Punjabi Linguist

The Mission Essential Group; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flight provided

Rental car provided

Meals and incidentals

Job summary

The Mission Essential Group is seeking linguists to provide accurate interpretation and translation for HHS programs, focusing on Punjabi at ILR 2+ level. These roles support unaccompanied minors, care staff, UC/UAM/URM, and ensure effective communication in sensitive settings.

Linguists may work onsite at ORR program sites or remotely as needed; non locals receive flight and rental car coverage, some meals, and incidentals.

Qualifications

• ILR 2+ proficiency in English and Punjabi (speaking, listening, reading, writing).
• Tier 2 background check completed; no security clearance required.
• Strong discretion, judgment, and professional linguistics knowledge.
• Autonomy and responsibility in providing language services for ORR programs.

Responsibilities

• Provide in-person onsite interpretation at ORR locations when available.
• Deliver remote interpretation via phone, videoconference, or other means, including 24/7 requests.
• Assist Care Staff and UC/UAM/URM with questions and needs in their preferred language.
• Translate documents between English and Punjabi and back-translate as needed.
• Support cultural context and bridge communication between staff and vulnerable minors.

Skills

ILR 2+ proficiency

Interpretation

Bilingual English-Punjabi

Job description

*If you are not local and wish to support, we will provide a flight and rental car. Some meals and incidentals are also available!

Position Description:

We are excited to announce new opportunities supporting the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services I (HHS I) in providing criticallanguage services to unaccompanied minors in refugee programs. We are seeking linguistswho speak Punjabi at an Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 2 + orhigher.

About ILR levels:
The Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale is the U.S. government standardfor measuring language proficiency. It ranges from Level 0 (No Proficiency) toLevel 5 (Native or Bilingual Proficiency).

• ILR Level 2+ (“ProfessionalWorking Proficiency”) indicates that a linguist can speak, understand, read, and writethe language with sufficient accuracy and fluency to participateeffectively in most conversations on practical, social, and someprofessional topics.

Position Overview:
Linguists will provide accurate, impartial, and confidential interpretation andtranslation services at ILR Level 2+ proficiency or higher to supportcommunication between Care Staff, unaccompanied children (UC), unaccompanied minors (UAM), and unaccompanied refugee minors (URM). Linguists serve as CommunicationLiaisons to ensure all parties can fully understand one another in avariety of settings.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide in-person, onsiteinterpretation at Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) programs andservice locations (preferred).
• Deliver remote interpretationservices via telephone, videoconference, or other virtual means as needed,including availability for 24/7 requests.
• Facilitate communication ofimportant deadlines, instructions, questions, and other informationbetween Care Staff and UC/UAM/URM in their native or preferred language.
• Assist UC/UAM/URM in expressingconcerns, questions, or needs when they are not fluent or comfortablecommunicating in English or the language spoken by Care Staff.
• Demonstrate a high-level ofprofessional judgment, based on the candidate’s own experience andlanguage proficiency, to mitigate language barriers and ensure effectivecommunication between Care Staff and a UC, UAM or URM.
• Support the orientation ofUC/UAM/URM to available community resources through interpretation andtranslation.
• Translate documents from Englishto the preferred language and vice versa, and occasionally from othersource languages, as required.
• Help Care Staff build rapport andunderstand the cultural context of the populations served; while linguistsare not substitutes for case managers or clinicians, they play a vitalrole in establishing a cultural bridge and alleviating stress for the children.

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements:

• ILR Level 2+ proficiency in both English (listening andspeaking) and the target language (listening, speaking, reading, andwriting) whether obtained through either a specialized academic degree ora combination of experience/education.
• Successful completion of a Tier2 background check; no security clearance required.
• Consistent exercise of discretionand judgment and advanced knowledge in the field of linguistics.
• The linguist is expected to applyadvanced language skills, cultural expertise, and professional judgment tofacilitate communication in sensitive and complex situations.
• The work requires autonomy,decision-making, and a high degree of responsibility in managing languageservices to meet the needs of ORR programs and the vulnerable populationsserved.

Desired Skills:

• Prior experience as a linguist infoster care, social services, or medical care environments.

Mission Essential considers all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Mission Essential is an EEO/AA employer and a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.