Linguist Recruiter and Interpreter at Piedmont Global

Position Summary

As the Linguist Recruiter & Interpreter in Piedmont Global’s Nairobi office, you will hold a dual mandate: recruit and onboard the interpreters and translators Piedmont Global needs across African and lesser diffusion languages, and personally deliver interpretation and translation work in your own language pairs. This is deliberately a two-sided role. Your recruiting output builds the bench; your linguistic work keeps that bench productive from day one and offsets the cost of the position.

Piedmont Global currently routes 17% of its African-language volume to an external backstop partner. Somali is the clearest example of the gap: 124 Somali calls were offered over a recent three-month window and almost none were answered — not for lack of recruited interpreters, but because those interpreters never completed platform registration. Your role exists to close that gap from inside the Nairobi office.

This position partners closely with the Staffing Solutions recruiting team, Interpretation Operations, and the VP of Staffing.

Job Responsibilities

Linguist Recruiting & Sourcing

Source, screen, and onboard interpreters and translators across African and lesser-diffusion languages, with initial priority on Somali and Swahili

Apply creative, geography-specific sourcing strategies to reach niche language communities where conventional job boards do not work

Own an assigned language portfolio under Piedmont Global’s language-SME model, pairing a high-volume language with a lesser-diffusion language

Maintain an accurate, current view of your portfolio: linguists sourced, onboarded, registered, and actively scheduled

Partner with Interpretation Operations to convert unfilled and missed requests in your languages into filled capacity

Interpretation & Translation Delivery

Deliver over-the-phone and video remote interpretation in your qualified language pairs as scheduled by Interpretation Operations

Complete written translation and localization assignments in your language pairs as assigned

Maintain full availability and reliability standards for accepted assignments, mainly remote sessions

Uphold professional interpreter standards of accuracy, impartiality, completeness, and confidentiality in every session

Perform all interpretation and translation work on-site from the Piedmont Global Nairobi office — remote and work-from-home delivery is not permitted for this role

Onboarding & Compliance Execution

Execute Piedmont Global’s interpreter onboarding requirements checklist in full for every linguist you bring on, including independent contractor agreements, tax documentation, and background screening

Ensure every onboarded linguist completes platform registration end to end — an onboarded interpreter who is not registered and reachable does not count as capacity

Verify credentials and, where applicable, ensure international qualifications are properly documented and retained

Escalate missing, expired, or incomplete documentation before assignments are offered

Observe all client-specific and jurisdictional data protection requirements, including Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019, applicable healthcare privacy obligations, and any client contract terms restricting where protected information may be handled

Reporting & Performance

Report week-over-week metrics on interpreters and translators onboarded within your assigned languages

Track and report fill rate, missed and unfilled requests, and time to fill for your language portfolio

Participate in quarterly bench reviews, identifying inactive linguists for removal while protecting coverage in languages of lesser diffusion

Surface supply shortages, scheduling friction, training gaps, and incentive issues to the VP of Staffing with supporting data

Provide input on interpreter experience improvements and platform adoption within the Nairobi-sourced network

Requirements

Professional fluency in English plus at least one in-demand African language; Somali strongly preferred.

Demonstrated interpretation or translation experience, and ability to pass Piedmont Global’s language qualification standards.

2+ years of recruiting, sourcing, or talent acquisition experience, or equivalent demonstrated ability to source hard-to-find talent.

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.

Valid Kenyan work authorization, or eligibility to obtain the work authorization required for this role.

Working knowledge of Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 and confidentiality obligations.

Ability to work on-site at the Piedmont Global Nairobi office during assigned coverage hours.

Strong organizational and prioritization skills across two concurrent workstreams.

Proactive communication style, strong problem-solving approach, and a high degree of ownership with limited direct supervision.

Exceptional integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.

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