Translator GS-1040-11/12, FPL-12 (DE only)

Summary This position is located in Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), Office of Institutions of Higher Education Oversight & Enforcement, in Washington, DC. The Office of Institutions of Higher Education Oversight & Enforcement  is responsible for administering the federal financial aid programs under Title IV of Higher Education Act of 1965. Learn more about this agency Duties APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.  We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.As a Translator, GS-1040-11, you will be responsible for:• Review and edit Spanish translations to ensure linguistic accuracy, clarity, and alignment with FSA standards, plain language guidelines, and the English–Spanish glossary.    • Perform quality checks on Spanish customer facing materials, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form (online and PDF), StudentAid.gov pages, publications, forms, emails, videos, and related communications.• Verify that contractor Spanish translations meet FSA quality, style, and timeline expectations, escalating and resolving issues affecting accuracy or schedule.• Utilize translation technologies and tools (including updated CAT features and workflow platforms) to improve efficiency, accuracy, and the overall quality of Spanish content.• Complete user acceptance testing (UAT) for Spanish content (and additional languages when assigned) ensuring all test cases are executed accurately and on schedule.  As a Translator, GS-1040-12, you will be responsible for:•  Lead the review and editing of Spanish translations to ensure linguistic accuracy, clarity, and alignment with FSA standards, plain language guidelines, and the English–Spanish glossary.• Oversee quality checks on Spanish customer facing materials, including the FAFSA form (online and PDF), StudentAid.gov pages, publications, forms, emails, videos, and related communications. • Manage the work required to verify that contractor Spanish translations meet FSA quality, style, and timeline expectations, escalating and resolving issues affecting accuracy or schedule.    • Oversee translation tracking systems and documentation to ensure transparency, accuracy, and timely completion of translation requests. • Manage user acceptance testing (UAT) for Spanish content (and additional languages when assigned) ensuring all test cases are executed accurately and on schedule. Requirements Conditions of employment Relocation will not be paid. You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period. Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service. Must be a US Citizen. Must complete a Background Investigation. Condition of Employment: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: • your performance and conduct; • the needs and interests of the agency; • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience. Qualifications Selective Placement FactorYou must meet the following selective placement factor:SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: A selective placement factor is determined to be essential for successful performance in this position. Those candidates who do not meet the following selective placement factor will be rated "not qualified" for the position. Applicants must be fluent in Spanish, which includes the ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish. AND Minimum Qualification RequirementsYou may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-11, if you possess the specialize experience, education, or a combination of the two.Specialized Experience for the GS-11One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-09 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:1. Experience applying Spanish translation principles, methods, and quality‑assurance practices to support translation, review, and editing tasks to ensure accuracy, clarity, and compliance with plain‑language guidelines.2. Experience coordinating Spanish translation requests and workflows for digital and print materials.3. Experience in multilingual user acceptance testing (UAT) processes and quality control procedures to execute assigned test cases for Spanish content accurately and within deadlines. OREDUCATION (see EDUCATION SECTION of the vacancy announcement)OR A combination of both education and experience in which the total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level.Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).1.    Knowledge of Spanish translation principles, methods, and quality assurance practices sufficient to conduct comprehensive reviews and edits ensuring accuracy, clarity, and plain language guidelines.2.    Knowledge of Spanish language proficiency equivalent to that of a native speaker, sufficient to speak, read, and write Spanish at an advanced professional level.3.    Ability to assist in analyzing contractor-submitted Spanish translations, providing clear corrective guidance, and ensuring final deliverables meet established quality, style, and timeline requirements.4.    Skill in using translation memory systems, term bases, and computer assisted translation (CAT) tools to update terminology, maintain version accuracy, and support consistent translation outputs across projects.5.    Knowledge of multilingual user acceptance testing (UAT) processes and quality control procedures sufficient to execute assigned test cases for Spanish content accurately and within deadlines. Specialized Experience for the GS-12One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-11 performing two (2) out of  three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:1.  Experience applying Spanish translation principles, methods, and quality‑assurance practices to lead translation, review, and editing processes and coordinate translation projects.2.  Experience utilizing collaborative platforms and workflow tools (e.g., Smartsheet, computer assisted translations (CAT) tools, or workflow platforms) to support tracking, coordination, and communication across cross-functional teams.3.  Experience managing user acceptance testing (UAT) for Spanish content ensuring all test cases are executed accurately and on schedule.Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).1.    Knowledge of advanced Spanish translation principles, methods, and quality assurance practices sufficient to conduct comprehensive reviews and edits, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and plain language guidelines.2.    Knowledge of Spanish language proficiency equivalent to that of a native speaker, sufficient to speak, read, and write Spanish at an expert professional level.3.    Ability to analyze contractor-submitted Spanish translations, provide clear corrective guidance, and ensure final deliverables meet established quality, style, and timeline requirements.4.    Skill in using translation memory systems, term bases, and computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools at an expert level to update terminology, maintain version accuracy, and support consistent translation outputs across projects.5.    Skill in applying multilingual user acceptance testing (UAT) processes and quality control procedures sufficient to execute assigned test cases for Spanish content. Education (GS-11) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related or  A combination of specialized experience and education that when taken as a percentage of the required education and experience total 100% or more. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.  For further information, please click Foreign Education. Additional information Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email [email protected] to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email). Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment. Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.Bargaining Unit: This position is included in the bargaining unit (American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252). Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.Structured Interview: As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you complete a Spanish translation assessment/exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.