ROLE OVERVIEW 

Under the supervision of the Language Coordinator, the incumbent shall be responsible for translating, from English into French, a wide variety of texts documents for ECOWAS conferences and meetings, working papers, scientific articles, speeches, programme statements, web materials, reports, correspondences.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

·         Translates a wide variety of texts documents for ECOWAS conferences and meetings, working papers, scientific articles, speeches, programme statements, web materials, reports, correspondence, etc;

·         Performs the terminological and conceptual research required in order to produce high-quality translations of scientific, technical, legal, and administrative texts;

·         Translates and self-revises from texts of considerable difficulty, using computer assisted translation tools were possible;

·         Assists in providing support for terminology and style; respond to queries about terminology, nomenclature, translation, and writing posed by staff; conducts linguistic research and assist in the maintenance of glossaries;

·         Contributes to the establishment of accurate terminology and to promote the terminology data base;

·         Assists in review of external translators for the ECOWAS roster;

·         Provides translation support in emergencies, including working under tight deadlines and quick turnaround of translated documents;

·         Provides feedback for machine translation dictionaries;

·         Participates in professional forums, conferences and seminars; shares knowledge and practices with translators of other international organizations; keeps abreast of specialized terminology and best translation practices;

·         Performs other related duties, as required.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

·         Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in translation from an accredited/recognized University.

·         7 years of experience in translation and revision (at least 1 of which should have been self- revision experience), and use of relevant computer software, electronic tools and databases;

·         excellent writing and analytical skills; highest standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the style and nuances of the original text;

·         familiarity with computer-assisted translation tools, machine translation tools and on-screen editing tools.

·         A master’s degree in Translation will be an added advantage.

AGE LIMIT

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

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

·         ability to get groups to work together cooperatively, by enlisting active involvement, creating a climate for respect and openness, and applying effective techniques for group facilitation, explore their potentials, motivate and guide them;

·         organize and lead cross-divisional work group in developing creative solutions to address problems and or lead a small group of entry level professionals and administrative support staff;

·         ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;

·         develop on—the-job training techniques paired with excellent coaching and mentoring skills; knowledge of new staff orientation approaches to facilitate understanding of the position and organization;

·         ability to assign work to direct reports and provide timely and consistent feedback regarding technical proficiency and effectiveness;

·         ability to represent the organization effectively before external parties.

·         ability to consider the impact of a shift in programmatic direction to the needs of internal and external stakeholders;

·         ability to promote and consider staff feedback to streamline processes in order to meet deadlines of relevance to client expectations;

·         ability to consistently maintain composure and direction in high- pressure situations;

·         develop problem solving, mediation and conflict resolution skills to address discrepancies, complaints, bottle necks, time constraints affecting quality and quantity of client services;

·         ability to anticipate growing client needs and expectations to continuously improve quality, timelines, service delivery and addressing client questions in a timely manner;

·         ability to communicate openly with clients, keeping them informed of progress and issues requiring attention/resolutions.

·         ability to implement programmatic changes in a manner that ensures a biased-free work environment, fair and equitable application to new rules/regulations;

·         experience and ability to adhere to policies, goals, objectives, and principles of valuing diversity in performing everyday duties and responsibilities; promoting/modeling behaviors that demonstrate tolerance and understanding of various cultures;

• 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 to build value from leveraging diverse capabilities and inputs from various cultures, staff and clients;

·         ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;

·         ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices;

·         ability to seek out best practices to make organizational decisions of relevance to diversity management, ensuring that project and program activities identify vulnerable areas and contain systemic checks.

·         knowledge of ECOWAS institutions and how the different organs relate to each other, particularly as it relates to own work sector/programs;

·          knowledge of approaches to policy and program development of  an international organization as well as project management ;

·         knowledge of the rules, processes and procedures of an international organization, of pertinence to tasks related to own position;

·         knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.

·         creativity and flexibility to deviate from traditional methods in developing new procedures, processes and tools, using technology to simplify methods and approaches whenever possible;

·         ability to reevaluate current procedures and suggest improvements to ensure an effective, streamlined process;

·         ability to gather and summarize information to predict stakeholder views on a new policy/programmes; and excellent analytical skills to assess external policies and trends when reviewing policy/programme options, pros, cons and recommendations;

·         ability to synthesize complex information gathered from a variety of external and internal sources and disseminate it to others in a logical manner;

·         ability to apply appropriate methodology to discover or identify policy issues and resource concerns.

·         ability to evaluate, incorporate, and communicate the latest developments in specialty area using institution/agency guidelines and criteria;

·         develop interpersonal, negotiation, networking and presentation skills with proven abilities to influence, explain complex information and demonstrate empathy and open-mindedness;

·         ability to demonstrate operational proficiency in the use of computer in communicating using technology tools;

·         ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both written and verbal expressions;

·         exhibit active listening skills to encourage stronger communication amongst team members, to show care and make them feel valued and to  drive employee engagement in all institutions and agencies;

·         proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT);

·         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.

·         knowledge of internal planning cycles and ability to contribute to the development and to implement Community-wide or institution policy by determining target audience, building coalitions with the appropriate population, and monitor progress;

·         ability to consider external circumstances, factors and trends when organizing project activities to ensure the best outcomes;

·         ability to review process outcomes, correspondence, reports, and policy documents to develop achievable plans;

·         ability to conduct meetings with staff, stakeholders, colleagues and others to ascertain organizational  program and/or project needs, making adjustments to plans and activities accordingly;

·         ability to adjust project plans based on input from staff and stakeholders and/or ability to design and implement guidelines, tools and templates to accommodate new or revised programmes and services.