Program Manager, People Transformation

About this role

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Program Manager, People Transformation to join our team, reporting to the Director of People Transformation. This role is responsible for driving the successful execution of the People Department's strategic priorities by creating the operational structure, project management discipline, and execution support necessary to deliver an evolving portfolio of People initiatives in a global, remote-first organization.

The Program Manager serves as a key execution partner, translating strategic priorities into actionable plans, coordinating work across teams, documenting and improving processes, and ensuring initiatives move efficiently from concept to implementation. The role will help establish consistent project management practices across the People Department while providing hands-on support for transformation, operational improvement, and change initiatives.

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys bringing structure to ambiguity, building scalable processes, coordinating complex work-streams, and driving projects to successful completion.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Portfolio Management

• Manage and coordinate a portfolio of People Department initiatives and projects.

• Develop and maintain project plans, workback schedules, timelines, milestones, and dependency maps.

• Track project status, risks, issues, and decisions across multiple concurrent initiatives.

• Facilitate project governance activities, status reviews, and stakeholder meetings.

• Create and maintain project dashboards and reporting mechanisms to provide visibility into progress and outcomes.

• Support prioritization and planning activities by providing project insights, resource considerations, and implementation recommendations.

Transformation & Strategic Initiative Support

• Partner with the Director to translate strategic priorities into executable project plans.

• Coordinate activities associated with People transformation initiatives, including HR systems, performance management, policy development, workforce analytics, employee experience, and operational improvement efforts.

• Monitor project deliverables, milestones, and implementation activities to ensure successful execution.

• Maintain transformation roadmaps and track progress against planned outcomes.

• Support the successful transition of new programs, systems, and processes into long-term operational ownership.

Process Documentation & Operational Excellence

• Conduct assessment and documentation of current-state People Department processes and workflows for People Department reference.

• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), process maps, implementation guides, and operating documentation.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, scalability, and employee experience.

• Partner with stakeholders to standardize processes and establish repeatable operating practices.

• Maintain documentation repositories and knowledge management resources.

Change Management & Implementation

• Support the planning and execution of change management activities associated with People initiatives.

• Develop implementation plans, stakeholder engagement plans, training materials, and communications in partnership with functional leaders.

• Monitor adoption and implementation effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Coordinate readiness activities and implementation support across stakeholder groups.

Planning, Reporting & Analytics

• Support annual planning processes by coordinating project planning, timelines, deliverables, and tracking mechanisms for People Department reference.

• Develop reports, dashboards, and presentation materials for People Department leadership.

• Track progress against key milestones, goals, and operational commitments.

• Maintain accurate records of project decisions, risks, action items, and outcomes.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner effectively with stakeholders across the People Department and broader Foundation.

• Coordinate meetings, working groups, and project teams to ensure alignment and progress.

• Facilitate communication among stakeholders and ensure follow-through on commitments and action items.

• Escalate risks, barriers, and resource constraints as appropriate.

Skills and Experience:

• 8+ years of program management, project management, operations, consulting, or related experience.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple large-scale projects and competing priorities simultaneously.

• Proficiency with change management methodologies and project management best practices.

• Experience documenting business processes and developing operational documentation.

• Strong project planning, organization, and execution skills.

• Experience coordinating cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Proficiency with project management, collaboration, and productivity tools.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Ability to work independently and manage ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong attention to detail and follow-through.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Experience supporting HR, People Operations, Organizational Effectiveness, or transformation initiatives.

• Experience in remote-first and globally distributed organizations.

• Experience in nonprofit, technology, or mission-driven organizations.

• Experience developing dashboards, reporting tools, or operational metrics.

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 h

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