International ‘Wikimania’ conference, the Barbican, London, 2014
Photo by Ralf Roletschek - CC BY-SA 3.0 Austria
Chief Executive
Appointment Brief
May 2015
St Michael’s Mount.
Prizewinner in the Wiki Loves Monuments Competition 2014
Photo by Fuzzypiggy - CC-BY-SA
Introduction
Dear candidate,
Thank you for your interest in this role with
Wikimedia UK. Wikimedia UK’s mission is
to help people and organisations create and
preserve open knowledge and to provide
easy access for all.
As an independent charity and the UK arm
of the global Wikimedia movement, which
supports Wikipedia and its sister projects, we
are in a special position to make an impact on
open knowledge across both the educational
and cultural sectors.
We are looking for a Chief Executive to
lead the charity to its next level of impact
and performance. We have some high-level
strategic aims for the charity but you will have
wide scope to find the path to reach them.
Within this there are several key areas to
address:
• Our potential impact is currently resourcelimited, and we have become over-reliant
on an annual grant from the US-based
Wikimedia Foundation. You will need to
actively develop and diversify our income
from trusts and foundations to enable us
to achieve our ambitions
• With an increasing part of our impact
expected to come from partnerships with
major cultural organisations (including the
Royal Society, the Bodleian Library, the
National Library of Scotland, the Royal
Society of Chemistry, the Wellcome Trust
and many others), your skill in managing
these relationships will be crucial
2
• We have an active and diverse community
of volunteers, many drawn from the
community of editors of Wikipedia and
Wikimedia Commons. A key challenge is
to increase the size, breadth and ambition
of our volunteer community
• There is a significant opportunity to achieve
our objectives with advocacy, particularly
advocating for copyright law changes both
within the UK and Europe to allow greater
free use of historic cultural material
The charity has an effective and committed
board with recently-reviewed governance
procedures in place. We believe we have
the potential to become a crucial player in
the open knowledge arena. We are looking
for a dynamic CEO who is enthusiastic about
open knowledge and learning and can help
us implement a step change in our national
and international impact, visibility, engagement
with volunteers, and independent funding.
The charity values transparency and places
volunteers at the heart of everything it does.
We are passionate about the charity’s
potential, and we hope that you will be too.
Best regards
Michael Maggs
Chair, Wikimedia UK
May 2015
International ‘Wikimania’ conference, the Barbican, London, 2014
3
Photo
by Ralf Roletschek - CC BY-SA 3.0 Austria
May 2015
3
About Wikimedia UK
Wikimedia UK is dedicated to collecting, developing,
promoting and distributing open knowledge:
knowledge that everyone is free to use, reuse,
and redistribute without any restrictions.
As an independent UK charity which acts
as the UK chapter of the global Wikimedia
movement, encompassing Wikipedia and its
sister projects, we are in a special position to
make an impact on open knowledge across
both the educational and cultural sectors.
We help people and organisations create
and preserve open knowledge and provide
easy access for all. We support volunteer
editors and contributors, work in partnership
with cultural and educational institutions,
host training sessions and editing events, and
advocate the benefits of open knowledge
generally.
At the heart of everything we do is a large
community of volunteers who offer their time
and skills in a variety of ways. They edit the
Wikimedia projects, upload openly-licensed
content, work with cultural and educational
organisations, advocate for improvements in
copyright law, run events, provide training, and
develop programmes of activity.
The charity has an engaged board of ten
trustees, of which seven are elected by the
charity’s members at AGMs and three are coopted for their particular skill sets.
Around 50% of our funding currently comes
from an annual grant from the Wikimedia
Foundation, with whom we have an excellent
relationship. The majority of the remainder
comes from individual direct debit donations.
We are looking to increase the diversity and
amount of funding significantly, especially from
new contacts with trusts and foundations.
New Court, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Photo by WMUK volunteer David Iliff - CC-BY-SA 3.0
4
May 2015
Organogram
CEO
Project
Manager
Project
Coordinator
Operations and
Finance Manager
Communications
Manager
Office
Manager
Project
Coordinator
Project
Coordinator
Admin
Support
May
5 2015
May 2015
5
What we do
Wikimedia UK works with volunteers and institutions to improve the quality
and quantity of openly-licensed educational material that is freely available
online. We host outreach events around the country where experienced
editors and newcomers can contribute to the Wikimedia projects together.
Cultural partnerships (GLAM
partnerships) – We partner with high
profile cultural institutions up and down the
country to help them share the information
they hold on Wikipedia and its sister sites.
Recent partners include the British Library,
the Wellcome Trust, the Bodleian Library, the
National Libraries of Scotland and of Wales,
English Heritage, and the Royal Photographic
Society.
Expert outreach – We work with
scientists, scholars, learned societies and
funders to help experts improve Wikipedia
and its sister projects, bringing that expertise
to the widest possible public. Partners include
the Royal Society and the Royal Society of
Chemistry.
Education projects – We work with
some of the country’s most respected
and innovative institutions to explore how
Wikimedia projects can benefit UK education.
We partner with universities and support
bodies, establishing Wikimedia as part of the
landscape of higher education, secondary
education, and lifelong learning.
Training – We run numerous training events
to help people learn how to contribute to
Wikipedia and its sister sites.
Advocacy – We advocate for
improvements in European copyright law to
enable cultural institutions to release digital
copies of historic cultural works such as
old photographs whose copyright owner is
unknown (‘orphan works’).
July 2013 Sphingonet training event
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May 2015
[a]
[d]
[b]
[e]
[c]
[f]
A selection of historic images uploaded with Wikimedia UK support
[a] Library of Congress - public domain, Poster for Illinois WPA Safety Division, 1936-4. [b] York Museums Trust - public domain, Harbour scene, Barbados 1902. [c] National Library of Scotland - public
domain. Royal Lyceum Theatre poster 1886. [d] Wellcome Trust - CC BY 4.0, Burke and Hare suffocating Mrs Docherty for sale to Dr. Knox. [e] Wellcome Trust - CC BY 4.0, A blow fly (Chrysomya
chloropyga). [f] British Library Canadian Copyright Collection - public domain, Herd of buffaloes in the National Park, Banff, 1900.
7
May 2015
7
Job description
Job Title: Reports To:
Responsible For:
Location:
Salary:
Chief Executive
Chair and Wikimedia UK Board
All staff
London, with occasional travel overseas
Circa £70,000 per annum
Purpose of the Role
• To provide dynamic, strategic leadership, enabling the
organisation to grow whilst ensuring its vision, mission
and values are adhered to
• Work with the Board, staff, members, volunteers and the
Wikimedia community to deliver an ambitious strategy
for growth and sustainability, with corresponding business
plans and objectives
• Increase the organisation’s resources and income through
proactive relationship building and developing strong
propositions
• Ensure long term sustainability, through effective
governance, sound finance and delivery of services
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
• Work with the Board, staff, members, volunteers and
the Wikimedia community to develop a strategic plan
to deliver our strategic aims
• Develop relationships with the Wikimedia Foundation,
partner organisations and major funding bodies to ensure
future funding
• Increase the organisation’s profile and impact using
sound business planning
• Work in line with our values to create a positive and
transparent culture
Financial and operational management
• Oversee the development of Wikimedia UK’s
programme work
• Ensure appropriate consultation and engagement
with volunteers and the Wikimedia community in
the development of the charity’s work
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• Position the Charity to develop technology in support
of its aims
• Take responsibility for the financial health of the charity,
reporting to the Board and mitigate financial and
operational risks facing the charity as they arise
• Identify and mitigate reputational risks, ensuring the
charity is an effective steward of the reputation of the
Wikimedia movement
Income Generation
• Take responsibility for driving the organisation’s income
and growth
• Build relationships with trust and foundation partners to
convert them into financial supporters
• Develop propositions for funders and donors
Staff Management
• Provide management and leadership to the Wikimedia
UK staff team
• Manage personal development objectives, appraisals and
training and support.
• Manage all personnel issues including recruitment, payroll,
training, absence, disciplinary and grievance processes
Governance & Compliance
• Ensure that the Charity acts at all times in compliance
with its governing documents, all relevant legislation,
regulatory codes and partnership agreements (including
those with the Wikimedia Foundation)
• Support the continuing development of the Charity’s
board and governance
• Attend all meetings of the Board, Governance Committee
and Audit & Risk Committee and ensure high-quality
reports are provided to them on a timely basis
May 2015
Person specification
The role requires the rare combination of strengths needed to
be an effective CEO: leadership, drive, determination and the
skills of management; strategic planning, relationship building,
and practical judgement. We are looking for an exceptional
individual with the following experience and skills:
Essential Experience
Desirable Experience
• Experience of developing and implementing strategies
for growth
• Personal experience of the open knowledge or open
source movements, or of participating on any of the
Wikimedia projects
• Proven track record of building personal relationships
with high profile organisations, trusts and foundations
in order to secure income
• Experience of successfully developing sound propositions
to secure income
• Experience of managing significant change
• Senior management experience and experience of
working with a Board
• Significant involvement in building profile and reputation
• Proven experience of collaboration with the ability to
build excellent relationships with internal and external
stakeholders, preferably with volunteers
• Experience of working in a similar sized operation
Skills, Qualities and Knowledge
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and people management
skills with the ability to bring together and inspire a range
of stakeholders
• Highly articulate with strong written and verbal
communication skills
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Strong strategic and hands on abilities
• Energetic and passionate with a high level of adaptability
and resilience
• Highly organised and with business and financial acumen
• Experience of managing budgets and maintaining the
financial viability of an organisation
May
9 2015
May 2015
9
How to apply
To apply for this position, please upload
a comprehensive CV and a supporting
statement of no more than two pages of
A4 on our website. Please ensure that your
application fully addresses the appointment
criteria in the person specification.
You should give the names, positions,
organisations and telephone contact numbers
of two referees, one of whom should be your
current/most recent employer. References will
only be taken once your express permission
has been granted.
We ask that you complete the equal
opportunities information online when you
submit your application via our website.
The information collected will be treated
as confidential, used for statistical purposes
only and will not be treated as part of your
application.
We would also be grateful if you could let us
know if you will require any special provision
as a result of any disability should you be
called for interview.
Finally please ensure that you have included
mobile, work and home telephone numbers,
as well as any dates when you will not be
available or might have difficulty with the
indicative timetable.
Timetable
Closing date: Monday 1st June 2015
Initial interviews with Prospectus: 8th18th June 2015
Site visits: 26th June 2015
Panel interview: 29th June 2015
Presentation to volunteers and staff:
1st July 2015
This dates may be subject to change and
applicants will be advised in advance should
this happen.
Recruitment Process
Should you decide to make a formal
application, you will receive feedback within
seven working days of the closing date.
Shortlisted candidates may be required to
undertake an additional assessment prior to
the final interview. The successful appointment
is subject to a satisfactory criminal records
disclosure and written references.
Queries
For a confidential discussion and further
information, please contact Anna Gardet
or Stella Pedersen on 020 7691 1920 or
via email at [email protected]
or [email protected]
Applications should be made via
the Prospectus website at:
www.prospect-us.co.uk/executive/job/
HQ00156774
Applications can also be posted to:
Sarah Hill, Prospectus, 20-22 Stukeley Street,
London, WC2B 5LR
10
May 2015
Prospectus Ltd
020 7691 1925
www.prospect-us.co.uk
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