Description
Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. The Operations and Management Directorate (OMD) provides corporate services to all SPC divisions and programmes. This position is a 3‑year contract for a conference interpreter/translator, available in English and French, and will support SPC’s bilingual mission.
Key Responsibilities

Conference interpretation services: Provide simultaneous, consecutive or whispered interpretation between English and French at SPC and partner conferences, meetings and other events in Pacific venues, including face‑to‑face, remote and hybrid formats.
Abide by professional ethics and confidentiality.
Travel internationally to meeting venues as required.
Maintain a professional and harmonious working environment during interpretation assignments.
Coordination of interpretation services in support of the team leader: organise teamwork and logistics, liaise with clients and corporate services, gather documents, coordinate team composition and schedule, including freelance interpreters, and draft post‑meeting reports.
Coordinate translation services: manage time, meet deadlines, conduct terminological research, produce and self‑revise translations from English into French, use approved translation software, collaborate with colleagues for consistency, and perform quality control on freelance work.
Prioritise interpretation assignments over translation jobs and communicate with the Translation Coordinator.
Contribute to professional development of interns, including revising and commenting on their work.
Technology and terminology: Keep up‑to‑date with CAT tools, remote simultaneous interpretation platforms and other relevant technologies; advise the team leader on industry issues; enrich SPC’s terminology resources.
Provide accurate and consistent terminology to the team’s glossary collection.

Qualifications

Postgraduate degree in conference interpretation and/or translation from a recognised school or equivalent body knowledge and experience.

Experience and Technical Expertise

Minimum 9 years of experience in professional conference interpreting and translation in an international organisation or public service, or as a freelance interpreter/translator primarily with international organisations.
Management of interpretation teams during meetings.
Broad general knowledge and thorough understanding of a wide range of technical and scientific subjects.
Demonstrated ability to interpret and translate highly technical material accurately; excellent vocabulary and a keen sense of semantics.

Language Skills

Perfect written and spoken command of French (A level).
High proficiency in spoken English (B level).
Perfect understanding of written English and French.

Interpersonal Skills and Cultural Awareness

Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage.

Salary, Terms and Conditions

Contract duration: 3 years, subject to renewal.
Salary band 10: SDR 3,727–4,562 per month (≈ XPF 544,736–666,853).
Benefits: housing support, repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, health and life insurance, disability insurance, education allowances, 25 days annual leave, Provident Fund contributions.

Recruitment Principles

SPC is an equal‑opportunity employer committed to cultural and gender diversity, bilingualism and representation of Pacific Island professionals.
Selection process is fair, transparent and non‑discriminatory.
Preference will be given to Pacific Islanders when candidates are equally ranked.
Applicants’ confidentiality will be respected in line with private policy.

Application Procedure
Closing date: 18 January 2026 – 11:00 pm (Noumea time). Job reference: CR000525. Apply online at http://careers.spc.int/. Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.
Required documents:

Updated resume with contact details for three professional referees.
Cover letter detailing skills, experience and interest.
Responses to all screening questions.

Applications lacking any of the above will be considered incomplete.
Screening Questions

What is your experience of RSI (remote simultaneous interpreting) and interpreting in different settings, including development countries?
In your opinion what does a good translation look like? How would you go about ensuring quality in your translation work?
What is your definition of efficient teamwork and a high‑quality client service?

Seniority Level
Mid‑Senior level
Employment Type
Full‑time
Job Function
Information Technology
Industries
Non‑profit Organizations
Contact and Additional Information
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