Investigation Assistant / Translator

General Description of the Programme:

GOAL is an international humanitarian organisation that has been working in Syria since 2013, responding to the acute needs of conflict-affected communities. GOAL is working in Idleb and Aleppo Governate, both through direct implementation and through partners, delivering food, non-food programming to highly vulnerable populations, and provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) through support to local water units, as well as a comprehensive emergency support programme to recently displaced households. GOAL Syria programme has support offices in Turkey and Jordan.

Description of Role

Working within the Investigation Department of GOAL Syria, the main function of the Investigation assistant (IA) is to translate all investigation reports under the direction of GOAL performs interpreting / transliterating services of oral and/or written communications between English and Arabic in a variety of settings.

On the other hand, ensure that the investigation reports are well designed, and the methodology is followed as instructed by the management, he/she will flag any issue if captured to the investigation team in Amman for their kind attention and follow up.

Investigation assistant will work closely with the investigation officer to log the serious complaints into the serious complaints record.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide interpreting / transliterating services for investigation meetings, interviews, telephone calls, etc. including one to one and group settings.
• Translates orally or in written form all documents presented by the investigation team.
• Perform fast and accurate workshops interpretation
• Review translated material for accuracy of meaning, grammar and syntax.
• Relay concepts and ideas between languages.
• Convert written materials from one language into another, such as books, web pages, any relevant form of document.
• Create a new text in the target language that reproduces the content and style of the original.
• Use dictionaries and glossaries for reference.
• Translate Investigation Reports and other details and documents related to investigations from Arabic into English.
• Guide the investigation officer at the field level, how to write the investigation report, as guided by the investigation officer and coordinator.
• Ensure the reporting methodology is being adapted in all investigation report.
• Support any technical issue faced while drafting / working on the investigation report
• Flag any missing information identified while translating the report.
• Log the serious complaints information into the serious complaint’s tracker as guided by the investigation officer.
• Share the serious complaints basic information such as, type of allegation, serial number, date of complaints, subject of allegation etc. with the investigation team in Amman.
• When requested, support the investigation officer by summarizing the field investigation findings to be recorded and communicated with Investigation Coordinator to inform programming and address issues on time.
• Assist the investigation officer and coordinator with investigation activities when needed.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Fluency in Arabic required.
• Fluency in English is required, strong English written and oral competency required.
• Strong writing skills and excellent attention to detail.
• A Bachelors university degree or equivalent qualification in English, Arabic, linguistics, interpretation or related fields.
• One year of translation experience is required.
• Ability to maintain an adequate speed and volume of output.
• Ability to perform under continuous stress and deliver complete and accurate translation of a broad range of subjects.
• Familiarity with data analysis and presentation tools and programmes (Microsoft Office Powerpoint, Excel, PowerBI).
• High standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text.
• Excellent teamwork and inter-personnel skills
• Commitment to beneficiary accountability, humanitarian ethics, child protection and gender.
• Previous experience working in the INGO or humanitarian sector and understanding of the context of NW Syria,
• Demonstrated ability to engage in Strategic Thinking and good knowledge of the complaints; proceeding and methods of evidence handling, desirable.
• Experience being a lawyer or legal consultant or experience with community or social affair is a plus.
• Good understanding of Child Protection and Gender issues – specifically but not exclusively in the Syrian context would be an advantage.
• Very good understanding of accountability standards, principles and mechanisms desirable

General terms and conditions

Safeguarding

Children and vulnerable adults a must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury and any other harm. One of the ways that GOAL shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

Accountability within GOAL

Alongside our safeguarding policy, GOAL is an equal opportunities employer and has a set of integrity policies. Any candidate offered a job with GOAL will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with GOAL’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, Code of Conduct, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behavior protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behavior of a GOAL staff or partner.

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document. Any published closing dates are estimated. Due to the nature of GOAL’s work we aim to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. This means that we will close adverts as soon as we have found the right candidate and this may be before the published closing date. We would therefore advise interested applicants to submit an application as early as possible.

Thank you.