Education Lead

Wikimedia UK is the national platform for open knowledge, bringing together practical and policy expertise about Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects. Delivering impact of over 1 billion views each year and engaging thousands of people through advocacy, education, outreach and partnerships, Wikimedia UK demystifies and drives engagement in open access to information.

We are seeking an Education Lead to create a step change in the scale and impact of our education work. The post holder will lead Wikimedia UK’s work with the education sector, focusing on secondary schools, and including universities and non-formal education.

Applications (CV and cover letter) to be sent to Daria Cybulska - info@wikimedia.org.uk

Closing date end of day 8th June 2025.

Job Description

Job Title:	Education lead
Hours:	Full time (35 hours per week) although 0.8FTE (28 hours) would be considered
Location:	Flexible within the UK, with regular travel to meet with partners, and meetings in London between four and six times a year.
Reporting to:	Director of Programmes and Evaluation
Salary:	£35,000 - £38,000 per annum (pro rata for 0.8 FTE) depending on experience
Pension:	WMUK offers a pension scheme, with a current employer contribution of 6%
Annual leave:	25 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro rata) as well as office closure days between Christmas and New Year which will be allocated on a year-by-year basis.  Employees are additionally gifted a day off for their birthday each year.

Purpose of job

To lead Wikimedia UK’s work with the education sector, focusing on secondary schools, and including universities and non-formal education. Create a step change in the scale and impact of our education work.

Main Duties

1. Programme Development and Delivery

• Lead on the development and delivery of Wikimedia UK’s education programme, in collaboration with the Director of Programmes and Evaluation and other colleagues
• Build on our learning from past and existing activities across Wikimedia UK and the wider movement to develop and roll out a new Wikimedia and information literacy programme for the UK’s secondary school sector; adapting this for the four nations as appropriate
• In conjunction with other Programmes staff, support the delivery of information literacy projects within higher education, through existing and new strategic partnerships as well as smaller projects and interventions such as Wikimedia in the Classroom courses
• Develop and deliver a range of information literacy activities
• Seek opportunities for new partnerships within the education sector, and grow existing relationships with potential delivery partners, for example within the cultural sector
• Work with the Development team and other staff to identify and follow up funding opportunities for existing or potential projects
• Support other staff within the Programmes team in their own work with the education sector

2. Sector Advocacy

• Promote the importance of media and information literacy skills to digital citizenship and civic engagement, and demonstrate Wikimedia’s value in developing those skills through running targeted interventions and disseminating our research and outcomes
• Advocate for a strong focus on media and information literacy skills in schools and university curricula, and work with other staff, partners and allies to campaign for public policy initiatives and investment to support these skills across society

3. Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact

• Run and evaluate the pilots of our work in schools
• Report regularly on programme plans, outputs and outcomes, in collaboration with other staff in the Programmes team
• Handle documentation and record all relevant programme metrics. Update CRM records for partnerships, volunteers and activities

4. Communication and Dissemination

• Write blog posts, create case studies, and generally contribute to the promotion and dissemination of our work and impact, in collaboration with the Communications team
• Engage in public speaking opportunities on behalf of Wikimedia UK in promoting our work, as required
• Engage with other Wikimedia organisations, sharing our education work and peer-learning

Experience

• Experience of working directly with UK secondary schools
• Experience of developing and managing partnership projects
• Experience of project reporting and communicating outcomes
• Experience of organising events or workshops
• Experience of developing and/or delivering training or skills development opportunities
• Ability to create lesson plans and other materials appropriate for schools (desirable)

Skills, abilities and attributes

• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to involve and inspire external partners in person and remotely
• Excellent communication skills, with an ability to successfully advocate for support of our work
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Collaborative, supportive approach
• An understanding or interest in one or more of the following: media literacy, information literacy, democratic engagement, resilient information ecosystem
• Passionate about the mission and values of Wikimedia UK

Wikimedia UK holds equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from potential candidates from traditionally underrepresented groups, such as those with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act. As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer a guaranteed interview to any disabled candidate who meets the essential criteria for the post. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please state this in your covering letter.

How to apply:

• Interested candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter outlining how they meet the points on the Job Criteria.  
• It is helpful to list the points on the essential criteria and answer each point on how you meet the criteria with an example.  
• All CVs and Cover Letters should be sent to info@wikimedia.org.uk by 8th June 2025. Please note any applications received without a covering letter will not be considered.
• If shortlisted, we may share with you some of the interview questions in advance to help you better prepare.

We know from research that women and minoritised people tend to only apply for jobs when they tick every box on the person specification. If you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily meet every single criteria, we would love to hear from you.

Note: This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with it.