IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.

This post is a limited-term fixed-term post.

a.    Organizational Setting

The post is located in the Translation and Terminology Section in the Madrid Operations Support Service, Madrid Operations Division of the Madrid Registry of the Brands and Designs Sector.  The Translation and Terminology Section is responsible for delivering translations in relation to international applications filed under the Madrid System, the Hague System and the Lisbon System.  The working languages in the Madrid Registry are English, French and Spanish.

b.    Purpose Statement

As Head of the Translation and Terminology Section, the incumbent is responsible for leading the strategic transformation in translation services under the Madrid, Hague and Lisbon Systems.  The role is responsible for advancing the adoption and further integration of technology and AI tools to ensure the delivery of timely, high-quality and future-ready translation services to customers.

The incumbent ensures the production, revision and validation of final-version translations of complex texts, including lists of goods and services, and their modifications; provides direction for the Section, including guiding, mentoring and building the capacity of the team through digital adoption and upskilling for continuous improvement to meet evolving organizational needs; and oversees external translation vendors, driving continuous process improvements to enhance the efficiency of the Section.

c.    Reporting Lines

The incumbent works under the supervision of the Continuous Improvement Manager, Madrid Operations Support Service.

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

a.   Lead the digital transformation of the section by ensuring the effective utilization of available translation technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine translation tools, by all team members.  In close collaboration with the Translation and Terminology Technology Section (TTTS), the Advanced Technology Applications Center (ATAC), and central IT, define requirements for future technological solutions and oversee their implementation within the Section.

b.   Drive continuous improvement of the Section’s efficiency by leading process optimization initiatives, implementing policy and practice changes, fostering innovation and promoting the effective use of advanced translation technologies.

c.   Manage and supervise the work and staff of the Translation and Terminology Section, including planning, prioritizing and allocating resources to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality translations in line with results-based management principles; analyze and report on workload and performance metrics;  and foster effective collaboration with related business lines, such as examination, customer support and others.

d.   Oversee translation quality assurance, including outputs generated by technology, ensuring strict compliance with established standards, guidelines and procedures; review and revise complex translations as required to maintain the highest levels of linguistic accuracy and consistency.

e.   Manage external translation vendors by substantively contributing to the development and implementation of outsourcing policies, preparing tender documentation, evaluating bids, and monitoring vendor performance to ensure compliance with procurement rules and quality standards.

f.    Oversee the development and maintenance of translation resources, including term bases, translation memories and other related corpora and tools, ensuring their accuracy and usability.

g.   Coordinate and support staff development and professional growth by developing and implementing training initiatives, providing ongoing guidance and performance evaluation, and organizing capacity building activities for external translation providers as necessary, supporting a culture of excellence and adaptability within the team.

h.   Perform other related duties as required.

Education (Essential)

Advanced university degree in translation technology or in an equivalent technical field such as computational linguistics or information technology, or advanced university degree in translation, modern languages or linguistics, including a substantial translation technology component with demonstrated experience and knowledge of the application of information technology to translation. 

A first-level university degree in one of the afore-mentioned subjects plus two years of relevant professional experience in addition to the essential experience mentioned below may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Experience (Essential)

At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in translation, revision and terminology work, including technical texts, of which three managing translation teams. 

Proven track record in leading the implementation of translation technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine translation, and in driving teams to improve quality and efficiency through process optimization and digital transformation initiatives.

Solid supervisory experience including mentoring and developing staff.

Experience in successfully managing external translation providers for quality and efficient services.

Experience (Desirable)

Practical experience leading the rollout of new translation technologies within a team of translators, including training users, monitoring adoption, and optimizing workflows.

Experience in AI-driven transformation projects, such as piloting neural machine translation, integrating large language models, or deploying custom AI solutions for translation quality assurance.

Language (Essential)

Excellent level of spoken and written English and excellent knowledge of French or Spanish.

Language (Desirable)

Excellent knowledge of other UN languages.

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Advanced translation, revision and quality assessment skills, ensuring accuracy, consistency and clarity in all work.

Proven ability to improve translation workflows, quality assurance processes and overall operational efficiency.

Ability to leverage machine translation, large language models, and workflow automation to deliver measurable improvements in quality and efficiency.

Proven mentoring and coaching skills to help team members adapt to new technologies.

Adept at building cross-functional partnerships and fostering a culture of innovation.

Excellent knowledge of translation technologies, including CAT tools such as Trados Studio, and translation management systems (e.g. RWS WorldServer or equivalent).

Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills, with a focus on innovation and process improvement.

Effective leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate staff and build strong working relationships in a multicultural environment.

Job Related Competencies (Desirable)

Skilled in change management and team enablement, with experience designing digital literacy programs and mentoring staff achieving successful upskilling.

1.     Communicating effectively.

2.     Showing team spirit.

3.     Demonstrating integrity.

4.     Valuing diversity.

5.     Producing results.

6.     Showing service orientation.

7.     Seeing the big picture.

8.     Seeking change and innovation.

9.     Developing yourself and others.

Mobility:  WIPO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director General and may be assigned to any activities, office or duty station of the Organization.  Accordingly, the selected candidate may be required to move from time to time to new functions and/or to another duty station.

Annual salary:

Total annual salary consists of a net annual salary (net of taxes and before medical insurance and pension fund deductions) in US dollars and a post adjustment.  Please note that this estimate is for information only.  The post adjustment multiplier (cost of living allowance) is variable and subject to change (increase or decrease) without notice.  The figures quoted below are based on the December 2025 rate of 91.1%

Please refer to WIPO’s Staff Regulation and Rules for detailed information concerning salaries, benefits and allowances.

Additional Information

* Initial fixed-term appointment of two years, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and other applicable conditions.  The selected candidate’s appointment will be subject to an overall term of five years in this position, with normally no possibility of renewal beyond that term.  S/he may, however, apply and be considered for other positions at WIPO.

This is not applicable to WIPO staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointments, who were recruited following a competition under Staff Regulation 4.10 (“Appointment Boards”).

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill other posts at the same grade with similar functions in accordance with Staff Rule 4.9.5.

Applications from qualified women as well as from qualified nationals of unrepresented Member States of WIPO and underrepresented geographical regions are encouraged. Please click on the following links for the list of unrepresented Member States and the list of underrepresented regions and the WIPO Member States in these regions.

The Organization reserves the right to make an appointment at a grade lower than that advertised.

By completing an application, candidates understand that any willful misrepresentation made on this web site, or on any other documents submitted to WIPO during the application, may result in disqualification from the recruitment process, or termination of employment with WIPO at a later date, if that employment resulted from such willful misrepresentations.

In the event that your candidature is shortlisted, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of your identification and the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WIPO recognizes higher educational qualifications obtained from institutions accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list maintained by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed here: http://www.whed.net/. Some higher educational qualifications may not be listed in WHED, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Additional testing/interviewing may be used as a form of screening.  Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory professional references.

Additional background checks may be required.