Translation Project Manager - WFH

Languages Contract Type: Permanent Salary: £39,152 (London), £36,408 (Cheltenham), with the possibility of additional language allowances once in the role (subject to successful completion of your probation) Flexible Working: Full time, part-time, and compressed hours are possible. Please note, the MI5 role is office-based only. At GCHQ, home working is available up to one day per week, but beyond that, it is an office-based role. Remote working, from another location is not initially available but may be possible after 18-24 months, at which point you may have the opportunity to work from any of our GCHQ offices in Cheltenham, London, or Manchester. Your knowledge of Tajik could unlock a career in intelligence. MI5 and GCHQ are part of the UK s Intelligence Services. We work together to safeguard Britain s people, interests and businesses from various threats at home, overseas and online, including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime. Working across our vital missions, you ll deliver impact at the heart of national security, all within a supportive and inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive. If you have a passion for languages, working as a language specialist for the UK intelligence agencies presents a truly unique opportunity. We re looking for Tajik linguists for a role that goes well beyond translation and transcription – this role is about more than words. Your knowledge of the Tajik language, as well as your in-depth understanding of Iranian cultures, ideology, and politics, will be a significant asset in helping to safeguard the UK. As a linguist specialising in Tajik, the role involves analysing material in this language, providing insights to support analysts, investigators, and operational teams. There may be a requirement to support language technology tools and AI in the given language. Interpretation might also be necessary, with full training provided. At times, working under pressure will be required, but full support from managers and other linguists will be available to help you succeed. Collaboration within mission and language teams across different organisations, is essential, using language technology to piece together intelligence and support informed decisions. Identifying relevant material and fitting it into the intelligence narrative are key aspects of this role, all within a supportive environment. You ll engage in a mix of individual work and group projects, with plenty of cross-team collaboration. This means you could be liable to serve away from your usual place of work for periods of detached duty or training. You don t need any experience or qualifications to be a Tajik Language Specialist with us. However, you must have writing, speaking, reading, and listening language skills, excellent written English, and a good knowledge of Iranian culture, history, religion, and politics. Essentially, you ll be passionate about the language and a proficient user (at C1 level on the CEFR framework or equivalent, see explanation below) of the Tajik language. Effectively use the language for social, academic, or professional situations. At GCHQ, we evaluate passive language skills to the equivalent of a C1 level in reading and listening. Your proficiency could come from growing up in a multilingual family, undergoing language training in the military, or studying Tajik at a high level academically. Whatever your route into the language, you ll be inquisitive, curious, and a keen problem-solver. Working with others will be enjoyable for you, you re a confident communicator both verbally and in writing, and you ll take pride in the insights you can bring. During the interview process, you ll need to pass a language proficiency test by reading and translating newspaper articles and broadcasts, as well as listening to and interpreting audio materials. We regret that we re unable to reimburse travel expenses. Training and development We ll provide comprehensive training to ensure you have all the skills and knowledge needed to excel in your role. Initial training will be provided on tools, the job, the context, and everything you need to know beyond the language. At MI5, you ll have access to maintenance language classes to keep your language skills and knowledge up to date. You can also attend immersion sessions led by Language Specialists from the UK s Intelligence Services. Additionally, we provide various internal training courses, support in acquiring, and funding for language-related qualifications. At GCHQ, alongside the maintenance training, we ll provide support and help you keep your language skills up to date. You ll be encouraged to pursue areas of interest to you, whether it s management, enhancing your deep language skills, or improving your analytical and reporting capabilities. At MI5, you ll receive a starting salary of £39,152, with the opportunity to qualify for additional language allowances once in role. At GCHQ, you ll receive a starting salary of £36,408, with an additional £3,120 per annum after a successful 6-month probationary period, and in recognition of your language skills. 25 days annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years\’ service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays. Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme. Interest-free season ticket loan (travel and parking GCHQ only) Excellent pension scheme. Cycle to work scheme. Facilities such as a gym and restaurant, and on-site coffee bars. Paid parental and adoption leave. At MI5 and GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are underrepresented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment, and commitment to diversity on our websites: We re Disability Confident MI5 and GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP s Disability Confident scheme. This scheme aims to encourage employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident employer, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are: Demonstrate a strong motivation and commitment to work for the UK intelligence agencies, assessed at application form sift. Achieve a pass in the Tajik language tests. In-person language tests in London We regret that we are unable to reimburse travel expenses. This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Please note, we have a strict drugs policy, once you start your application, you can t take any recreational drugs, and you ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application more securely. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. An interest-free loan via our benevolent fund is available at MI5 with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application.