Mozilla executive director search to loop in community

The Mozilla Foundation is being pretty open about its search for an executive director and plans to loop in community members to help select candidates.

On Mozilla's Usenet group last night, Mitchell Baker, known as Mozilla's Chief Lizard Wrangler, said she is part of the team defining the search process for an executive director for Mozilla.

The plan, aside from the usual hiring items (interviews, job descriptions, recruiters etc.), Mitchell said Mozilla plans to open it up to the community at large.

Mitchell wrote:

"We need to make sure that more people are involved and that we have a community input into the process and the result. The Mozilla Foundation Board of Directors has appointed Bob Lisbonne and I as the Board members of the search committee. So far we’ve selected Eunica Azzani as our recruiter and created and posted a job description."

Mitchell is currently outlining the search process. Part of that mission includes bringing community members onto the search committee. "I’m thinking somewhere between 3 and 5 such people, with some criteria,  invitation process and 'rules of engagement.'  Participation in the search committee will be more disciplined than many Mozilla activities because it will involve dealing with personal information of candidates," said Mitchell.

Here's what's interesting: Mozilla's search process is the equivalent of a software company bring developers into the fold to pick a new CEO. Typically, these deals are board picked and that's it. Mozilla is attempting an open source hiring process.

Mitchell added that Mozilla will create regular reports to the Mozilla community and public on the search progress. Mozilla will walk the line between a candidate's privacy and informing the public.

And once the field is narrowed down, Mitchell says there will be "some process for introducing at least a final candidate and many more candidates to a broader range of community members."