Terminology and Acquis Management Specialist

Specialist for Terminology & Acquis Management

Job Highlight

The Specialist provides technical expertise to North Macedonia’s national authorities to design and establish sustainable governance structures, workflows, and coordination mechanisms for the legal revision and terminology management of the EU acquis.

Role Purpose

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Specialist for Terminology & Acquis Management will provide expert technical assistance to the national authorities of North Macedonia, primarily the Ministry for European Affairs (MEA), in designing and establishing effective coordination mechanisms for legal and expert revision and terminology management within the process of preparing the national version of the EU acquis.

The assignment will support the development of governance structures, methodologies, workflows, and institutional arrangements for the various phases of this process, with a particular focus on the terminology management and expert guidance on the use of legal terminology to ensure that the legal terminology used in already translated acquis texts accurately reflects the original document. The role is intended to strengthen system-level coordination and institutional capacity, rather than to undertake individual translation or revision tasks. It will contribute to the establishment of sustainable mechanisms that ensure consistency, and quality in terminology management and in the use of legal terminology across the acquis preparation process, including by providing expert guidance to help ensure that translated acts accurately reflect the meaning and intent of the original text.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Research and Technical Support for Comparative Analysis: Conduct detailed research to support the comparative analysis of institutional approaches and best practices related to the coordination of translation, terminology management, revision and verification of the EU acquis and related national legislation, drawing in particular on the experiences of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia, as well as selected wider European examples, including Iceland and Estonia. Compile data on the specific experiences of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Iceland, and Estonia to be used in the project's recommendations. Assist in reviewing the institutional models applied within EU institutions, with particular focus on the legal-linguistic revision processes of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union and provide recommendations on the arrangements, workflows, quality assurance mechanisms, and terminology management practices relevant to North Macedonia’s EU accession context.
• Drafting and Coordination of Revision Mechanisms: Support the development of recommendations for a coordination model covering the translation, legal and expert revision, and terminology management phases in the preparation of the national version of the EU acquis. Draft initial proposals regarding the institutional roles, responsibilities, and cooperation modalities between the MEA, line ministries, the Secretariat for Legislation and other relevant stakeholders. Provide technical assistance in drafting operational arrangements for a national structure responsible for the verification of translated EU acquis texts, with a view to ensuring legal accuracy, technical quality, and terminological consistency. Support establishment of a pool of subject-matter experts to support the legal and expert revision and verification of translated EU acquis texts, and develop recommendations for its integration into the broader coordination framework, including proposed eligibility and selection criteria, areas of specialisation, and the roles and responsibilities of experts engaged in the revision process.
• Assistance with Terminology Management: Provide technical level support on how revision and verification mechanisms can support: unification of terminology across secondary EU legislation, consistency in future translation processes, long-term sustainability of acquis translation efforts. Assist in the preparation of procedural documents and guidance notes that support sustainable terminology management and consistency in future translation efforts. Monitor translated acquis texts to ensure the expert guidance on legal terminology is correctly documented and reflected in the final versions.
• Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing: Lead the logistical and technical preparation and deliver at least two workshops to present findings on the proposed coordination models and governance structures. Prepare draft presentation materials, technical briefs, and reports on the operational arrangements for the verification of translated EU acquis texts for stakeholder review. Support the Project Manager in strengthening system-level coordination by facilitating communication between institutional stakeholders and experts.

Key skills/competency

• Terminology Management
• EU Acquis
• Legal Revision
• Coordination Mechanisms
• Translation Studies
• Public Administration
• European Studies
• Linguistics
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Workshop Facilitation