Sr Manager Localization Operations

About the job

We are seeking a Sr. Localization Manager, reporting directly to the Globalization Director, to provide leadership for all our localization operations, which include teams in Europe and Asia Pacific. In this role, you will work closely with the Localization teams in Europe and Asia Pacific, Development, Product Management and other partners to ensure the delivery of premier localized products and services to our international customers. You will also advocate for localization best practices with senior leadership and serve as a key resource for departments across the organization regarding questions around localization. The ideal candidate is working in the US and has flexibility to be able to work with teams in different time zones.

As a Sr Localization Manager, you will:

• Oversee the localization of company software products, web content, user interface elements and other technical or product documentation.
• Provide strong leadership and set direction for the Asian and European localization teams while ensuring excellent tactical execution.
• Drive alignment and collaboration in localization processes, tools and workflows to support standardization across all languages.
• Lead a functional team of localization engineers and testers to deliver localization in 25 plus languages simultaneously, collaborating across geographies and functions.
• Develop metrics to identify and diagnose trends, patterns, and problems around localization
• Advance Machine Translation efforts in alignment with other stakeholders.
• Work with product development, marketing and other internal teams to determine localization requirements.
• Advocate on behalf of the Localization team, building partnerships with key organizations including Development, Testing and Product Management
• Manage all phases of product localization including project definition, design execution, solutions development and tools release, and translation processes
• Engage with upper management in major decisions and complex issues.
• Contribute to the development of current best practices and emerging trends.
• Set the strategic direction of a department of unit to achieve long term goals. Provides guidance to direct reports in achieving departmental goals. Recommends modifications or improvements to operating procedures.
• Proactively lead and solicit the involvement of other project stakeholders (e.g. managers, developers, user interface and visual designers, product managers) to ensure implementation satisfies functional requirements and is consistent with established R&D standards.
• Establish and prioritize group or department responsibilities and objectives relative to division and corporate goals and objectives.
• Manage all aspects of the department including teamwork, performance management, feedback, professional growth through collaboration with SAS human resources, SAS education, legal, finance and executive leadership.
• Select, develop, and evaluate employees to ensure an efficient operation of the function.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Business, Computer Science or related field
• Twelve years of professional Product Localization. Five years of experience in a leadership role including two years in a formal management role.
• Solid track record of leading a localization team in charge of customer-facing features for software, mobile apps, websites, documentation.
• Passion for delivering the best customer experience globally, and experience leading a team delivering on a large number of languages simultaneously.
• In-depth knowledge of Localization QA processes, automation and standard methodologies, with the ability to implement new improved standards.
• Capable of influencing product, design and other cross-functional teams, voicing international concerns early in the development process.
• Ability to lead projects and adapt to changing priorities and deadlines, while contributing to the operational efficiency of our initiatives.
• Forward thinker and planner with strong decision-making ability, able to spot gaps in an approach or plan
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, global team environment
• Ability to adjust working hours to accommodate a variety of time zones
• Experience with Translation Management Systems (TMS) tools, workflows and metrics
• Experience with Automated Localization testing frameworks, such as: Robot Framework and Playwright
• Experience with Neural Machine Translation, such as: Google AutoML
• Experience with GitHub Enterprise required
• Proficiency in JIRA and Confluence required
• Proficiency in English and at least one other language

• Our Recreation and Fitness center offers recorded fitness classes to help you fit movement into your day.
• Your well-being matters, and that’s why we support all dimensions of your well-being by offering programs that reduce stress and distractions to help you remain healthy and productive.
• Fantastic medical benefit offerings and 401k options

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights. Also view the Pay Transparency notice.