Interpreter Consultant (Retainer)

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on four strategic priorities:

• Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems
• Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy
• All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence
• Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action

UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.

Knowledge and Partnerships Centre in the Republic of Korea

Established in Seoul in 2022 with support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea, the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships in the ROK (the Centre) seeks to function as a ‘knowledge hub’ to facilitate research, education and training, sharing of innovations and lessons learned, networking, and development of multi-stakeholder partnerships for the achievement of gender equality in the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre aims to contribute to operationalizing normative frameworks on gender equality and the empowerment of women, informing innovative approaches to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), transforming harmful social norms in the fast-changing and unique social landscape of Asia and the Pacific, and forging partnerships across sectors. The Centre’s working language is English, and it offers an international working environment, while Korean language skills are required for this particular consultancy, given the nature of the work involved.

In 2025, the Centre will prioritize three key thematic areas: Care Economy, Technology-Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV) and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Within each thematic area, the Centre will facilitate a diverse range of activities, including training sessions, policy discussions, and international forums to generate knowledge products. The Centre will also actively incorporate a review of the 30-year implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) into its activities, aligning with the global priority ofUN Women in 2024. The communication and partnership strategies of the Centre will focus on engaging with the media to amplify its activities. The Centre aims to strengthen its partnerships with high-level representatives fromthe Government, Civil Society, International Organizations, and the diplomatic community. It will also foster collaborations with research and professional organizations in the Republic of Korea to enhance its impact and outreach. 

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

The consultant will work under direct supervision of External Relations Specialist to ensure following tasks and deliverables will be submitted:

A professional, accurate and fast interpretation service from Korean to English and vice versa such that the meaning and understanding of key principles and analysis presented reflects their true sense.

• Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation at UN Women meetings, events and workshops
• Interpretation ensures accuracy in language, structure, and rhetorical expressions.

The job may require attending online calls, webinars, workshop/seminars and meetings in the office of the Centre.

The time required for the consultancy is estimated at 40 working days (full day – 20 days and half day – 20 days) and 40 hours for interpretation online meetings within the period indicated. The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement of the consultant depending on need and availability within the contract period for a pre-agreed fee.

Specific assignments will be determined based on programmatic needs. 

Under the retainer modality, the supervisor and the consultant will negotiate and agree in advance on the expected number of days necessary to carry out a specific assignment. Each assignment will be considered completed after the supervisor’s approval. Payments will be processed on a monthly basis depending on the number of days worked.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-based national consultancy in the Republic of Korea, but mission travels may be required. 

No DSA will be paid for Seoul city, but the Consultant will require travelling outside Seoul. For such travels, the Consultant will be paid transportation expenses (taxi, train tickets or air ticket) and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) as quoted. If the job requires sitting in the office, UN Women will provide sitting space accordingly.

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong organization and communication skills;
• Expertise on interpretation from English to Korean and from Korean to English
• Expertise on English terminology related to gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Attention to detail and ability to work under pressure on multiple deliverables with tight deadlines.

Education and Certification:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in Interpretation Studies, English literature Linguistics, or any related field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• English-Korean Translation certificate is an asset.

Experience:

• At least (2) years of proven professional experience in interpretation from English to Korean and Korean to English;
• Familiarity with programme management, gender and development, care economy, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), women’s empowerment terminologies is required;
• Experience in working within the UN system or for an international organization in the field of development, humanitarian aid and gender equality is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in Korean and English is required.

Evaluation:

Applications will be evaluated based on the technical qualification and interview.

Evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.