Language Access Strategist

Description

Hybrid: Our physical office is in Olympia, WA. We offer flexible work schedules and locations. This is a hybrid position where most of the work allows teleworking. However, you will need to travel to in-person activities, meetings, and events according to business needs.

Why work for OFM

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) serves as the backbone of Washington state government. Our mission is to make our state a better place by connecting people, budgets, policies, data, and systems for state agencies and the Legislature. Our team includes budget advisors, researchers, and other experts, all dedicated public servants working towards an equitable future for every Washingtonian. If you want to play a key role in enhancing how state government serves its citizens, you’ve found the right place. Join us in making a meaningful difference for every Washingtonian!

The job opportunity

Are you an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter who’s passionate about breaking down communication barriers and championing accessibility and inclusion for all? OFM seeks a dynamic and skilled interpreter to join our communications team and have a direct impact on internal and external customer experiences. Help us deliver information and services accurately and equitably, using language and formats that are easy for our audience(s) to access and understand. This includes audience members who have disabilities and/or whose primary language is not English.

As the Language Access Strategist, you’ll serve as our in-house American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. You’ll provide interpreting services at meetings and events, and you’ll work closely with OFM employees who are deaf or hard of hearing to ensure their communication needs are met. You will also coordinate with approved vendors to cover additional language translation and interpretation needs for events like employee town halls and leadership meetings.

The Language Access Strategist also plays a critical role in shaping and implementing our language and accessibility guidelines, training and practices for OFM’s products and services. In this role you will bring and/or acquire technical skills, such as document tagging and remediation, to support digital accessibility. You will collaborate closely with the OFM Accessibility Committee, build internal capacity, and identify opportunities to align with relevant experts and communities of practice.

This is a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference through inclusive communication. If you believe in OFM’s mission and want to serve Washingtonians through ASL, accessibility, and in-language support — we want to hear from you!

Duties

What you will work on

Provide ASL interpreting services, at the request of employee(s) and management, for work-related functions and events (e.g., 1:1 interactions, staff meetings, huddles, trainings).

Provide ASL interpreting services, at the request of Human Resources, for recruitment, onboarding deaf and hard of hearing employees, and accommodation intake and review processes.

Collaborate directly with employee(s) who require ASL interpretation. Receive and act on constructive feedback to ensure communication needs are being prioritized and met.

Create and manage a direct services calendar and request process for OFM. Partner with event leads to build ASL interpreting into pre-event planning for all OFM-wide internal events. Advise on best practices and assist with planning and adjusting logistics.

Schedule external ASL interpreters as needed (e.g., when you are unavailable to interpret and when needed for longer events). Coordinate external vendor services for other interpretation and translation needs to ensure OFM information is available in languages used by customers.

Serve as contract manager for in-language vendor services. Manage contract requirements, reservations, scheduling, coordination, and billing approval.

Lead work to support OFM compliance with state and federal requirements related to language and accessibility.

Develop OFM’s Accessibility and Language Access Strategies in partnership with the communications team and leadership. Align with best practices and guidance, like the Office of Equity’s Commitment to Language Access, as appropriate.

Build and apply digital accessibility skills, such as evaluating presentations, tagging PDFs, and correcting document reading order (training can be provided).

Provide training and guidance to build employees’ capacity for making communications accessible to people with disabilities, including, but not limited to people who use screen readers.

Track and analyze customer data, goals, progress and outcomes that tell the story of this work and its impact. Identify agency benchmarks and performance standards. Commit to continuous improvement.

Serve as an active core member of the OFM Accessibility Committee. Partner and align with other relevant groups, such as IT, WA State Disability & Inclusion Network (DIN), Office of Equity, and communities of practice.

Perform all work with integrity and transparency. Uphold state and agency policies, as well as the Interpreters’ Code of Conduct as prescribed by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID).

Qualifications

What we need you to bring

Required Qualifications:

Graduation from accredited ASL Interpreting Training Program.

Passing score on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) written exam.

Five (5) years of professional experience as a sign language interpreter.

Familiar with common computer programs such as the Microsoft Office suite and Zoom as well as the ability to utilize online scheduling platforms given basic training.Desired Qualifications:

Presentation and facilitation experience in educating audience on ways to be more accessible and inclusive.

Experience providing accessibility consultation to organizations.

Familiar with WA State contract process and managing vendors.

Aware of accessibility and disability issues including federal and state laws. Competencies:

Clear, precise, and thorough interpretation allowing for the specific needs of individual deaf and hard of hearing employees and job applicants.

Effectively conveys ideas and information through written and spoken word using language that is appropriate to both the complexity of the topic and the knowledge and understanding of all parties involved.

Must maintain confidentiality and perspective in high stress situations.

Effectively plans and organizes multiple assignments, commitments, and work through competing priorities.

Proactively considers implications of decisions and actions affecting agency business.

Earns the confidence and trust of others through demonstrated integrity and respect.

Supplemental Information

What we offer:

At OFM, we foster a culture of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and belonging. We value both learned and lived experiences, believing that diversity makes us stronger. To support your health and well-being, we offer a variety of benefit programs for our employees.

Please visit our Recruitment Page for a full list of benefits available to employees. Here’s a quick glance at some of the unique benefits that OFM offers:

An environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

Tuition reimbursement

Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year

State retirement programs

Application Process:

Once you’ve decided to apply for a state government job, you’ll complete an online application to showcase your qualifications. Keep in mind that once you submit the application, a real person is going to read it. We do not use AI or other technology that screens your application and rejects it. Please be sure to provide clear and detailed information about your work history so your qualifications can be accurately assessed. We will contact the top candidates directly to schedule interviews. If you need reasonable accommodation in applying, please call 7-1-1 or .

Your application will not be considered complete and sent to the hiring teams for review, unless you attach all of the following:

Cover letter: describing your experience, skills, and contributions you will bring to this leadership role, along with the values you will bring to the team and organization if you are chosen for this position.

Resume: that details your applicable experience and education.

References: At least three professional references with current phone numbers.

Questions:

OFM's Staff ASL interpreter is available to all deaf and hard of hearing applicants. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application or interview process, please email us at .

The Office of Financial Management is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply.

This position is exempt from civil service rules.

For more information, please see WAC 357-19-195.