Job Openings at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

Responsibilities

Under the broad supervision of the Senior Interpreter, the Interpreter will be responsible for the following duties:

• Services up to seven meetings per week (exceptionally eight), usually of no more than three hours duration.
• Provides interpretation, as required, into Chinese of speeches or statements given in English and/or French and interpretation into English and/or French of speeches given in Chinese
• Routinely covers sensitive meetings.
• Routinely functions as team leader of all interpreters assigned to a given meeting.
• May be called upon to serve as Team Leader on missions.
• May assist in the screening, training and examining of prospective Chinese interpreters.
• May provide guidance and coaching to junior interpreters.
• May function as Programming Officer.
• May perform other related duties, as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to demonstrate a high level of concentration; split-second accuracy. Ability to work under continuous stress and deliver clear interpretation on an exceedingly broad range of subjects. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• COMMITMENT TO CONTINOUS LEARNING: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Education

• A first level degree from a university or from an institution of equivalent status is required. A Master’s degree is desirable. Must have passed the United Nations Competitive Examination for Chinese interpreters.

Work Experience

• At least five (5) years of professional interpreting experience in international organizations is required.
• Experience providing accurate interpretation of a broad range of UN subjects is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages in the United Nations Secretariat. A perfect command of Chinese, normally expected to be the incumbent's main language is required. Candidates for this post must also possess an excellent knowledge of English or French.

Closing date 15 May 2022

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Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Interpreter will be responsible for the following duties:

• Services up to seven meetings per week (exceptionally eight), usually of no more than three hours duration, of various United
• Nations bodies.
• French interpreters provide interpretation into French of speeches given in English and Spanish and/or Russian.
• Routinely covers sensitive meetings.
• May perform other related duties, as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to demonstrate a high level of concentration; split-second accuracy. Ability to work under continuous stress and deliver clear interpretation on an exceedingly broad range of subjects. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• COMMITMENT TO CONTINOUS LEARNING: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Education

• A first level degree from a university or from an institution of equivalent status is required. Candidates for this position must have passed the United Nations Competitive examination for language positions for French Interpreters.

Work Experience

• At least two (2) years of professional interpreting experience in French in an international organizations is required.
• Relevant interpretation experience within the UN System or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency / perfect command of French language -which must also be the candidate's primary language- is required.
• Excellent / fluency in oral comprehension and command of English and an excellent knowledge of Spanish and/or Russian are also required. Knowledge of at least one other official language of the United Nations is desirable.

Closing date 15 May 2022

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Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief of Unit, the incumbent will perform the following:

• Translates, generally subject to revision, from two other UN official languages into the language of the Unit texts covering a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, often within demanding time limits.
• Identifies new terminology material and submits it for consideration of the revisers.
• Counsels in-house and contractual translators with a view to refining skills and performance and helps maintain uniformity of terminology in the unit.
• Performs other related linguistic and administrative duties and special assignments as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to demonstrate good writing skills; high standard of accuracy, consistency to the style and nuances of the original text with a good grasp of the subject matter. Knowledge of a broad range of subjects such as political, social, legal, economic, financial, administrative, scientific and technical. Ability to use all sources of references, consultation and information relevant to text at hand. Ability to work under pressure and maintain adequate speed and volume of output. Ability to show a high level of versatility, judgement and discretion. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

• A first-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status is required. Candidates for this position must have passed the relevant combined United Nations Language Competitive Examination for Translators/Précis-writers, Editors, Verbatim Reporters and Copy Preparers/Proofreaders/Production Editors or relevant United Nations language competitive examinations held before 2017.

Work Experience

• A minimum of two years of experience in translation, précis-writing, editing, self-revision, verbatim reporting, copy preparing, proofreading or production editing is required
• Experience in the use of standard computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools is required.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in Arabic, which must be the candidate’s main language is required. Applicants must also have knowledge of English as tested by the relevant United Nations language competitive examination. Knowledge of one other official United Nations language as tested by the relevant United Nations language competitive examination is desirable.

Closing date 15 May 2022

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Under the broad supervision of the Senior Interpreter, the Interpreter will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Services up to seven meetings per week (exceptionally eight), usually of no more than three hours duration.
• Provides interpretation into French of speeches or statements given in English and Spanish and/or Russian.
• Routinely covers sensitive meetings.
• Routinely functions as team leader of all interpreters assigned to a given meeting.
• May be called upon to serve as Team Leader on missions.
• May assist in the screening, training and examining of prospective French interpreters.
• May provide guidance and coaching to junior interpreters.
• May function as Programming Officer.
• May perform other related duties, as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to demonstrate a high level of concentration; split-second accuracy. Ability to work under continuous stress and deliver clear interpretation on an exceedingly broad range of subjects. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Education

• A first level degree from a university or from an institution of equivalent status is required. A Master’s degree is desirable. Candidates for this position must have passed the French United Nations Language Competitive Examination for French Interpreters.

Job - Specific Qualification

• United Nations Competitive Examination for French interpreters.

Work Experience

• At least five (5) years of professional interpreting experience in international organizations is required.
• Experience providing accurate interpretation of a broad range of UN subjects is desirable.
• Experience in training and coaching interpreter trainees and junior staff interpreters is desirable.
• Experience in grading interpretation exams and/or assessing freelance colleagues' performance is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages in the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency / perfect command of French, normally expected to be the incumbent's main language is required. Candidates for this position must also possess

Closing date 18 May 2022