ROLE OVERVIEW

The incumbent shall, revise from French into English, texts and translations, in accordance with professional standards, translated by in-house and independent translators, ensuring high linguistic and terminological quality of texts and application of ECOWAS jargon. S/he supervises the relevant language section and may also translate a variety of often complex, confidential, urgent, and important texts intended for different audiences. Facilitates the setting-up and updating of terminology databases and on request, provides advice on language usage.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• • Revises translations dealing with subjects of an exceptionally sensitive, complex or technical nature
  • Translates texts of an exceptionally sensitive, confidential, complex or technical nature
  • Plans, co-ordinates and supervises the daily, medium- and long-term work of their translation section;
  • Language Combination: English A, French C and/or Portuguese C. (ability to translate into B Language is an advantage).
  • Supervises the weekly maintenance of the translation log
  • Allocates work to staff, assigns staff to particular translation or revision duties
  • Directs the conduct of terminological research within the translation section concerned and assists the Language Coordinator in the preparation of terminology materials to meet the needs of the entire Division
  • Assists the Language Coordinator in monitoring the quality of in-house and outsourced translations
  • Regularly provides feedback on in-house and outsourced translations
  • Guides, counsels and trains or supervises the training of translators and trainee revisers, evaluates their performance and promotes the best use of their skills and experience
  • Keeps abreast of language industry trends especially technological advances useful to the work of the Division
• Performs other related duties as required
• Participates in recruitment exercises where necessary

 

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree or equivalent in translation from a recognised university / institution;
• 10 years of experience in translation (at least four of which should have been revision experience)
• Demonstrated experience in use of relevant computer assisted translation software/tools
• Exhibits highest standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the style and nuances of the original text
• Ability to maintain highest standard of confidentiality
• knowledge of terminological and reference research techniques with ability to use wide variety of information and to conduct complex research
• A perfect command of the target language and an excellent knowledge of the source language. Good knowledge of the third language of ECOWAS is an advantage.

 

AGE LIMIT

Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

 

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

• ability to lead in assigned programmes and projects by providing the necessary managerial and operational expertise required for the fulfillment of the organization’s mandate;
• ability to lead by example organize teamwork to encourage cooperation in order to achieve targeted results, champion and build momentum for change and to bring about employee engagement; develops and implements internal controls for pilot program to manage potential barriers to implementation;
• ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency
• ability to bring together complementary skills/expertise, assess individual contributions and recognize/address accomplishments and shortcomings in a manner that brings continued success to the organization;
• ability to research benchmarks and trends to bring about the best recommendations for the development and improvement of programs /projects that will best serve the community/organization
• well-developed networking and interpersonal skills to seek feedback, information and data from a network of professionals from multiple countries/sectors/organizations and to identify and prioritize the most critical community requirements;
• ability to develop and implement best practices in client services;
• ability to develop and implement stakeholder management plans, programs and initiatives to obtain buy-in on new initiatives, to better understand dissenting views, to obtain resources and to increase perceptions of success.
• ability to be diplomatic, tactful and respect of other people from varied backgrounds, understanding diverse cultural views especially within West Africa with the ability to convert diversity into opportunities to improve program/operational outcomes;
• ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices;
• ability to remain objective in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences /positions, gender differences, and encourage other staff to overcome cultural and gender bias and         differences;
• ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• ability to serve the interest of culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and persons with disability without prejudice and bias

Knowledge of ECOWAS

• understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively;
• knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social situation and trends in member states, as pertains to own scope of work;
• knowledge of ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects or initiatives;
• knowledge of the ECOWAS rules and procedures in order to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• ability to analyze a situation by using indicators to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making         decisions;
• ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the cause of problems, consequences of alternative causes of action, potential obstacles and ways to avoid the problem in the future;
• ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple terms to explain recommendations and conclusions aimed at solving problems or improving operations/programs/projects;
• ability to develop new insights into situations, apply innovative solutions to problems and to design new methods of addressing issues or disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or no longer effective.
• ability to communicate with impact, clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner conveying credibility & confidence when making presentations, setting expectations and explaining complex issues;
• ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond appropriately;
• ability to give constructive feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance;
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage
• ability to set effective goals and targets for self, others, and the work unit and adjusting work or project priorities in response to changing circumstances;
• ability to implement rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs (e.g. management indicators, project milestones, program results, processing targets);
• ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals