24352 | Registry

A roster of suitable candidates may be established for this post as a result of this selection process for fixed-term appointments against both established posts and positions funded by general temporary assistance (GTA).

Organisational Context

The Language Services Section (LSS) provides high-quality language services to the organs of the Court for the efficient conduct of Court business. Such services include translation, revision and editing of Court documents; consecutive and simultaneous interpretation for meetings, trial hearings, press conferences, specialized seminars, diplomatic briefings and other events, held in-house or away from the seat of the Court; assistance and guidance regarding terminology and references; management of language tools to ensure that consistent terminology is used throughout the Court; recruitment, training and accreditation of interpreters needed for work with Registry officials in the field and/or at the seat of the Court; provision of relevant information to service users to familiarize them with all the language services provided and with the procedures and requirements of the professions in question.

The Head of the Interpretation Unit/Senior Interpreter (English or French) reports directly to the Chief of Section.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief of Section, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

- Direct the planning of interpretation services and approve work schedules of staff and freelance interpreters, ensuring fair and coherent distribution of assignments, adherence to rules of deployment of interpreters and to the Regulations of the Registry, and efficient use of available resources; provide the administrative staff with clear instructions in the context of delegating the authority to draft interpretation schedules and to coordinate the deployment of interpreters at short notice when the incumbent is not immediately available for consultation/approval due to booth duty;

- Implement the rules, guidelines and best practices that govern the work of the Interpretation Unit, ensuring compliance with ICC standards, the UN Common System rules and the CEB-AIIC Agreement;

- Draft and/or review Standard Operating Procedures relating to the administrative work of the unit and to all issues pertaining to the general management of the unit, including procedures concerning recruitment of staff and freelance interpreters, rotations, conditions of deployment and transcript verification work;

- Oversee the development by administrative staff of tracking and reporting tools, as well as their contribution to the improvement of workflow management software and other specialised applications, in collaboration with IMSS and/or external consultants;

- Prepare the Unit’s yearly budget submission, on the basis of judicial assumptions and service requests for judicial and non-judicial events as anticipated by clients for the next exercise; monitor budget implementation and flag to the Chief of Section any risk of overspending;

- When in-house capacity is exceeded, supervise the choice and recruitment of freelance interpreters to ensure maximum quality and flexibility in a cost-efficient way;

- Recruit staff interpreters for English and French, and maintain a roster of qualified freelance interpreters for languages of wider diffusion, covering as many languages as possible;

- Collaborate with the Head of the Situation Languages Translation Unit when field interpreters for situation languages of lesser diffusion are trained to cover hearings, drafting or approving training programs and ensuring that staff interpreters are freed to participate in the training sessions of the future para-professional interpreters;

- Monitor and assess the quality of interpretation and the efficiency of service delivery, both collectively and individually; take corrective action when quality is unsatisfactory, in particular in relation to freelance interpreters; in case of individual performance issues from a staff member, develop and implement a performance improvement plan, if need be with input from senior interpreters; conduct regular performance conversations and finalise performance assessment workflows within deadlines;

- Provide expert advice on interpretation-related matters to senior management and other stakeholders, proactively identifying and resolving potential issues arising from the modalities of service provision;

- Communicate with various stakeholders to resolve complex issues escalated by administrative support, and answer queries concerning interpretation;

- Organise the communication of all relevant information within the Interpretation Unit, with due regards to considerations of confidentiality of meetings and associated documentation;

- Report to the Chief of Section any issues that need escalating, in particular in matters of budget control and implementation; provide regular managerial reports, as requested by the Chief of Section and the higher management of the Registry;

- Represent the Interpretation Unit in meetings with Court staff, external partners, and freelance interpreters, advocating for professional standards and best practices;

- Participate in Section working groups and perform any other tasks assigned by the Chief of Section;

- Interpret whenever possible at court proceedings and events held at the seat of the Court, in particular to avoid the recruitment of a freelance interpreter with the same language combination.

Essential Qualifications

Education

An advanced university degree in interpretation, translation, languages, law or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience is accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

Minimum seven years (nine years with a first-level university degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in simultaneous interpretation, including at least five years in an international jurisdiction or organisation.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Comprehensive understanding of the International Criminal Court’s core documents and the specificities of court interpretation, with a focus on judicial and legal terminology;

- Thorough knowledge of the regulatory framework governing interpretation services in the UN Common System context;

- Broad knowledge of established practices and recent developments in interpretation services in other international organisations and in the profession in general, including the freelance market;

- Excellent analytical, organisational, planning, and drafting skills;

- Proficiency in the effective use of new technologies to support the Unit’s operations, including remote and hybrid interpretation platforms, digital tools, and relevant applications; openness to technical skills development.

- Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural team, excellent interpersonal skills, tact and discretion; flexibility, proactive attitude and capacity to lead initiatives;

Knowledge of Languages

Mother-tongue proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court (English or French) and high-level proficiency in the other are required. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish), Dutch or languages related to any of the cases before the Court will be considered an asset.