Head of Localization

Randstad Enterprise; Diemen; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Randstad is seeking a Head of Localization to define and operationalize a global marketing and product localization strategy across 38+ markets. This executive role bridges marketing, content, and engineering, driving AI/LLM-driven translation workflows, CI/CD integrations, and continuous localization.

You will lead a specialized localization team, manage vendor networks, and coordinate with product and marketing leaders to scale localization at enterprise speed and quality.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years of progressive experience in global localization, translation management, and international marketing operations in enterprise environments.
• Leadership track record in managing and scaling dedicated localization teams.
• Technical fluency with Localization-as-Code, APIs, headless CMS, Translation Management Systems (TMS), CAT tools, and CI/CD pipelines.
• AI integration expertise: MT, LLM fine-tuning, and automated workflows in marketing contexts.
• Vendor & budget management: negotiating enterprise LSP contracts, multi-market budgets, and SLAs/KPIs.

Responsibilities

• Define global localization strategy for marketing and product across international markets.
• Embed localization workflows into CI/CD pipelines, headless CMS, and design systems.
• Drive GenAI/LLM adoption for automated marketing adaptation and CX scaling.
• Lead and grow a localization tech, quality, and project management team; manage external LSPs and budgets.

Skills

Localization strategy

Leadership

Budget management

Vendor management

AI integration

CI/CD integration

Translation workflows

Program management

Tools

APIs

Headless CMS

TMS

CAT tools

CI/CD pipelines

Localization-as-Code

Job description

Summary: Randstad is seeking a Head of Localization to define, architect, and operationalize our global marketing and product localization strategy. Sitting at the heart of Randstad’s Global Digital Marketplace vision, this executive role bridges marketing, creative content, and product engineering by driving modern AI/LLM-driven translation workflows, CI/CD integrations, and continuous localization across 38+ global markets.

Role Overview & Differentiation

Important Role Differentiation: This is an Executive Strategy, Tech Architecture & Operations Leadership Role—it is NOT a manual translation, copywriting, or content-creation position.

The Head of Localization serves as a domain authority (Hay Grade 17/18) reporting directly to the Global Head (VP) of Content, CX, and Localization. You will lead a specialized localization team and oversee end-to-end technical integrations, AI model fine-tuning, and enterprise vendor networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Will You Achieve?

• Global Localization Strategy: Define and socialize the global roadmap for Marketing and Product (web/app) localization across international markets.
• Tech Pipeline Automation: Embed localization workflows directly into continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, headless CMS, and design systems.
• GenAI & LLM Innovation: Drive the adoption of Generative AI and proprietary Large Language Models (LLMs) for automated marketing adaptation, CX scaling, and creative translation.
• Team & Ecosystem Leadership: Hire, build, and direct a dedicated team of localization tech, quality, and project management experts while managing external Language Service Providers (LSPs) and budgets.

Key Metrics You’ll Own

• Translation Velocity & Turnaround Time: Speed-to-market for continuous product deployments and multi-market marketing campaigns.
• Quality & Accuracy Benchmarks: Maintenance of localization style guides, automated QA, terminology management, and glossaries.
• Financial & ROI Performance: Efficiency of global localization spend, balancing AI automation against human-in-the-loop review costs.

What Do You Need to Succeed?

• Experience: 10–15+ years of progressive experience in global localization, translation management, and international marketing operations in enterprise environments.
• Leadership Track Record: Proven background in managing and scaling dedicated localization teams.
• Technical Fluency: Hands-on experience with Localization-as-Code, APIs, headless CMS, Translation Management Systems (TMS), CAT tools, and CI/CD pipelines.
• AI Integration Expertise: Practical knowledge deploying Machine Translation (MT), LLM fine-tuning, and automated workflows in marketing contexts.
• Vendor & Budget Management: Expertise negotiating enterprise LSP contracts, managing multi-market budgets, and setting SLAs/KPIs.
• Languages: Full professional fluency in English; additional global languages are a strong advantage.

About Randstad

Randstad is the world’s largest talent company and a partner of choice. We support people and organizations in realizing their true potential by combining 60 years of HR expertise with cutting‑edge digital technology, data, and human touch.