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Now hiring: Part-time Project Director

· 5 min read
Antonin Delpeuch

OpenRefine is seeking a Part-time Project Director (paid position).

OpenRefine is a powerful tool to clean messy data, popular in a diverse range of communities. It has been serving the needs of journalists, librarians, Wikipedians, scientists for more than ten years and is taught in many curricula and workshops around the world. OpenRefine received a two years grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative under their Essential Open Source Software for Science program, specifically focusing on improving Diversity and Inclusion in open source projects. OpenRefine is a fiscally sponsored project of Code for Science & Society Inc, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the USA.

The OpenRefine team is seeking a Project Director to help the project grow its operations and community.

About the Job​

  • Reports to the advisory committee
  • Supervises OpenRefine paid contractors
  • Schedule: part-time, the position can accommodate other commitments;
  • Duration: 24 months with possible extension as new funding is secured.
  • Start Date: As soon as you can!
  • Fully remote: you will be working with a team spread on multiple continents;
  • Compensation: We have a budget between USD 40,000 and 50,000 per year depending on experience, commitment, and contract type (see below)
  • Contract type: Code for Science & Society (our fiscal sponsor) administer contract and compensation. Depending on the director's country of residence and fiscal status, the position can be a contractor or employee.

Key Responsibilities​

Starting in 2019, OpenRefine explored a new sustainability model by leveraging grants and corporate sponsorship. Three years into that process, OpenRefine is now fiscally sponsored by Code for Science & Society Inc and secured four significant grants from three different organizations. As a result, the project matured with the creation of the Advisory, Steering, and Code of Conduct committees and started hiring contractors to advance our roadmap. During that time, we went through tremendous growth as we doubled the number of active contributors, increased the number of languages translated, and continued to see more users relying on OpenRefine.

Today we are hiring a Project Director to support our new model, strengthen our governance and continue to engage at an organizational level with our partners and community. The project director's primary responsibility will be to lead the community by

  • Improving our governance and community diversity;
  • Formalizing the project roadmap;
  • Ensuring the project's financial sustainability by searching for new sources of funding;
  • Supporting the advisory committee in the day-to-day operations.

Governance, Inclusion, and Diversity​

The project director will develop OpenRefine's existing governing bodies over the next 24 months, focusing on bringing users and institutions into the project's governance and increasing diversity along geographic, racial, and ethnic axes in governance. We want to develop a stronger sense of community among contributors, encouraging long-term commitment to the project and attracting new contributors.

Responsibilities include:

  • To update the project's governance, code of conduct, and contributing documents and create a safe and welcoming space for contributors;
  • To develop and document governance processes to support onboarding and leadership development.

Project Roadmap​

The Project Director will work with our institutional partners, steering committee, and community to formalize and advertise the project roadmap.

Fundraising​

The Project Director will seek new sources of funding to ensure the project's financial sustainability. Responsibilities include

  • To apply for funding to support the project, including grants and donations;
  • To report to funders;
  • To explore other funding models, including crowdfunding campaigns or pay for services.

Operation​

The project director will support the advisory committee and work with Code for Science & Society in the day to day operations, by

  • Acting as a representative of the project to partners and in events and responsible for communication for the project;
  • Leading the hiring process for contractors/employees and be the person they report to;
  • Coordinating OpenRefine's participation in internship programs.

Qualifications​

We are looking for candidates with:

  • Experience leading open-source and/or with volunteer-run projects;
  • Experience implementing strategic and operational plans;
  • Excellent communication skills;
  • Proven track record of fundraising for nonprofits;
  • Ability to work collaboratively and non-hierarchically;
  • Experience in remote collaboration and communication; comfort working remotely with colleagues in multiple time zones via Github, Mailing List discussion, Online Meeting, and other related tools;
  • Ability to work independently and take initiatives;
  • Familiarity with OpenRefine as a user;
  • Familiarity with one or more communities where OpenRefine is popular.

Not certain your credentials are a 100% match with the position description? Please apply anyway! We are looking to find the right person for our team, and we will help develop your skills during the project.

How to respond​

Please apply here with your resume or CV, and a short letter of interest. We will schedule an interview with short-listed candidates. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting November 10th.

OpenRefine is fiscally sponsored by Code for Science and Society (CS&S). CS&S is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization thereby creating a culture that allows us to better serve our clientele, our employees and our communities. We value and encourage the contributions of our colleagues and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and drive outstanding results. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one's employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.