Senior Conceptual Designer (Contract)

Contract Length: 12-month fixed term
Hours per Week: 40 hours
Time zone Requirements: UTC-8 to UTC-3 (Los Angeles to São Paulo)

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Senior Conceptual Designer (contract) who will research and develop original content ideas, design graphics and motion graphics, and write light copy to captivate Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation's audiences on social media. 

This position sits on the Social Team within the Foundation's External Communications department. They will work closely with the Brand Studio, including the Creative and Brand teams, to ensure work reflects the best of brand guidelines while innovating in certain scenarios. The role is the creative engine behind all social media graphics— equal parts curious researcher, visual storyteller, and design innovator.  The Senior Conceptual Designer is responsible for proactively researching topics, developing content ideas, writing copy, and creating graphics designed to drive engagement with global audiences. We’re looking for someone deeply curious who knows how to translate knowledge content into scroll-stopping social graphics. Ideally you are: 

• Deeply curious and self-directed, always discovering unexpected topics instead of waiting for someone to hand you ideas.

• A strong visual thinker with a sharp eye for design, able to translate a concept into compelling graphics and motion graphics for social media.

• An instinctive storyteller and writer, able to take a complex or niche topic and present it in a way that feels accessible, fun, and worth sharing.

• A trendsetter, not a trend-follower — you think originally, push boundaries, and want to create social content that feels genuinely new.

• Culturally plugged in, mindful of diversity as you create content for a global brand. This role must have a strong sense of what people are engaging with on social and bridge that with the world’s knowledge content.

As the Senior Conceptual Designer, you will work closely with the Social Media Manager and the Senior Marketing Manager, Social Platforms and be accountable for:

Research and ideation

• Building and maintaining a consistent pipeline of content ideas that connect cultural moments, trending topics, and knowledge content to Wikipedia and Wikimedia's broader mission.

• Evaluating content ideas against platform best practices, audience interests, and brand alignment to ensure a high-quality, diverse content mix.

Copywriting and visual design

• Writing on-brand copy for social graphics, carousels, and captions, adapting tone and style to match the tone of the content.

• Designing graphics and carousels that are platform-native and visually engaging, and developing the social media design style guide that establishes the visual language, templates, typography, and layout principles for all still image social content.

Content production

• Developing and maintaining organized systems for tracking content, deliverables, and approvals at scale.

• On occasion, partnering with other members of the Social team and Brand Studio colleagues to develop content around tentpole moments. 

Skills and experience

• 5+ years of experience in social media content creation, graphic design, motion design, or a closely related creative role.

• A strong portfolio demonstrating both design and copywriting skills, with innovative social-first work front and center.

• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma or Adobe Creative Suite, with a strong eye for typography, layout, and visual hierarchy.

• Proven ability to independently research, develop, and produce original social media content ideas with minimal oversight.

• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver high-quality work on deadline.

• Comfortable working cross-functionally with distributed, remote teams across time zones and geographies.

Qualities that are important to us as a team

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for the Wikimedia mission and free knowledge.

• Flexibility and resilience — comfortable working in an evolving environment.

• Openness to experimentation and learning from results.

• A collaborative spirit with a demonstrated ability to work across diverse teams, cultures and geographies 

• A sense of humor and a genuine love of creators and the internet.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and comfortable with ambiguity.

• A genuine passion for going down rabbit holes. You love uncovering surprising, counterintuitive, or underexplored topics and have a knack for knowing what will make people stop scrolling.

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. 

The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries*. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$90,223 to US$139,037 with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location.

*Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following:
US States: 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 (*US Territory or Federal District)
Countries: Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya*, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore*, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR) and must have current work authorization in their location. (*citizens/permanent residents only)

We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.

All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.

If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] or +1 (415) 839-6885.

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