Executive Communications Lead

The Wikimedia Foundation seeks an experienced strategic communications professional and writer to support communications and a thought leadership strategy for senior leaders and executives at the organization.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a product and technology centered organization tasked with supporting Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects created by volunteers around the world. This role will be responsible for working with Wikimedia Foundation executives, with a focus on product and technology leadership, to identify new and compelling thought leadership opportunities and build narrative platforms that increase the awareness and understanding of how Wikipedia works and its value in the world. The role will be responsible for building communications material for executives, such as briefing documents, talking points and internal communications; supporting the development of speeches, ghostwriting blogs and other written materials; and proactively identifying and shaping public speaking and media opportunities. The Executive Communications Lead will report to the Chief of Staff/Director of Executive Communications at the Foundation.

This role would be a good fit for a candidate with previous communications experience, including work with media; expertise working with senior leadership in technology; and the ability to work autonomously to develop thought leadership strategy and craft talking points. This role will have broad visibility across the organization, including getting to work deeply with and within the Product and Technology department and collaborate and learn from colleagues across media relations, digital media, internal communications, advocacy and crisis communications. They will be part of an organization in service of a movement of volunteer editors, among other contributors. This is a community that celebrates language and appreciates that feeling of finding the perfect word or phrase. It is a fantastic place to work as a writer.

The ideal candidate is: 

• A strong, adaptable writer who has experience working with and writing for numerous stakeholders and audiences. This role will involve regularly and consistently writing materials such as internal emails and newsletters; developing briefing documents and other prep materials; and ghost-writing content such as blogs, op-eds, and speeches for a variety of communication channels. This role will bring a strong narrative voice when writing compelling content for external audiences, and will have demonstrated experience adapting to and writing for others. They will also bring curiosity and the ability to develop new thought leadership materials in response to industry trends and public narratives.
• A diplomatic and seasoned collaborator who thrives on the process of co-creation and partnership with various internal and external stakeholders on communications initiatives big and small. This role will require someone comfortable working independently with the organization’s senior leadership, including offering clear guidance and constructive feedback on communications. 
• A self-directed professional who enjoys juggling multiple projects and deadlines at once. This role will benefit from someone who excels at managing their time across short-term projects, reactive and sometimes urgent communications requests, and longer-term strategic initiatives. The Foundation is a globally distributed organization, so this role will be mostly remote with occasional yearly travel for in person gatherings.
• A connector who is enthusiastic about the opportunity to get deeply embedded within other departments within the organization and understand their communications needs and how to tell the story of their work. This role will sit within the communications function, with an expectation of collaborating closely with Product and Technology leadership to flesh out the story of innovation and technical improvement to multiple audiences.

You are responsible for:  

• Developing written materials that capture the tone and voice of different executives, often working under tight deadlines. This includes writing and ghost-writing speeches, op-eds, quotes, external statements, and blog posts that have a clear point of view.
• Following technology trends and public narratives that are relevant to our work, and identifying proactive opportunities to increase awareness about the Wikimedia projects.
• Leveraging relationships with reporters and conference organizers to identify new and compelling publications and venues for Foundation leaders to speak to key audiences.
• Anticipating tough questions and preparing executives with needed messaging on a variety of relevant topics based on the news of the day.
• Cultivating relationships throughout the organ