You are responsible for:

• Secure and manage strategic partnerships to expand awareness, reach, and usage of Wikimedia sites as well as collaborations towards growth of locally relevant content with mission-aligned stakeholders in the information, technology, and education ecosystem.
• The focus for partnerships will be local, regional, and global technology companies with a presence in the Middle East and North Africa as well as governments, ministries and regulatory agencies, private companies and not-for-profit entities, international and regional organizations, among others.
• Build a partnerships strategy for the region, in connection with Wikimedia Foundation’s and Movement’s goals. Explore, scope, and evaluate new partnerships and initiatives that can significantly increase Wikimedia’s footprint in the Middle East and North Africa.
• Provide support for scaling ongoing partnerships in the region, as well as adapting relevant collaborations in other regions to be implemented in MENA countries.
• In collaboration with relevant teams across Wikimedia Foundation, engage with local Wikimedia communities in the region when relevant around partnership opportunities.
• Represent Wikipedia and all our knowledge-based projects in the region, including internal and external conferences and events, high-level meetings, press and media, among other public online and in-person forums.

Skills and Experience:

• Mission-driven individual with a passion for reducing the access to knowledge gap in emerging markets.
• Alignment with Wikimedia’s values; comfortable working in a highly transparent, collaborative, and remote/distributed team environment.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; 5+ years of experience in business development, partnerships and/or marketing, including work in emerging countries; Master’s + 3 years related experience; or equivalent work experience.
• Previous experience in setting and executing strategic business development plans in the region.
• Experience building and managing relationships with governments, international organizations, educational institutions, relevant technology and internet players, and other private and not-for-profit relevant stakeholders in the technology and educational ecosystem.
• Problem-solving skills and flexibility to work cross-functionally and cross-culturally. Ability to collaborate across time-zones in remote environments.
• Capable of managing multiple priorities and deadlines; have a structured approach and be geared to deliver results.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills needed to pitch and secure partnerships opportunities for local and global audiences to high-level executives and public forums.
• Be a true team player; enjoying working with a small and highly collaborative team in an open and transparent way.
• Work and/or life experience in emerging markets. Writing and speaking proficiency in English and Arabic required.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Currently residing in Egypt.
• Must be willing to travel internationally (roughly 15%-20% time) and work flexible hours to meet the requirements of global partner relationships.
• Not required but good to have, experience with Wikimedia projects and knowledge of its volunteer communities, open source, creative commons and the free knowledge movement.

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.