About the role#
The Wikimedia Foundation offers a four-month, full-time software engineering internship program. You will be embedded into an engineering team within our Product and Technology departments, working alongside a manager and a dedicated mentor. You will contribute to open source code that serves over half a billion page views per day, impacting how people discover and share free knowledge. This program is designed for those interested in developing their engineering skills through hands-on experience.
What you'll do#
- Take ownership of a primary project with clear, defined deliverables.
- Learn the inner workings of our open source codebase.
- Explore various departments within the Foundation.
- Engage with the broader volunteer movement and community.
- Collaborate in a transparent environment to support knowledge equity and open access.
What you'll need#
- Basic experience with at least one back-end or front-end language, such as PHP, JavaScript, or Python.
- Basic experience with a mobile app language like Kotlin or Swift, or a demonstrated interest in cybersecurity and privacy.
- Familiarity with databases, scripting languages, and Linux command-line tools.
- Ability to perform data manipulation using SQL or other query languages.
- Understanding of networking, operating systems, or distributed systems concepts like latency and throughput.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.
- Accountability for meeting project deadlines.
- Effective communication skills for interacting with diverse, global communities.
- A desire to learn, empathy, and a sense of curiosity.
Location & details#
- This is a 100% remote, paid position.
- The internship runs for four months, from late February 2027 to late June 2027.
- The role requires a 40-hour weekly commitment.
- We provide necessary hardware and software for the duration of the program.
About Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2003, it operates Wikipedia and various other free knowledge projects. The organization develops software for reading and contributing to these platforms while supporting volunteer communities. It functions as a 501(c)(3) entity and maintains a staff of 501 to 1,000 employees.
How to get in at Wikimedia Foundation
Securing an internship at the Wikimedia Foundation requires a proactive approach to the application process. Because early applicants often have their materials reviewed before the candidate pool becomes unmanageable, Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published. This helps you apply among the first, which is a significant advantage in a competitive search. You can also improve your response rates by reaching out to the people managing the hiring process directly. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the Wikimedia Foundation roles so you can ask informed questions or request a referral, moving your application beyond the standard queue.
