Language Services Director at The African Development Bank

Duties for the Language Services Director Job

• Manage a department that provides translation and interpretation services to the Bank;
  Set objectives, formulate policies, establish priorities, define and monitor the key performance indicators of the department;
• Plan, organize and coordinate all operational language activities in the Language Services Department;
• Ensure that the department produces a high-quality output within available resources, by making the best use of its human, financial and technological assets, and by monitoring and enforcing efficiency targets;
• Ensure effective communication between the Management and staff of the Bank, the authorities of member countries, officials from other organizations;
• Promote and encourage, through training and sensitization, staff efforts to use both official languages of the Bank, so as to strike a reasonable balance in the production of documents in French and English;
• Supervise budget preparation and follow its execution, and advise senior management on the budgetary and financial impacts of the department’s operations;
• Monitor best practice in the industry and, as appropriate, liaise with counterparts in other organizations;
• Promote the sharing of best practice across the translation, editorial and interpretation areas;
• Represent the Language Services Department as needed in bank-wide working groups;
• Determine the appropriate organizational structure of the department, assigning staff and material resources based on priorities and workload, coordinating and evaluating the work of staff and providing guidance on work problems;
• Assess the training needs of staff in the Department, monitor and evaluate their performance, and recommend personnel actions to the Vice President;
• Perform language services when appropriate and necessary.

Language Services Director Job Qualifications

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in translation or interpretation or related disciplines;
• Have a minimum of ten (10) years of extensive and progressive experience in a similar organization, five (5) years of which must be at a managerial level;
• Demonstrated ability to take prudent business risks and make effective, timely and well-determined decisions;
• Proven ability to build and lead motivated and committed teams across functional boundaries, and utilize talent and expertise of team members in a productive way;
• Strong managerial, interpersonal and communication skills; strong negotiating skills; ability to think strategically;
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize work programs, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously;
• Ability to gain the confidence of senior management in delivering an efficient and effective service within agreed time and cost constraints;
• Ability to work effectively with other technical and management professionals of diverse occupational and cultural backgrounds in a cooperative team environment;
• Demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas; a good listener; high level of integrity, discretion and confidentiality;
• Competence in the use of Microsoft Suite of applications such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint;
• Excellent written and verbal communications in English and French.