Director of Language Services en Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc.

Position Title:     Director of Language Services 

Supervisor:       Chief Program Officer

Status:             Full-time, salaried-exempt, professional, $70,000-75,000 annually 

Organizational Description:

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ the best-qualified personnel without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, gender identity, marital status, or any other reason prohibited by law. 

Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc. is a refugee resettlement and immigration services provider for the Western New York Region. Journey’s End works to assist newly arriving refugees to find gainful employment and avoid dependency on social services. 

Job Description: 

In this critical leadership role, the Director of Language Services will spearhead Journey’s End’s Interpreting & Translation Services program, focusing on the provision of fee-for-service language services in Western New York and advancement of language access in the region. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer, the Director of Language Services will play a pivotal role in shaping and advancing the quality and accessibility of local language services, recruiting customers, and developing the local interpreting workforce. Along with the Executive Team and other directors, the director will help ensure the agency continues to meet its strategic mission and goals.  

The Director of Language Services must exemplify Journey’s End’s core values in their work. These values include intercultural responsiveness, integrity, person-centered, empowerment, and exemplary service.

Primary Responsibilities:  

• Lead strategic growth in language access services aligned with evolving community need and in alignment with the organization’s overall programmatic and financial goals
• Position the agency as a leading language access provider across Central and Western New York
• Collaborate with Chief Executive Officer, Chief Program Officer, and Chief Financial Officer on fiscal stability and creating a departmental growth plan
• Identify opportunities and implementation plans for program improvement, expansion, or innovation. 
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators to measure program success and impact
• Manage department budget, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently to meet program objectives
• Supervise the Interpreting Supervisor, Interpreting Coordinator, and Translation Coordinator and oversee the department and performance of 140 per diem linguists
• Provide staff with guidance and support, and foster a collaborative team culture

Research and implement software solutions to optimize interpreting scheduling and on-demand capabilities

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with external partners and customers to enhance program impact, through outreach, discovery meetings, sales, and networking
• Oversee compliance with customer contracts
  • Strengthen departmental capacity to meet 24/7 and emergency interpreting demands
  • Oversee the development and implementation of high-quality trainings on a regular basis
  • Engage in local, and state-wide, national advocacy to advance the department/programs goals 
  • Elevate the agency’s visibility, credibility, reputation within the language services industry 
  • Other duties as assigned

Leadership Team Responsibilities

• Participate as a member of the Leadership Team to provide a united, visible, and strong leadership presence across the organization
• Advocate on behalf of refugees and immigrants in language access-related matters
• Collaborate with teams to solve challenges, set priorities, and improve processes and outcomes 
• Regularly promote and represent Journey’s End at meetings, conferences, trade associations, membership organizations, and community events to raise awareness of language access issues and program services.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in linguistics or language service matters through relevant education and professional experiences. 
• Bachelor's degree, especially in business and/or linguistics 
• At least three years supervising and leadership in a fast-paced non-profit or other business environment
• Ability to produce and analyze data to achieve program and business outcomes
• Ability to communicate professionally—both verbally and in writing—with customers and interpreters to ensure clarity and respect in all interactions
• Strong interpersonal & multicultural communication skills 
• Sharp eye for detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to work independently
• Critical thinker with ability to delegate, build relationships, and make decisions
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and email/internet technologies

Knowledge of interpreting and translatio