1. SUMMARY Within NATO’s International Staff (IS), the Executive Management (EM) Division has the lead role in the overall management of the NATO HQ. The EM Division covers the following directorates: HQ Support and Transformation (HQST), Human Resources (HR) and Information, Communications and Technology Management (ICTM). The Translation Service, which is part of the HQST, provides day-to-day translations to the Secretary General, the North Atlantic Council, NATO committees and all the entities of the IS, which comprises approximately 1,200 personnel. The Translation Team Support Assistant is responsible, under the supervision of the Senior Project Manager, for a range of word processing tasks, including pre-processing of documents to be translated and post-processing of completed translations. 2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL The incumbent must:
- have a good general education at the secondary level, complemented by an accredited training in DTP (Desktop publishing) or equivalent;
- have two years of relevant experience;
- have a good knowledge of the IT systems in use in the Organization (Microsoft Office suite), and specifically strong knowledge of MS Word and document formatting;
- have a proficient command of French (level VI) as her/his mother tongue and/or her/his language of education; and level III (“Intermediate”) in English;
- be willing to be on a standby rota periodically throughout the year. DESIRABLE The following would be considered an advantage:
- practical knowledge of computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools and support activities associated with translation, particularly translation memory management;
- a good command of the English language: level IV (“Upper indermediate”) or higher. 3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES Planning and Execution Support the translation teams by performing text pre-processing and post-processing tasks. Pre-edit documents (correct and improve the customer’s initial file in order to enable the translator to make full use of CAT tools). Perform electronic document comparison and some pre-referencing. Align source documents and target documents to feed the translation memories and update the repository of bilingual texts. Type, format and finalize documents according to presentation standards in use within the Service for all manner of documents, such as manuscripts or electronic media that may contain tables, figures or sophisticated illustrations. Reread translated documents when asked to do so, by checking their accuracy and layout and correcting them as required. Upon request by the revisers, input corrections in translated and revised texts. Project Management Support, when requested, any team responsible for a specific, large-scale project (Secretary General's annual report, summit declarations or ministerial communiqués, etc.). Be willing, in such cases, to work long hours during that period. Information Management Update the status of each translation request in the workflow management system (STAR). Store the electronic files in accordance with NATO procedures and release the translations, when appropriate by sending them directly to customers. Stakeholder management Support translators and revisers. Liaise efficiently with customers and the Archives and Information Management EM(ICTM-AIM) Service. Provide mutual assistance to colleagues. Be proactive and demonstrate initiative in this regard. Perform any other related duty as instructed. 4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS The incumbent reports directly to the Senior Project Manager and also receives instructions from translators, revisers and project managers. Direct reports: N/A Indirect reports: N/A 5. COMPETENCIES The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
- Customer Service Orientation: Responds appropriately, maintains clear communication;
- Empathy: Listens actively;
- Flexibility: Accepts the need for flexibility;
- Initiative: Reacts to short-term opportunities or problems;
- Organizational Commitment: Is able to fit in;
- Teamwork: Cooperates. 6. CONTRACT Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years’ duration; possibility of an indefinite duration contract thereafter. Contract clause applicable:
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract. If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years. Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations. NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post. Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts. 7.