Chief Translator (Language Services) - Corporate Services and Facilities Department - CSF

The Corporate Services and Facilities Department (CSF) has an opening for a Chief Translator in the Language Services Division (CSFLS). The Chief Translator reports to the Chief of the Language Services Division and serves as the Deputy Division Chief and a member of the Division's leadership team, contributing to its strategic direction, management, and administration. The Chief Translator actively participates in the management and administration of the Division; assists with and undertakes initiatives to ensure that CSFLS strategies applying to translation broadly meet the needs of the IMF; and plays a key role in advancing the modernization of translation services and leading changes associated with AI and emerging language technologies. The incumbent supports the Division Chief in ensuring that the Division's translation strategy, operations, and service delivery effectively meet the evolving multilingual communication needs of the IMF.

Under the guidance of the Division Chief, the Chief Translator leads and manages the IMF's translation, translation-related, editorial, and translation coordination services across all languages supported by the Division. These include the IMF's working language, English; its core languages—Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish; and approximately 40 additional languages provided on an as-needed basis. The Chief Translator also provides strategic oversight of the Translation Coordination Center (TCC), ensuring effective service delivery, resource coordination, quality assurance, and the integration of technology-enabled translation workflows across the Division.

II. Duties and Responsibilities

The Chief Translator:

• Leads the planning, coordination, and continuous improvement of the IMF’s translation, editorial, terminology, quality assurance, and translation project management activities.
• Serves as the principal advisor to the Division Chief on all translation-related matters and acts as Deputy Division Chief, providing leadership and operational continuity in the Division Chief's absence.
• Leads, supervises, coaches, and develops the Translation Section Chiefs and oversees the Translation Coordination Center (TCC), ensuring effective workforce planning, succession planning, performance management, staff development, and resource allocation across the Division.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of the Division's strategic vision, priorities, policies, operating model, and work program, while strengthening collaboration with client departments and other stakeholders across the Fund.
• Ensures the timely delivery of high-quality multilingual products by optimizing the use of staff, contractual resources, technology, and financial resources, while monitoring operational performance, quality standards, productivity, and service levels.
• Leads the Division's translation modernization agenda by promoting the responsible adoption of language technologies, AI-enabled workflows, automation, and data-driven decision-making, while ensuring appropriate governance, quality assurance, confidentiality, and operational resilience.
• Promotes harmonized policies, knowledge sharing, innovation, and continuous improvement across language sections and the TCC, including terminology management, editorial practices, translation workflows, and project management.
• Advises the Division Chief on translation policies, operational strategy, industry trends, and emerging technologies, and maintains productive relationships with peer institutions and professional organizations.
• Represents the Division in IMF-wide committees, cross-departmental initiatives, and inter-institutional working groups, as appropriate.
• Performs translation, revision, review, or editorial work when operational requirements warrant.

III. Qualifications

Educational development is typically acquired through the completion of a relevant advanced university degree in translation, interpretation, economics, law, or another closely related field, supplemented by a minimum of eleven (11) years of progressively responsible professional experience, preferably in a complex, multinational organization; or, a university degree, or equivalent, and seventeen (17) years of relevant professional experience is required. Advanced written and spoken proficiency in one or more of the languages covered by the Division is required. Proficiency in additional languages is highly desirable.

Substantial experience in translating, revising, reviewing, and producing high-profile documents and publications. Demonstrated familiarity with current developments in the IMF's areas of work and a broad understanding of international economic and financial issues relevant to the Fund's mandate.
 

Strong management, administrative, and interpersonal skills, as well as effective communications skills. Significant experience in successfully managing and supervising a unit with a high volume of work and very short deadline requirements. Proven ability to manage a complement of contractual employees to supplement staff resources. Ability to manage a mix of in-house and contractual budget resources in the most efficient way to achieve the Division’s goals within CSF's overall service provision strategy. Ability to work under pressure and to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Decisiveness, coupled with the ability to determine and shift priorities quickly and to resolve resource needs. In-depth knowledge of Fund policies and procedures, as well as the ability to establish and maintain contacts with language services in other organizations.

Proven experience working in a technologically advanced environment, with up-to-date knowledge of cutting-edge language technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs), computer-assisted translation (CAT), machine translation (MT), terminology management systems, and other technologies that support multilingual service delivery and language services management. Demonstrated ability to develop and implement a strategic vision for language technology, lead the responsible adoption of innovative technologies and AI-enabled workflows, drive organizational change, and establish appropriate governance to enhance the quality, efficiency, security, and effectiveness of language services.

Demonstrated ability to lead, supervise, assess, and develop managers, professionals, and support staff; delegate authority effectively; motivate high performance; and foster a collaborative, inclusive, innovative, results-oriented team culture.

Proven ability to lead organizational changes, build staff capability, and drive the adoption and integration of innovative technologies and AI-enabled workflows into language services operations.

Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong collaborative relationships and communicate effectively and diplomatically with Fund Management, staff, client departments, and external stakeholders at all levels in a multicultural environment.

Demonstrated strategic leadership and the ability to contribute to defining the goals, priorities, and work program of the Language Services Division and the Corporate Services and Facilities Department, and to represent the Division effectively in cross-departmental initiatives and international professional forums.

A regular staff member who is selected to fill the vacancy will maintain their open-ended status. If the selected candidate is a contractual employee, they will be offered a Term staff appointment. Staff members already on a term appointment will continue their current term but may receive an extension provided that their current term appointment has not already been extended.

Managerial vacancy selections/appointments at Grades A14/A15-B3 require Review Committee/Senior Review Committee approval, with exceptions for (i) intra- and inter-departmental lateral selections/appointments for candidates already in titled managerial positions, (ii) MAPs and SWAPs, and (iii) candidates who are currently included on the Review Committee List.

This vacancy shall be filled by a 3-year Term appointment in accordance with the Fund’s employment rules that took effect on May 1, 2015. This position requires Review Committee/Senior Review Committee Approval.