Spanish Interpreter

Role 

Accessibility is one of the eight effectiveness criteria for non-judicial grievance mechanisms, first introduced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In line with the IRM’s Procedures and Guidelines, the IRM must ensure that complainants and other stakeholders are able to effectively engage with IRM processes, regardless of language. This includes facilitating clear and meaningful communication during meetings and consultations through interpretation, as required.In addition to these requirements, the IRM must do all that it can to ensure its accessibility in line with the effectiveness criteria for non-judicial grievance mechanisms.

In 2025, the IRM received three complaints related to concerns over GCF-financed projects in Colombia. The IRM determined the three complaints to be eligible,[1] and has initiated processes to handle the issues underlying the complaints. The complaints pertain to issues related to labour and working conditions, gender and stakeholder consultations.

The IRM requires interpreters who can interpret from English to Spanish and Spanish to English to support ongoing casework. The consultant’s work will relate to the IRM’s ongoing cases in Colombia.

The interpretation assignment involves interpreting virtual calls with the IRM’s stakeholders. The consultant may also be asked to join in-person IRM missions to provide interpretation. The initial contract will last one year, subject to extension based on the quality of work, and the consultant will be contacted for interpretation work on an as-needed basis. It is the consultant’s responsibility to confirm his/her availability for an assignment and complete the assignment within an agreed timeframe. The consultant will need to sign a confidentiality agreement agreeing not to share or disclose any information obtained while performing his/her tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Simultaneous and/or consecutive interpretation of the IRM’s virtual calls with its parties and stakeholders;
• In-person simultaneous and/or consecutive interpretation, if needed (travel expenses will be covered by the IRM);

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Master’s degree in linguistics, Spanish or related field. Sufficient experience may be substituted for a Master’s degree, in which the candidate must have at least a relevant Bachelor’s degree;
• Interpretation certification in Spanish;
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in interpretation;
• A proven track record in providing both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation;
• Extremely high level of independence, integrity and impartiality;
• Experience in interpreting issues related to the environment, international relations, development, policy, human rights, complaints, and dispute resolution or demonstrated a good understanding of technical terms and terminology used in those areas is highly desirable;
• Ability to respond to IRM requests in a timely manner; and
• Fluency in English is essential.

Duration of the work

12 months