Kanuri Content Lead - Chatbots at Translators without Borders (TWB)

Contract length: 6 months

Hours: Part time (24 hours/week)

Contract type: National position 

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria 

Travel: Minimal within Nigeria 

Reporting to: Community Engagement Officer 

The Role

The Content Lead will report to the Community Engagement Officer and will be responsible for supporting high-quality community engagement services in Nigeria. This includes innovative, creative and effective two-way communication with communities through chatbots (conversational messengers that connect TWB to people via mobile messaging apps).

The incumbent will process and translate content and liaise with partners on content curation for the chatbot. In addition, they will deliver, and support colleagues in the delivery of written translations, transcriptions, audio recording, and other language services to humanitarian organizations, and contribute to research, training, and monitoring activities. 

Responsibilities

Language services

• Produce high quality and timely translations, transcriptions and audio recordings in Kanuri
• Support the Community Engagement Officer in planning, implementing and monitoring community engagement program activities 
• Support the development and rollout of new community engagement technological tools and provide feedback as we develop tools further
• Under the guidance of the Community Engagement Officer, engage with partners in the editorial process of developing chatbot conversations
• In consultation with the Community Engagement Officer, contribute feedback to the weekly chatbot content meetings with partners, developing and translating messages from English to Kanuri
• Act as the focal point for receiving and incorporating feedback on the chatbot through the pilot testing and rollout phase and ensuring the content is responsive to community needs 
• Where relevant, contribute to the development of glossaries, guidance notes, language factsheets and field testing of terminology and community engagement content
• Assist with the development and rollout of new communication tools

Partnerships and Quality Assurance

• Support the Community Engagement Officer on administrative and logistical tasks related to program activities
• Work with the Community Engagement Officer to identify trends, gaps, opportunities and solutions for community engagement
• Participate in and support with monitoring, evaluation and research activities
• Contribute to regular internal reporting and donor reporting as required
• Liaise with the global chatbot team to share best practices and lessons learned in other country programs and to inform the design of Kanuri-language conversation 
• Maintain good professional relationships with TWB volunteers and partner agencies
• Contribute to a positive and innovative work environment within TWB
• Any other duties as assigned 

The role will evolve along with the overall program as projects develop to reflect the changing language needs of the affected population and humanitarian community in North East Nigeria. 

Qualifications

Required

• Graduate degree (in a field related to translation or humanitarian assistance) or professional translation or interpreting qualifications
• Mother tongue speaker of Kanuri with excellent writing and speaking skills in Kanuri and English.
• 3+ years experience in translation or interpretation between English and Kanuri
• Computer and technology literate (including Microsoft Office, Google documents and sheets)
• Ability to quickly learn new online technologies
• Familiarity with social media and messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) and knowledge of popular social media accounts in the region
• Willingness to travel to insecure locations for work

Desirable

• Experience of working with or/and managing small teams of volunteers 
• Previous experience with non-profit organizations, particularly in development and/or humanitarian response
• Training experience
• Experience of Computer Assisted Translation tools
• Fluency in other languages of Nigeria is an advantage

Essential Aptitude

• Ability to demonstrate initiative, be proactive and offer a solution-oriented approach 
• Determined and committed to high quality standards with attention to detail 
• Flexible and eager to adapt to different learning styles and changing circumstances
• Ability to establish effective and collaborative working relationships at all levels internally and externally 
• Ability to prioritise work, meet deadlines and work calmly under pressure 
• Commitment to TWB’s mission