Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Operations and Management Directorate (OMD) provides corporate services to all SPC Divisions and Programmes. It consists of three key departments: Finance, Human Resources and Information Services. OMD is focused on improving the effectiveness of systems, policies and management to provide high-quality customer-oriented services.

The role – the Translation Coordinator will provide translation workflow coordination, revision and self-revised translation services (English into French) to enable the SPC to operate as a bilingual organisation, in accordance with its mandate, and as an organisation to stimulate knowledge flows and for practical purposes.

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Translation workflow coordination (English and French)

• Lead the coordination of the translation workflow, for both English and French.

• Determine document priority levels and select translations to be sent to freelance translators

• Ensure the preparation and availability of the reference documents and IT tools necessary to guarantee the technical and scientific quality and accuracy of all materials, providing translators with the resources and information needed to meet SPC’s high quality standards

• Manage or delegate translation projects to relevant team members based on their skills and the organisational priorities

• Plan resources proactively to accommodate increased volumes of translation into French or English

• Monitor the quality and delivery timelines of work assigned to freelance translators

• Review and streamline processes continuously to maintain the Translation Team’s efficiency

French revision and self-revised translation

• Conduct quality control on translations produced by staff/freelance translators, interns and attachments, with a particular focus on corporate documents

• Respond to queries prior to delivery as part of an upstream quality control process

• Complete quality control forms and provide constructive feedback to both internal and external translators

• Upload original documents and their translations into the relevant Logiterm modules to ensure the database is updated

• Lead and participate in conference translation activities during SPC governance meetings

• Produce high-quality self-revised translations as needed, collaborating closely with colleagues to ensure consistency and quality

• Report to the Manager on any issues affecting translation standard and provide appropriate recommendations

Team management

• Lead procurement processes aimed at retaining the services of freelance translators

• Lead the performance appraisal process for Translation Team staff, as well as the Interpreters/Translators reporting to the Team Leader – Interpretation for the translation component

• In collaboration with the Team Leader – Interpretation and the Manager IKM, Language, and Publishing Services, develop the proposed budget for the shared Translation-Interpretation team to meet SPC and the team’s requirements

• Staff performance assessments are conducted, both formal and ad hoc, as required

• Team harmony is fostered, and an atmosphere of shared purpose is maintained; an environment that promotes high performance, collaboration, staff development and succession planning is created

Tok pasifika project

• Provide direct supervision to the Tok Pasifika Project Team (Pacific Island Languages) and plan with them the resources they need to implement the Tok Pasifika project activities

• Ensure the Tok Pasifika project is efficiently managed by the Project Officer and provides value for SPC, particularly in supporting multilingualism and cultural inclusion across the organisation

• Work with the Project Officer to ensure SPC staff have access to an up-to-date list of Tok Pasifika language service and provide the Tok Pasifika project team with feedback on providers’ performance after services are used

• With the Manager and the Tok Pasifika Project Team, discuss and develop new areas of work for Tok Pasifika in line with SPC priorities, including expanding the visibility and use of Pacific languages in SPC materials, events, and communications

Terminology and technologies

• Play a leading role in the team’s terminological work; contact in-house and relevant external specialists concerning technical terms and processes

• Ensuring the SPCTerm Database is updated and maintained, remains accessible online via the SPC website, and that new terms are regularly entered by the French and English Translation Team members in SPCTerm or the “Provisoire” terminology database.

• Ensures queries from external and internal stakeholders regarding access to SPCterm are processed in a timely manner

• Supervise the team’s technology-related work and tools by providing direct instructions to the Translator-Reviser’s role in technology

• Lead the selection process for the acquisition of translation technologies, and supervise their use in conjunction with the relevant Translator-Reviser

• Contribute to the further development and refinement of the ServiceNow platform for translation, as well as any other workflow management tools

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in translation or in a related field or equivalent body of knowledge and experience

Technical expertise

• At least ten years’ experience as a translator and reviser in an international or governmental organisation with proven team management experiences

• Proven freelance, workflow and/or project coordination experience

• People management skills

• Excellent command of translation technologies, including Trados

• Good command of post-editing and machine translation processes, especially with Trados Studio and/or Logiterm

• Broad general knowledge and thorough understanding of a wide range of technical and scientific subjects in both languages

• Experience in designing and implementing new processes, methodologies and strategic changes

Language skills

• First-language-level French, and excellent knowledge of English (both oral and written)

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Proven ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – This vacant position is budgeted for 3 years and is subject to renewal depending on performance and funding.

Remuneration – The Translation Coordinator is a band 11 position in SPC’s 2025 salary scale with a starting salary range of SDR (special drawing rights) 4,397-5,400 per month, which converts to approximately XPF 642,655-789,288 (USD 5,848-7,182; EUR 5,385-6,614).SPC salaries are not presently subject to income tax in New Caledonia. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Benefits for international staff employees based in New Caledonia – SPC provides subsidised housing in Noumea. Establishment and repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave travel, health and life and disability insurances and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 working days of annual leave per annum and other types of leave, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a 10% contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilinguism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will begiven to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s private policy.

How to apply

Application procedure

Closing date: 31 August 2025 – 11:00 pm (Noumea time)

Job Reference: CR000462

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees

• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position

• responses to all screening questions

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference.

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.

Screening questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

1. Can you describe your experience managing translation workflows and coordinating freelance translators?

2. What tools and technologies have you used for translation and terminology management, and how have they supported your work in quality control or revision?

3. How have you contributed to team leadership or project supervision, particularly in multicultural or multilingual settings?