a mobile app language (Kotlin, Swift), OR a demonstrated interest in cybersecurity and/or privacy.
- Basic experience with databases.
- Basic experience with at least one scripting language.
- For some roles:
- Basic querying and data manipulation with SQL or other query languages
- Linux/command-line knowledge
- Understanding of networking, operating systems, or distributed systems concepts (latency, throughput, error rates).
- Ability to work independently and be resourceful in solving problems.
- Ability to stay accountable to deliverable requirements deadlines.
- Effective and inclusive communication skills with diverse cultural and language communities.
- Willingness and hunger to learn, a positive attitude, empathy, and a sense of curiosity.
- The ability to flourish in a highly transparent and collaborative environment.
- A desire to make meaningful contributions to knowledge equity, free culture, and open access to global education.
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.
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 US$34.32 to $42.13 per hour with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location.
*Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following US States for these internship roles: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico*, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming (*US Territory or Federal District)
We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.
All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.
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 +1 (415) 839-6885.
More information
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