Contract Data Analyst at Wikimedia Foundation

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Wikidata Query Service Data Analyst Consultant to join our team, reporting to the Senior Program Manager, Structured Data.  As the Wikidata Query Service Data Analyst Consultant, you will be responsible for helping to define a strategy for how we can use our data to better understand how to scale the Wikidata Query Service (WDQS) and better support our use cases. In this role, you will work to categorize the queries currently made in the service based on use case constraints, so that we can prioritize the development of alternative solutions and scaling improvements. This work will involve SPARQL/RDF query analysis. Work in this area will include things like:

• Programmatically categorize WDQS queries by potential alternative solution. 
• Analyse a small sample of the most often used query patterns on WDQS. 
• Analyze WDQS traffic patterns.

You are responsible for:

• Analyzing SPARQL/RDF queries made in WDQS to answer questions like:
  • What queries require up to date data? 
  • What queries require low latency? 
  • Which queries are complex in terms of inference, and which are expensive because they’re wrongly formulated? 
  • Graph structure questions, such as are there performant subgraphs that can be split out, and if so, what parts of Wikidata would make sense to split?
• Advising the team on additional strategies for examining the available data, including how to relate queries to the underlying data.
• Using data to uncover ways in which we can better scale WDQS and/or provide alternative solutions.
• Using experimental and quantitative research methods to provide impactful, accessible, and ethical data and insights.
• Build data visualizations, reports, and dashboards and guide stakeholders in how to interpret the data.

Skills and Experience:

• 3+ years experience using analytics tools and infrastructure to extract patterns from large and complex datasets.
• Proven track record of analyzing complex processes and advising on strategy.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively, both written and orally, to stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.
• Experience with processing SPARQL/RDF queries, both manually and using tools like parsers, algebras, and abstract representation.
• The analysis will be conducted on our analytics cluster, with the tools provided by the Wikimedia Foundation. This requires working knowledge of Spark and Hadoop.

Qualities that are important to us:

• Flexible and open to new ideas.
• Comfortable working in a highly collaborative, consensus-oriented environment.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Direct experience working with the Wikidata Query Service.
• Understanding of the free culture, free software, or online rights movements.
• Technical understanding of graph database query engines and their tradeoffs.