Section Chief of the Translation and Documentation Section
Headquarters, Washington, DC

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and enthusiastic people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About this Position

We are looking for a Section Chief for the Translation and Documentation Section at the Office of the Secretary (SEC) who has extraordinary leadership and communication skills to lead the delivery of secretariat services to SEC clients with the highest quality standards and in an efficient manner, in line with the vision and goals of the Office of the Secretary.

You will lead the Translation and Documentation Section (SEC/TRD), which translates registered documents submitted to the Boards of Governors, the IDB Board of Executive Directors and its committees, and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) Donors Committee, ensuring terminological consistency and accuracy in the use of the IDB Group’s’ four official languages (English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish). It also classifies, registers, and processes documents sent to the IDB Group’s executive decision- making bodies and Management.

What you’ll do as Section Chief:

• Plan, organize, direct, manage, and supervise the Section’s work program and activities to ensure the timely distribution of documents and translations for IDB Group decision-making bodies and IDB Management.
• Organize all Section activities to ensure maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Ensure the production of high-quality outputs by making the best use of the Section’s human, financial, and technological resources and by monitoring targets.
• Translate or revise important, sensitive, or confidential information, as required.
• Set objectives, establish priorities, define, and monitor key performance indicators.
• Establish, monitor, and report on annual performance and work plans for staff, ensuring appropriate distribution of workload, and adjusting priorities as required, to meet operational needs.
• Make recommendations on such personnel actions as recruitment, renewal of contracts, training, transfers, assignments, and promotions. Make long- and short-term workload forecasts to serve as the basis for capacity planning and staffing requirements. Be responsible for the screening, testing, and hiring of freelance translators and contractors. Chair examination boards and panel interviews to ensure appropriate recruitment in a multilingual context.
• Supervise standard processes in the industry and, as appropriate, liaise with counterparts in other international organizations.
• Keep abreast with technology development in areas related to document management, computer-assisted translation, and artificial intelligence. Handle organizational change and spearhead initiatives within the digital transformation initiative of the Office of the Secretary.
• Advise the Secretary of the Bank on document management and translation production policy, administrative and operational matters of the Section, as well as on new technical options that might be adopted in the light of technological developments and standard metholdologies.
• Participate in decision-making, planning, and strategy development related to the implementation of standard methodologies in terms of quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation in all the activities of the Translation and Documentation Section.
• Formulate and develop guidelines, instructions, and priorities governing document distribution processes and document flow management, as well as translation, revision, and terminology procedures for the Section. Prepare technical notes on internal procedures and processes.
• Ensure timely and accurate preparation of reports and statistical data and analysis on the work of the Section and the implementation of service level agreements on an as-needed basis.
• Coordinate closely with author departments and other Sections within the Office of the Secretary, to ensure the most efficient use of resources and timely distribution of documents to Bank Group decision-making bodies.
• Find opportunities to improve the quality of SEC/TRD services and undertake all relevant initiatives to ensure that the services provided by the Section correspond to the institutional needs of the IDB Group.
• Ensure that workplace practices and behaviors align with IDB’s policies related to ethics and respect in the workplace.