Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Russian Translation Service, Documentation Division, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), New York. The Russian Translation Service provides translation of parliamentary documents from English and other languages into Russian. The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Chief of Service as appropriate.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Reviser will be responsible for the following duties:
• Revises translations and/or original summary records dealing with a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, in particular those of an exceptionally sensitive, complex or technical nature, while exceeding required workload standards and meeting deadlines, and provides feedback that helps revisees become autonomous, self-revising translators/précis-writers.
• Translates on a self-revising basis texts covering a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, in particular those of an exceptionally sensitive, complex or technical nature, while exceeding required workload standards and meeting deadlines.
• Drafts and revises summary records, while exceeding required workload standards and meeting deadlines.
• Makes effective use of relevant language technologies and tools and assists the Chief in promoting their utilization.
• Directs the identification of new terminology material and plays a leading role in the setting of terminology standards.
• Actively seeks to learn and develop own skills and knowledge relevant to the job.
• Contributes to the professional development of staff, including by coaching, overseeing the preparation of manuals and guidance and delivering or arranging training activities and materials.
• Coordinates and supervises the work of revisers and translators/précis-writers and advises and assists them in the performance of their responsibilities.
• Assigns individual tasks and supports the Chief with programming long-term work, if required.
• Performs quality control of externally produced translations and establishes quality control criteria and procedures.
• Advises and assists the Chief in selecting texts for United Nations competitive examinations and other tests, in marking candidates’ scripts and in evaluating results.
• Advises and assists the Chief in managing policy, administrative and operational matters by helping to prepare recommendations to senior management and to implement them once approved.
• Undertakes cross-assignments to perform other language functions, if required.
• Leads team members’ efforts to collect and analyse data, as appropriate, as input for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentations and reporting. Ensures that team members can discover, access, integrate and share the data that they need.
• Acts as First Reporting Officer, if required.
• Serves as Officer-in-Charge in the absence of the Chief.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Ability to demonstrate good writing skills; high standard of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text with a good grasp of the subject matter. Knowledge of a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, i.e. political, social, legal, economic, financial, administrative, scientific and technical. Ability to use all sources of references, consultation and information relevant to text at hand. Ability to work under pressure and maintain adequate speed and volume of output and deliver clear interpretation on a broad range of subjects. Ability to show a high level of versatility, judgement and discretion. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands.

• Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

A first-level degree from a university or an institution of equivalent status.
Candidates for this position must have passed the relevant United Nations Competitive
Examination for Translators/Précis-Writers or the relevant combined United Nations
Competitive Examination for Translators/Précis-writers, Editors, and Verbatim Reporters;
this requirement will be waived for candidates who passed one of the relevant United Nations
competitive examinations held before 2017 for Editors or Verbatim Reporters, subject to an
assessment test to be conducted by the Hiring Manager as part of the Inspira selection
process.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in translation, précis-writing, editing, self-revision, verbatim reporting, copy preparing, proofreading or production editing is required.

Experience in the use of standard computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools is required.

Eight (8) years of experience working within a multilingual setting is required.

At least five years of revision experience is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position(s) advertised, a perfect command of Russian (as assessed in the relevant Competitive Examination), which
must be the candidate’s main language, is required. In addition, excellent knowledge of
English (as assessed in the relevant Competitive Examination) is required; knowledge of one
other official language (also as assessed in the relevant Competitive Examination) is also
required except for candidates who possess relevant substantive expertise required by the unit
concerned (as assessed in the relevant Competitive Examination).

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This is a language position.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

The United Nations is Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Applicants, who successfully go through a competitive recruitment process and are recommended for selection and/or inclusion in the roster of pre-approved candidates for subsequent job openings at the same level and with similar functions, may have their application information and roster status shared with other UN Organizations. Such applicants may be contacted by other UN Organizations for similar job openings, subject to the confirmation of their interest. Placement on the roster is no guarantee of a future selection.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.