This is a Promotional and Open Competitive Recruitment, which will result in two eligibility lists.
Sign Language Interpreter III
WELCOME TO SANTA MONICA COLLEGE! As a Sign Language Interpreter III, you will be a pillar of support for our D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students by facilitating communication and the free exchange of ideas. This position will interpret and transliterate using American Sign Language/Signed English for D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in a variety of classes, including highly technical lecture content requiring specialized signs, and college-related activities and events. This position is scheduled to work 40 hours per week, 11 months per year on Santa Monica College campuses. Please note that work schedules will vary depending on the needs of students; incumbents will receive an additional 5% beyond the base pay listed due to variable work hours.
IMPORTANT: Due to the nature of work performed and student interaction required, this position will be exclusively in-person. Unfortunately, remote work options are not available for this role.
Please note that all candidates must have authorization to work in the United States; the District does not have the ability to provide sponsorship.
What You Will Bring to the College
Our ideal candidate will possess:
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Prior experience interpreting in a higher education setting, including interpreting for high level courses such as those involving technical or specialized terminology.
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NIC, RID, or NAD national certification.
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A proven history of continuous learning and skill development in the field of sign language interpreting.
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Knowledge of, and experience applying, related laws and professional codes of conduct in a higher education setting to ensure ethical and appropriate decision making and adherence to ethical standards.
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The ability to forge and maintain effective relationships with coworkers, faculty, students, and other stakeholders, and navigate conflicts with tact and discretion.
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Ability to exercise flexibility, initiative, and judgment in the face of a changing work environment, such as last-minute scheduling changes or requests to perform routine clerical duties, as needed, to ensure office coverage.
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Ability to provide mentorship and technical guidance to lower-level interpreters.
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Work effectively as part of a team, including in team interpreting environments.
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Basic proficiency with standard computer applications and the ability to learn new systems.
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Willingness to travel to satellite SMC campuses, as needed, to interpret for students.
Why Work at SMC?
At SMC, you will work beside a diverse group of colleagues who leverage their combined talents and passions to accomplish something great. No matter what department you are in, or what job you have, your contributions will be critical to helping our students fulfill their dreams - landing that new job, or breaking through the cycle of poverty.
Some details about us:
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We are currently the number one transfer college to UCLA, USC, the University of California system, and Loyola Marymount University
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We are dedicated to sustainable practices and are accessible via environmentally-friendly transportation options, including the Expo Line and Big Blue Bus.
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We are one of the select community colleges in California approved to award a Bachelor's degree. SMC currently awards a Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design.
Please visit
www.smc.edu/aboutsmc to learn more about us and why we are
Proud to Be SMC!
Benefits
We value our employees as people, and recognize the value of work-life balance, the health of you and your family, and professional development. We offer a variety of benefits and perks to support new members of our team, including:
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18 paid holidays*
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12 paid vacation days*
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12 paid illness days*
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Fully paid medical, dental, and vision-care coverage (including eligible dependents)
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Free mental health assistance through the Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) program.
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Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CALPERS)
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5% increase in base pay for every 5 years worked with SMC, up to 40 years of service.
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Waived tuition fees for classes taken at Santa Monica College.
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Reimbursement for related classes, conferences or workshops to empower your professional development.
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Free Big Blue Bus access and monthly incentives for eligible employees through the Sustainable Transportation Incentive Program
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CSEA Chapter 36 Union Membership Option
- Benefits, holidays, vacation, and illness days listed above assume a 40-hours per week, 12 months per year schedule. Benefits, vacation and illness days are prorated for other work schedules.
Salary Placement
New Employees: Generally, new employees start at the first step on the salary schedule. A new permanent classified employee may request a higher salary placement based on recruitment issues and/or additional training and experience which greatly exceeds the minimum requirements. Please note that salary placement above the third step requires additional approvals by Santa Monica College executive staff.
Current Employees: Upon promotion, the new salary for a current, permanent employee is based on Merit Rule 12.2.7. In accordance with this rule, employees are entitled to at least a one-step (5%) salary increase, and may be eligible for advanced step placement in accordance with established criteria.
About the Selection Process
The selection process tentatively consists of a Qualifications Appraisal Interview and Technical Signing Exercise (weighted 100%), which may be preceded by a Training & Experience Evaluation (pass/fail). Candidates must be successful on all test parts to be placed on the eligibility list. Two separate eligibility lists will be created from this recruitment: one for promotional candidates and one for external candidates. The promotional list will be used first, and must be exhausted before we can hire external candidates to fill vacant positions.
The eligibility list created from this recruitment will be used to fill any vacancies that occur during the one year life of the eligibility list, including full-time and/or part-time, permanent and/or temporary positions.
Santa Monica College reserves the right to modify the stated test components and weights prior to the administration of any test.
Certain positions within this classification may require employees to routinely and consistently read, speak, and/or write using a language other than English. Testing of eligible candidates’ bilingual proficiency will occur, as needed, as the District identifies positions that require this skill.
Communication for this recruitment will be via e-mail. You must check your e-mail on a regular basis to be informed of your status for this recruitment.
Test Retake Policy
Based on the District’s hiring needs, we may administer multiple recruitments for this job classification (or a related job classification that uses the same test(s)) within the next several months.
Candidates must wait a period of 90 calendar days between testing appointments before retesting. Candidates who are ineligible to participate in an upcoming test or interview due to the provided retake period will be notified via email, and will have their highest valid score(s) on any non-weighted (pass/fail) test parts applied toward that recruitment.
The Santa Monica Community College District is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants for employment, as well as District employees, shall have full and equal access to employment opportunity. No person shall be subjected to unlawful discrimination in any program or activity of the District. The District's Board Policy 3120 (Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment) may be accessed at: http://bit.ly/smc-hr-bp3120 (Download PDF reader).
Equity Statement
"Santa Monica College encourages candidates that are equity-minded to apply. SMC is a minority-serving, Hispanic-serving institution. We actively seek to attract candidates from minority groups that value equity, diversity, and inclusion. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are built into the culture at SMC, and are an essential component of the work that we do. SMC is committed to racial and socioeconomic diversity as it is a reflection of our student population and we strive to hire candidates that share this commitment."
Interprets and facilitates communication between deaf and hard of hearing students and hearing faculty, staff and students in classes, meetings, activities, campus events, and emergencies on campus; participates in team interpreting situations.*
Conveys the meaning and spirit of the hearing speaker using American Sign Language or signed English and conveys verbally the meaning and spirit of the deaf or hard of hearing signer.*
Adheres to Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct in the performance of all duties.
Observes and teams with other interpreters; mentors and provides technical sign support and ethical advisement to Sign Language Interpreters I and II.
Maintains harmonious operating conditions at all times while servicing a multicultural and multiethnic student population.
Responds to student difficulties and concerns with understanding and sensitivity.
Assists the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Supervisor with scheduling, payroll, activity planning for deaf and hard of hearing students, and related program functions.
Provides technical sign support and ethical advisement.
Reads text, handouts, dictionaries, and online material to gain familiarity with and understanding of course content; prepares translation of difficult to interpret words and phrases.*
Researches and collects existing technical signs and establishes special signs and/or vocabulary for uncommon scientific/technical terms or concepts in order to consistently update and maintain the office dictionary of technical signs.
Utilizes resources to increase knowledge of American Sign Language, proper interpreting procedures, Deaf Culture, and specialized vocabulary.
Proctors exams as necessary.
May perform routine clerical duties when not assigned to perform interpreting work, such as reception, answering phones, scheduling student appointments, responding to emails, filing, and photocopying.
May attend workshops and conferences to improve and maintain interpreting skill level and keeps abreast of interpreting trends by studying specialized ASL vocabulary and other materials.
Performs other related duties as requested or assigned.
Examples of essential duties are descriptive and not restrictive in nature and are generally listed in descending order of importance.
- Duty change pending PC approval