Job: Head of Language Services

Location: Geneva 
Deadline: Monday, 30 September 2013 

Description

UNION IN TERPARLEMENTAIRE - INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

JOB PROFILE 130

HEAD OF LANGUAGE SERVICES

Grade P4 (August 2013)

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships: Working under the supervision of Director of Member Parliaments and External Relations, the incumbent is in charge of the Language Service and is responsible for the provision of high quality, timely and cost effective language services in support of meetings and other activities of the Organisation.

Accountabilities

The Head of Language Services:

• Plans, monitors and assesses the Organisation's language services, and coordinates the delivery of translation and interpretation services for the Organisation's official meetings;
• Manages the resources and supervises the staff of the Language Service;
• Organises, allocates, supervises and monitors all translation and revision work in order to achieve savings and efficiency targets, maintain high quality standards and adhere to tight deadlines;
• Manages recruitment of short-term free-lance interpreters, translators, editors and précis writers and identifies, tests and selects suitable free-lance translators for the outsourcing of translation workload;
• Assigns tasks to free-lance translators, editors and précis writers; establishes deadlines for work performed and monitors their observance; ensures quality control of outputs by free-lance staff;
• Under the authority of the Director of the Division, and in consultation with the Director of Support Services, establishes rates (daily rates, rates based on word count, etc.) for the remuneration of free-lance interpreters, translators, editors and précis writers in comparison with rates applied by other similar international organisations;
• Translates and edits the most important documents of the Organisation, especially those of a complex or politically sensitive nature;
• Edits the Results of the Proceedings of IPU Assemblies and Related Meetings, published twice a year;
• Organises and supervises the editing, translation and production of summary records of Assembly and Committee meetings, issued twice a year;
• Coordinates work plans and work delivery with author divisions upstream and with the documents section and printing and distribution section downstream;
• Provides budget estimates for language services for the Division and monitors and reports on overall translation workload and expenses for the office;
• Provides expertise and professional guidance to Executive Management and to the other Divisions in the development of policies related to language services and language matters;
• Develops and maintains relations with Language Services in other organisations and represents IPU at inter agency and international meetings on language matters.

OTHER DUTIES

• Acts as Assistant Assembly Secretary or Committee Secretary during Assemblies, as the need arises;
• Organizes specialised parliamentary meetings on a broad range of issues, as the need arises;
• Commissions background documents from specialized agencies on issues covered by subject items for specialised parliamentary meetings;
• Assists Chairs of such meetings conduct business during sessions; acts as drafting committee secretary, drafts reports on the proceedings and ensures proper follow up of meetings recommendations to the Governing Bodies of IPU;
• Contributes to the drafting of speeches on a broad range of issues for the President and the Secretary General of the IPU.
• Other duties consistent with the role and responsibilities of the position.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following

• IPU Secretariat Staff
• External Collaborators

Results expected

High-quality outputs on key issues. Production of regular reports on a timely basis. Administrative support in the servicing of various committees and governing bodies.

Competencies

Professionalism: Familiarity with the working methods employed for the preparation of documents for international conferences and meetings. Sound political judgment and broad general knowledge.

Planning and organizing: strong organisational skills; Ability to establish priorities and to plan and monitor own work plan and meet deadlines.

Communication: ability to communicate and negotiate; Ability to write in a clear and concise manner;

Technological awareness: a good understanding of and propensity to use and promote the use of computer technologies in the field of translation.

Teamwork: Demonstrated leadership, team-building and motivational skills, preferably within a diverse professional and cultural environment; Good interpersonal skills; Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Commitment to Continuous Learning.

Qualifications

Education: University degree in translation, modern languages;

Language: Perfect command of written and spoken English or French, and an excellent knowledge of the second official language of the IPU. Knowledge of other languages will be a distinct advantage.

Experience: minimum 5 years experience of translation and revision, preferably in a UN system organisation; sound experience in planning, coordination, outsourcing and supervision of language services; experience of language requirements during international meetings;

Other Skills: good knowledge of IT and its applications in the fields of terminology, documentation and references; knowledge of terminology and administrative policies and practices of the IPU as well as of the UN system.

Duties applicable to all staff

Actively work towards the achievement of the IPU's strategic objectives. Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Compensation

The Inter-Parliamentary Union offers an attractive salary and benefits package comparable to that of other international organizations headquartered in New York or Geneva. The net salary for this position starts at USD 67'483 (plus a cost of living adjustment) commensurate with education and experience.

Employment Policy

This position will be filled through an international recruitment process that will be open to internal and external applicants. From among equally qualified candidates, preference will be given to the underrepresented gender and persons from developing countries not represented in the Secretariat.

Deadline for applications

Applications should be addressed to the:

Director, Support Services

Inter-Parliamentary Union

5, chemin du Pommier

Case postale 330

CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 919 4150

Fax: +41 22 919 4160

E-mail: postbox@ipu.org

Applications should be received on or before 30 September 2013. In order to ensure prompt and efficient processing of your application, you are required to provide, along with your resume and IPU Job application form, a detailed covering letter explaining how you meet each of the requirements of the position with concrete examples.

More Info and Application