Language Access Advisor

The Office

The mission of the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is to improve the lives of Seattle’s immigrant and refugee families. The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs centers racial equity and community engagement in its work and seeks candidates who are committed to these values.

One of OIRA’s focuses is providing language access and in-language support to immigrants, refugees, and English language learners. OIRA is recruiting for a Language Access Advisor with subject matter expertise, strategic planning and implementation skills, and the ability to build successful partnerships across organizations. You will impact the work in the following areas:

• Developing strategies for improving and advancing language access goals in the City.
• Convening monthly meetings of City staff to respond to questions and help them as they expand and embed department language access capabilities and systems
• Creating guides and training for City staff on providing linguistically accessible services.
• Drafting and reviewing legislation that expands language access requirements.
• Collecting and analyzing data on language demographics across the City of Seattle.
• Collecting Language Access Plans (LAP) from departments and analyzing data to create a citywide LAP.

• Equity, language justice, and public service
• Continuous improvement and community-centered outcomes
• Building relationships through authentic engagement.
• Meeting partners where they are and supporting their journey

• Significant expertise in Language Access, Language Justice, and in-language support
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Managed projects, organized and prioritized work, and met deadlines
• Strategically worked from ideation to implementation, including feedback loops, data collection, and analysis
• Created curricula and facilitated training on plain language, translation, and interpretation
• Provided technical assistance and support across your organization, continually improving language access systems and tools
• A collaborative mindset paired with strong decision-making abilities
• The ability to lead and influence without needing to be micromanaged

A successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to expanding and continually improving language access. This experience should be complemented by demonstrated knowledge and ability in the following areas:

• Broad written, oral, and visual communication skills
• Helping organizations navigate equity barriers experienced by immigrant and refugee communities
• Cross-cultural communication and curricula development for training and guides
• Language and accessibility best practices
• Project management
• Working successfully within a large, matrixed organization
• Working in a dynamic, diverse, fast-paced environment

Please note that this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of the activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

This job is classified as a Strategic Advisor 1, Exempt. The full pay range for this position is $. For office pay equity reasons, this position will be paid $54.61/hour.

At the City of Seattle, public service is more than a job; it’s a chance to shape the future and make a meaningful difference in the lives of everyone who works, lives, or plays in our city. With 12,000 employees across 40+ departments and 1,100 job titles, we are united by a common purpose: to create a Seattle that is vibrant and welcoming for all.

Whatever your role, you’ll help power a forward-looking city that leads by example — inclusive, innovative, equitable, and community-focused — while joining a diverse team committed to solving challenges and making a lasting impact together.

This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. Individual schedules will be based on agreement between the employee and management. You may be asked to attend meetings and events that…