Reports To: Director of Translation & Interpretation Unit

Overview:

The Boston Public Schools (BPS) Office of Family and Community Advancements (OFCA) Translation and Interpretation Unit was established in 2015 to centralize and standardize language access across the District. The mission of the T&I Unit is to "ensure families have meaningful access to all aspects, programs, opportunities, and services pertaining to their children's education by providing a multitude of language access services via internal and external resources to safeguard communications." BPS has committed to strengthening language access district-wide and as such a major focus for T&I is to ensure all families receive "essential information" in a timely, accurate and accessible manner while increasing opportunities for parent involvement and voice in the District and school-based policies and initiatives.

General Position Overview:

OFCA's T&I Unit seeks a highly motivated and qualified, process-oriented, data-driven language access professional with a demonstrated history of effective project management and stakeholder relations. Under the direction of the Director, the Assistant Director will be responsible for ensuring that language access services are implemented in line with department (i.e., state and federal mandates) compliance and evaluation standards. The ideal candidate will proactively assess and implement actions that effectively develop and expand the District's capacity to meet its language access strategic goals. Additionally, the individual will have strong prioritization instincts and develop and lead department language access projects.

Overview of Responsibilities:

• Support the Director of Translation & Interpretation and effectively carry out assigned responsibilities.
• Act as a proxy in the absence of the Director of Translation & Interpretation
• Cultivate professional knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, and establishing personal networks
• Be a knowledgeable resource in matters related to the department
• Collaborate with other departments to plan and/or problem solve language access concerns
• Help facilitate clear and consistent communication between departments about District language access service offerings, policies, and procedures
• Ensure consistent and smooth implementation of existing or new procedural and/or operational changes.
• Assist in developing long and short-term goals through strategic planning and analysis
• Assist in the development and implementation of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency (ESSER) - funded language access programming goals (i.e., bilingual staff/District interpreter training program, School Leader & Staff Language Access Plan development)
• Plan implementation timeline for the District Language Access Professional Development Training Project
• Prepare communication materials for stakeholders (i.e., families, schools, Central Office, BPS Website)
• Coordinate the development of language access school-based templates, user manuals, training, and/or information pamphlets to implement intended goals successfully.
• Manage and assess continued use of resources and development funded by ESSER
• Create and manage the T&I annual calendar of special events, training/PD, and similar projects
• Assist in the planning and execution of training and professional development programs for the T&I team, BPS staff, community partners, and parents
• Assist in constructing reports to various internal and external agencies (i.e., DESE, DOJ)
• Help develop content for T&I website: update website, social media, and other communications streams to increase awareness around available services and best practices.
• Assist with staff (i.e., internal, freelancers, stipended) recruitment and maintenance
• Input requisitions and approve invoices for services provided by vendors
• Provide support for school/District functions and events
• Assist in the development of language access-specific projects in the areas of Cultural Responsiveness and linguistically aligned translation & Interpretation programming, and Quality Assurance, to name a few
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as requested by the Director of T&I and the Chief of Family and Community Advancement

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Undergraduate Degree in a related field
• 3+ years experience as an assistant director or similar position
• Knowledgeable in a translation and interpretation environment
• Highly computer literate and mastery of Microsoft Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google products
• Exceptional clerical skills and strong business acumen
• Proactive, creative, and tenacious problem solver with experience in organizing others to accomplish projects.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently individually and in a team-oriented, fast-paced environment both within the department and across departments.
• Ability to work with parents, administrators, teachers, other staff, and members of the community
• Excellent communicator, both orally and written.
• Proficiency in operations and performance management
• Results-focused and problem-solving skills
• Previous project management software, methodologies, and best practices experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in a related field

• Second Language Proficiency in Spanish (preferred), Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Somali, or Vietnamese.

• Experience in a Translation and Interpretation or a Language Access Environment
• Familiarity with desktop publishing software (InDesign, QuarkXPress, Framemaker)
• Familiarity and/or working knowledge of state and federal laws pertaining to language access.

TERMS: Managerial, C53.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals' dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.