Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY). This position located in Amman, Jordan. The Interpreter will report to the Chief of Staff.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:
Provides consecutive and simultaneous interpretation between local language(s) and designated UN working language(s) at meetings, conferences, negotiations and operational activities, facilitating communication between UN officials, national authorities and other stakeholders.
Ensures interpretation services meet high standards of accuracy, consistency and fidelity to the meaning, tone and nuances of original statements, using appropriate UN terminology and linguistic conventions.
Provides escort and field interpretation for visiting delegations from UN Headquarters, senior mission leadership and external partners during official visits, missions and field activities.
Facilitates communication between the organization and host-country institutions and national counterparts, providing interpretation and translation support as required.
Provides interpretation and translation services during meetings, conferences and official engagements, including those involving senior management or high-level stakeholders.
Reviews, edits and proofreads translated texts to ensure linguistic accuracy and consistency, and maintains terminology resources, glossaries and reference materials to support interpretation and translation work.
Interprets specialized terminology including legal, technical and colloquial language across various substantive areas of work.
Provides written translation and interpretation of documents received from substantive sections, including correspondence, briefing notes, reports, agreements and other official communications.
Contributes to the development and maintenance of terminology databases and reference materials, identifies emerging terminology, and ensures consistent application of established UN terminology standards.
Supports the Chief/Head of Unit in organizing and planning interpretation services, contributes inputs to language service work strategies, and supports coordination of interpretation activities within the unit.
Ensures appropriate cultural and linguistic adaptation of translated materials to ensure clarity and relevance in the local context.
May be assigned to high-level or sensitive meetings, ensuring strict confidentiality and professionalism.
May coordinate interpretation assignments and act as lead interpreter during major meetings, missions or conferences, as required.
Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies
Professionalism: Shows pride in work and 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; Show 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.
Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients " and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Education
A first level degree from a university or an institution of equivalent status is required.
Work Experience
At least five years of professional English and Arabic translation and interpretation experience in international organizations, NGOs, or educational institutions is required. A minimum of 3 years of experience within a UN special political mission is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and Arabic are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Required Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
English | UN Level IV | UN Level IV | UN Level IV | UN Level IV
Arabic | UN Level IV | UN Level IV | UN Level IV | UN Level IV
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
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.
By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised.
This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2
(a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2.
(c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.