The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission is seeking a mission-driven, highly organized individual to fill the role of ASL Interpreter for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This position under the direction of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, will provide American Sign Language interpretation to agency staff, clients/consumers, providers, employers and members of the public, interpreting spoken and written content into signed content, and signed content into spoken or written content. Interpretation will occur both on location in person and via remote platforms and includes production of materials such as VLOGs, as appropriate. Interpreters may be assigned Statewide, to a specific region, office or individual and may be asked to team with other interpreters for cross-divisional or statewide provision of services. Interpreters may be required to schedule interpreter services on a local/regional/statewide level to ensure communication access.

The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) is a learning and participatory performance culture with an emphasis on high performance teams, individual performance/contribution/impact, and engaging in activities to promote and support a program/division/agency (e.g., committee membership, Roadmap workgroup membership, presenting at Town Halls). In addition, MRC is an agency committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial equity, as well as innovation, transformation, and change, and creating a culture of agility, excellence, and belonging. MRC has approximately 800 employees working in a hybrid remote and in-office environment. Interpreters with diverse backgrounds and individuals from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

• Assess the communication access needs of the request and negotiate for optimum conditions to ensure effective services.

• Use professional discretion regarding assignments to avoid conflict of interest, unconscious bias and ensure the interpreter has skills and knowledge for each situation.

• Directly provide in-person and remote interpreting/transliteration services to agency staff, clients/consumers, providers, employers, and members of the public, as appropriate.

• Provide effective interpretation/transliteration services, using languages most readily understood by those using these services.

• Confer with fellow interpreters when working as a team, holding joint responsibility for the message.

• Be proficient with remote conferencing platforms commonly used by MRC and sister agencies, including Teams, Zoom, FaceTime and WebEx.

• Actively engage in reflective practice with colleagues to ensure best practices in ethical, linguistic, and cultural competencies.

• Coordinate Interpreting and CART Services for staff and clients upon request.

• Maintain records of interpreting and CART services provided in accordance with applicable billing and record requirements.

• Maintain and develop relationships with stakeholders such as MCDHH Interpreter Referral Services, contracted providers of Interpreting and CART services, MRC staff, employers, vendors, and others to ensure effective provision of communication access.

• Share acquired skills and knowledge with other staff interpreters and Deaf Services staff locally, regionally and at the Statewide Deaf Services meetings.

• Under the direction of the Interpreter Supervisor, provide assigned interns with opportunities to observe and practice interpreter skills in the human services setting.

• Provides guidance and training for staff, employers, and other stakeholders regarding communication access.

• Perform other duties as required.

Required Qualifications:

• Knowledge of both formal and informal registers of English and American Sign Language.

• Ability to perform simultaneous and consecutive interpretation.

• Ability to communicate by gestures and other non-verbal modes.

• Ability to work in a team setting and independently.

• Knowledge of the specialized vocabularies for both English and American Sign Languages such as technical, medical, scientific, etc.

• Ability to establish rapport with persons from different ethnic, cultural and/or economic backgrounds and deal tactfully with others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experienced in the use technology required for the job, including technology critical for remote work (e.g., Zoom, Outlook calendar, Teams, etc.).

• Strong understanding of the Code of Ethics established by the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.

• Excellent written, oral, and digital communication skills.

• Proficient usage of Microsoft Office products including Excel and Outlook and other software programs.

About the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission:

The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) promotes equality, empowerment, and independence of individuals with disabilities. These goals are achieved through enhancing and encouraging personal choice and the right to succeed or fail in the pursuit of independence and employment in the community. The MRC provides comprehensive services to people with disabilities that maximize their quality of life and economic self-sufficiency in the community.

For more information about our agency and programs visit: www.mass.gov/mrc

Pre-Offer Process:

A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://www.mass.gov/hhs/cori and click on "Information for Job Applicants."

As part of the hiring process, the Office of Human Resources will be verifying any college-level degrees conferred to the selected candidate. Additionally, any licensure required for the position will be verified. Information provided as part of the hiring process is subject to the Massachusetts Public Record Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.

• Education, licensure, and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines.

Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.

If you require assistance with the application/interview process and would like to request an ADA accommodation, please click on the link and complete the Reasonable Accommodation Online Request Form.

For questions regarding this requisition, please contact the Executive Office of Health and Human Services Human Resources at 1-800-510-4122 and select option 2.

Applicants should upload a cover letter and resume for the Interpreter for Deaf and Hard of Hearing A/B requisition.

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

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