Head of Translation and Publication, Senior Officer

European Free Trade Association

Length of contract
3 years

Start date
1st November 2025

About the Organisation

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organisation set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EFTA Secretariat provides services to the EFTA Member States. In Brussels, this entails support in the management of the EEA Agreement, in particular in ongoing decision-making for the continuing evolution of the EEA Agreement.

The EEA Coordination Division currently consists of 17 staff members and is responsible for the overall coordination of general policy and legal EEA-related activities, i.a., servicing the EEA Council, EEA Joint Committee, and Standing Committee of the EFTA States.

About the role

As the Head of Translation and Publication (Senior Officer), you will lead the development and implementation of multilingual content strategies, ensuring high-quality translation, editing, and dissemination of institutional publications across multiple languages. This strategic role requires strong leadership, linguistic expertise, and publishing acumen to support the organisation’s communication goals and multilingual accessibility.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement the organisation’s translation and publication strategy in alignment with its communication and outreach objectives.
• Lead and manage a multilingual team of translators, editors, proofreaders, and publication specialists.
• Ensure linguistic consistency, quality, and accuracy across all translated and published materials.

Translation Oversight:

• Supervise and coordinate the translation of internal and external communications, official documents, reports, and digital content.
• Set and maintain high standards for quality assurance, terminology management, and compliance with institutional style guides.
• Liaise with external translation vendors, freelancers, and language service providers.

Publication Management:

• Oversee the production process for reports, brochures, studies, and other print and digital publications.
• Ensure timely delivery, formatting, and layout of multilingual publications according to branding and accessibility standards.
• Coordinate with graphic designers, printers, and web teams for distribution and publication.

Quality Control and Workflow Optimisation:

• Establish efficient workflows and tools for translation and publication processes.
• Conduct quality checks, peer reviews, and linguistic audits to uphold standards.
• Implement best practices for version control, document management, and digital publishing.

Budget and Resource Management:

• Manage the department’s budget and resource allocation for translation and publishing activities.
• Monitor contracts and service level agreements with external providers.

Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Work closely with internal departments, senior management, and external partners to understand language needs and publishing priorities.
• Provide guidance on multilingual communication strategies and translation planning.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Experience:

• Relevant Project Management experience.
• Line management experience is an advantage.
• Sound knowledge of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Institutions and their procedures;
• Working experience within the publication or translation area.

Skills:

• Ability to lead and coordinate a team of highly qualified professionals;
• High degree of motivation and initiative;
• High degree of organizational skills and responsibility in a situation with tight deadlines and a heavy workload;
• Self-reliance, autonomy, and aptitude for close teamwork in a task-oriented environment;
• Result-oriented approach and a productive and co-operative attitude;
• Ability to set priorities and to change/adapt priority settings when necessary;
• Ability to edit legal, financial, scientific, and technical texts in English;
• Ability to draft reports in English;
• Attention to detail, thoroughness, and the ability to work very accurately;
• Comprehensive IT skills. Work experience with Trados Studio and CAT tools would be an advantage.

Languages:

• Native level of the languages published in the EEA Supplement to the OJ, i.e., Icelandic or Norwegian, is mandatory;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Knowledge of another EU language would be an asset.

Required Qualifications

• University degree in one or more of the following: languages, project management or communication science.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive benefit package.
• International career and learning opportunities

Working locations

• Remotely working in Brussels, Belgium

How to apply

• Apply now
• For further information on this post, please contact: On substance: M. Thordur Jonsson, Deputy Secretary-General, [email protected], and On process: [email protected]
• This position is open to nationals of all the EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland). Applicants must apply via the EFTA e-recruitment tool.

Interviews

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit a pre-recorded video interview during the week of 30th June 2025
• Candidates progressing to the next stage will be asked to complete a written assignment during the week of 7th July 2025;
• Online interview (via Microsoft Teams): Interviews will be held between mid and the end of August 2025.

Policies

Appointments are made at the first step of the grade. The Secretary-General reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level different from that advertised. Through its recruitment policy, the EFTA Secretariat wants to ensure diversity in terms of gender, age, and culture.

EFTA is an international organisation, and the salaries and related payments are normally exempt from income taxation by the EFTA States and the host states of the EFTA duty stations. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.

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