Interpreter

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Here, you will work alongside a team of relentless problem-solvers who are committed to making a tangible, global impact. If you are ready to break boundaries, deliver exceptional results, and thrive in a high-velocity environment, you will find an ideal home here.

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A leading international manufacturing corporation is seeking a highly skilled Bilingual Executive Coordinator & Translator. This role acts as a critical bridge between Japanese and American operations, providing high-level interpretation, translation, and administrative support. The ideal candidate will manage corporate translation needs, coordinate international import logistics, and provide comprehensive relocation and lifestyle support to expatriate employees.

Position Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Location: Confidential (Manufacturing Environment), Red Wing MN
Confidentiality: Strict NDA required; company name withheld for private search.

Basic Function

• Language Support: Deliver precise English-to-Japanese and Japanese-to-English translation and interpretation.
• Expatriate Care: Provide comprehensive lifestyle and administrative support to Japanese employees within and outside of work hours.
• Administrative Operations: Manage purchase order requisitions, perform general office tasks, and serve as the secondary backup for payroll processing.

Specific Responsibilities

Interpretation & Translation (65%)

1. Written Translation: Translate emails, memos, handbooks, job descriptions, presentations, corporate forms, and training materials.
2. Verbal Interpretation: Provide simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for board meetings, teleconferences, ceremonies, customer visits, and government audits.
3. Expatriate Relocation: Guide Japanese employees through the onboarding process, including securing housing, social security numbers, driver's licenses, bank accounts, and utilities.
4. Family Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact for expatriate families coordinating with landlords, doctors, schools, banks, and utility providers.
5. On-Call Assistance: Answer and make urgent phone calls for Japanese employees and families as needed, including occasional weekends.
6. Travel Management: Coordinate corporate travel arrangements and accompany executives on domestic or international business trips as required.
7. Annual Board Support: Interpret for the annual Board of Directors meeting (typically February), translate all executive decks, and travel out of state if necessary.
8. International Delegation: Accompany American engineering teams to the parent plant in Japan as an interpreter once per year (approximately 1 week).

Purchasing & Procurement (15%)

9. PO Management: Submit purchase order requisitions through the internal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, secure approval numbers from the purchasing department, and issue final POs to overseas vendors.

Import Coordination & Logistics (15%)

10. Freight Management: Collaborate with freight forwarders, customs brokers, and logistics providers to submit clearance documentation and expedite shipments.
11. Tracking: Monitor international cargo status daily until final delivery at the domestic facility.
12. Compliance & Records: Organize and archive shipping calendars, commercial invoices, packing lists, and customs documentation.
13. Issue Resolution: Troubleshoot transit delays, customs holds, and supply chain disruptions.

General Administration (5%)

14. Operations Support: Cross-train to back up the payroll processor and perform general administrative tasks (filing, phone management, office supplies).
15. Agility: Complete other duties as assigned; responsibilities may evolve based on business needs.

Position Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Language Proficiency: Native or near-native fluency in Japanese and English. Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1 level and/or TOEIC score of 900+ required.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of professional interpreting experience within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated experience navigating Japanese corporate structure and business etiquette.
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and general ERP software familiarity.

Core Competencies

• Absolute discretion regarding confidential executive and payroll data.
• Calm, clear-headed problem-solving capabilities under high-pressure scenarios.
• Exceptional organizational skills with strict attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a team-first, collaborative mindset.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification in simultaneous interpretation is highly desirable.
• Prior work experience or foundational knowledge in international logistics (Incoterms, customs clearance, import regulations).

Equal opportunity employer as to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities