Arabic Editor and Language Specialist (National / Regional)

Background:

The Syria Education Programme II (SEP II), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and running until 2027, provides primary school children access to quality, inclusive and sustainable education in conflict-affected areas of Northwest Syria. The project provides comprehensive support to schools and teachers, including pedagogical supervision, learning assessments, psychosocial support, and safeguarding measures. The goal is to foster hope for future generations by investing in capacity-building and models that facilitate learning.

Position Overview:

Chemonics UK is currently leading the Syria Education Programme II (Manahel), a UK government-supported programme that provides access to safe, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities for children in conflict-affected areas of Syria and delivers the support that educational actors need to manage education effectively Manahel focuses on pedagogy, curriculum and planning, inclusion and child protection. It promotes the importance of education for girls and delivers interventions in psycho-social care, child safeguarding and protection, fixed and mobile library support, teacher training and coaching, monthly teacher learning circles, accommodation for children with mild or moderate disability, and improved literacy and numeracy instruction. Chemonics UK is also pursuing additional programming opportunities in Syria.

Chemonics UK is seeking a highly skilled Arabic Editor and Language Specialist to support the Syria Education Programme II (SEP II). As the programme increasingly focuses on dissemination, ministry engagement, technical assistance products, communications materials, and Arabic-language knowledge products, we require a language specialist who can do more than translate content from English into Arabic.

The successful candidate will adapt, edit, localise, and transcreate materials to ensure they are professionally written, contextually appropriate, and effectively communicate the intended meaning to their target audience. The Arabic Editor and Language Specialist will be responsible for producing and reviewing high-quality Arabic content for senior government stakeholders, institutional audiences, technical specialists, and the wider education community. This includes transforming English-language products into Arabic text that reads as if it were originally authored in Arabic, while preserving technical accuracy, and programme messaging. The role will also support quality assurance of translations and contribute to the development of Arabic-facing knowledge products across the programme.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Translate, adapt, edit and transcreate English-language technical products, reports, knowledge products into high-quality Arabic while maintaining accuracy, tone and meaning.

• Produce Arabic content suitable for a government-facing and senior stakeholder audience reflecting appropriate Arabic syntax, formal writing conventions, and terminology.

• Localise Syria Education Programme II materials to ensure they are contextually and culturally appropriate for Arabic-speaking audiences.

• Collaborate with different teams within the Syria Education Programme II to ensure consistency in terminology and understanding of content.

• Maintain and update an internal glossary of key development and institutional terms in both English and Arabic, especially in sectors education, safeguarding, gender and social inclusion.

• Review and edit English to Arabic translations completed by other translators or machine-tools for accuracy, consistency, and completeness.

• Meet tight deadlines and manage multiple translation tasks across projects.

• Ensure compliance with confidentiality and data protection policies when handling sensitive materials, in line with FCDO rules and regulations.

Professional Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree in Translation, Arabic Language, English Language, Linguistics, Journalism, Literature, or a related field.

• Minimum 3 years of professional editing, translation or Arabic-language content development experience, ideally in international development, humanitarian assistance, public sector, or donor-funded programming.

• Demonstrated experience authoring, editing or adapting content from English into Arabic for senior government, institutional, academic or media audiences. Content may include programme documents, including donor reports, MEL reports, requests for proposals, technical briefs, training materials, and programme communications.

• Proven ability to produce translated Arabic content from English text that reads as if originally written in Arabic rather than literal translation, while preserving technical accuracy and intended meaning.

• Native or near-native proficiency in both Arabic and English, with excellent written communication skills in both languages.

• Strong understanding of Modern Standard Arabic and relevant regional dialects, with the ability to adapt tone, register, and terminology for different audiences in Syria, including senior government officials, technical specialists, and public-facing audiences.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and, preferably, computer-assisted translation tools such as Trados, Wordfast, or MemoQ.

• Strong attention to detail, grammar, formatting, terminology, consistency, and quality assurance.

• Ability to work to tight deadlines and manage multiple translation tasks at the same time.

• Experience working with for FCDO, UN agencies, USAID, GIZ, or other international development actors is desirable.

• Experience producing written content in Arabic for government institutions, education-sector stakeholders, or senior officials in Syria or the wider region is highly desirable.

• Experience translating education, safeguarding, gender equality and social inclusion, monitoring and evaluation, or child protection materials is desirable.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Works professionally and collaboratively with colleagues, partners, technical teams, and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrates strong judgement, discretion, and confidentiality when handling sensitive programme, personnel, safeguarding, or donor materials.

• Communicates clearly and constructively, including when clarifying terminology, meaning, or context with technical colleagues.

• Maintains high standards of accuracy and quality under pressure.

• Is organised, responsive, and able to prioritise competing tasks in a fast-paced programme environment.

• Shows cultural sensitivity and awareness of linguistic nuance when translating, transcreating or editing from English into Arabic.

• Takes initiative to improve consistency and quality, including through maintaining glossaries, checking terminology, and reviewing translated materials.

• Demonstrates commitment to Chemonics’ values, safeguarding standards, and ethical ways of working.

Safeguarding and Child Protection:

At Chemonics Tanmia, the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable individuals are paramount. To uphold this fundamental value, the organization implements stringent safeguarding protocols during its recruitment process and onboarding. This includes detailed background and reference checks for selected candidates/s, ensuring the highest standards of safety and protection against any form of harm or exploitation. These thorough procedures underscore Chemonics’s unwavering commitment to creating and maintaining secure environments for the most vulnerable.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.