Software Engineering Internship Program (2027) at Wikimedia

Software Engineering Internship Program (2027)

The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia, is seeking ambitious individuals interested in developing software engineering skills through an immersive, "learn on the job" internship program. This program is designed for graduates, non-graduates, or those seeking a career transition who want to contribute to a world where everyone can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.

Program Overview

As an intern, you will be embedded within one of our Product and Technology engineering teams. You will be assigned a primary project with clearly defined deliverables, working closely alongside a dedicated manager and mentor. You will gain hands-on experience with the open source code that powers the tools serving over half a billion page views daily across Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

Impact and Opportunity

The work you do directly impacts how people globally discover, share, and contribute to free knowledge. This internship offers a unique opportunity to learn about various departments within the Foundation and connect with our wider volunteer community.

Program Details

• Duration: 4 months (scheduled between late February to late June 2027).
• Commitment: 40 hours per week.
• Location: This role is 100% remote, though there may be potential opportunities to attend in-person events with other interns and teams.
• Support: The Foundation will provide all necessary laptops and software for the duration of the program.
• Deadline: All interested applicants must apply by November 20, 2026.

Team Opportunities

Interns can be placed within various specialized teams, including:

• Mobile Apps Engineering Team: Focused on building native Android and iOS applications for the Wikimedia Foundation.
• Editing Team: Part of the Contributors group, developing tools for editing across MediaWiki, such as VisualEditor and DiscussionTools. Current focus includes Suggestion Mode for VisualEditor.
• Data Platform Engineering: Empowering Wiki Communities with privacy-aware data and platform services to enable insights, research, and compelling user experiences.
• Release Engineering: Building the tools, infrastructure, and automation necessary for developers to confidently build, test, and deploy code changes reliably across Wikimedia projects.
• Connection Team: Improving how contributors connect and understand their impact, focusing on the needs of campaign and event organizers.
• Tools Infrastructure (with Observability): Providing a free, reliable, secure, and scalable cloud hosting platform for contributors and developers to run tools, bots, and data pipelines, along with systems for monitoring performance and health.

Candidate Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate:

• 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 certain roles, the ability to work independently, stay accountable to deadlines, and possess effective, inclusive communication skills.
• A strong willingness and hunger to learn, a positive attitude, empathy, and curiosity.
• A desire to flourish in a highly transparent and collaborative environment and make meaningful contributions to knowledge equity and open access to global education.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization dedicated to operating Wikipedia and its other free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world where every human can freely share in all knowledge. We rely on donations from millions globally. As a US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization based in San Francisco, California, USA, we are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.

Compensation Note: Salaries are competitive and equitable. The anticipated annual pay range for applicants based within the United States is US$34.32 to $42.13 per hour, with the final offer depending on individual factors such as cost of living. We do not consider salary history when making offers.

Eligibility Note

While this is a remote role, please note the following locations where we are currently able to hire for these internship roles within the US: 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.

If you require accommodations during the application process due to a disability, please contact [email protected] or +1 (415) 839-6885.