Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Language and Resources Manager will facilitate language documentation activities and provide direction on a range of projects including language training, literacy skills development, transcription, translation, language maintenance, promotion, advocacy, and other language work. Over the next 12-18 months, the Language and Resources Manager will guide the language team through the final year of the current operational funding, consolidating our language centre model and situating us to seek further funding.

This role involves working closely with Senior Yolŋu and non-Indigenous language workers, Multimedia staff and Cross Cultural Facilitators in ARDS’ Darwin and Nhulunbuy offices. They will also consolidate good models for supporting grassroots language work in communities and homelands, building up capacity for local work supported by occasional visits from linguists and/or language workers traveling from remote locations to our regional offices.

The Language and Resources Manager is responsible for monitoring and proactively supporting staff to ensure they have capability and capacity to deliver projects and develop or maintain resources in line with clearly articulated expectations, including ensuring that projects are completed within the allocated budgets and timeframes as well as applying for funding for specific language-related projects. This role is also responsible for safeguarding ARDS corporate knowledge in the areas of language, recordings, stories, etc., and for transferring that knowledge to ensure that successors in this role (and others) maintain access to materials and archives.

The successful applicant will be knowledgeable in the principles of language description, analysis and documentation, highly skilled in sociolinguistics and intercultural communication and demonstrate knowledge of current trends in language maintenance and revitalisation work in Australia. Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices of translation, Yolŋu languages and culture background of northeast and central Arnhem Land and adult education would also be of advantage.

The role requires experience in applying culturally competent communication skills and working in multilingual environments, competence in managing staff in a language-related context and project management, experience working collaboratively with Australian Indigenous people, tertiary qualifications in one or more relevant fields in linguistics (e.g. lexicography, literacy, translation, language documentation, bilingual education, language promotion/revitalisation) and competence with specialised linguistics software (e.g. Toolbox, ELAN) and the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. Experience working in a language centre, production of language resources, use of Plain English, audio recording technology and resource publication would be of benefit.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The role may be based in Nhulunbuy or Darwin, with regular travel to Top End communities and homelands.

For further information, please email [email protected] using the subject line: Language and Resource Manager enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.