WSET's purpose is to empower people through inspiring learning experiences all over the world. We offer a comprehensive suite of globally recognised qualifications covering wines, spirits and sake.

We are the world’s leading provider of qualifications in wines, spirits, beer and sake, delivering over 140,000 exams each year to candidates in over 70 countries via our network of Approved Programme Providers (APPs).

WSET is a global organisation and we are proud to have people who work for us all over the world. We have people in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA as well as the UK.

The successful applicant will contribute to a culture of integrity, empowerment, dynamism, and inclusivity within WSET.

We are looking for an experienced, dynamic, and highly motivated Localisation Programme Manager to join our team on a maternity cover basis. This role is responsible for overseeing all localisation projects across WSET, including our educational materials, external communications, exams, and brand and marketing content. The localisation team plays a vital role in ensuring our educational materials are effectively adapted for diverse international markets while remaining examinable. The successful candidate will lead efforts to make WSET's content accessible and culturally relevant to students and professionals worldwide. A key focus and responsibilities will be:

Programme management

• Oversee the end-to-end localisation process, from planning and budgeting to execution and delivery, for multiple localisation projects across various content types, including education, e-learning, digital, product, brand, marketing, and corporate materials.
• Develop and implement localisation strategies that align with overall business goals and objectives.
• Manage relationships with external localisation vendors, ensuring quality and timely delivery of translated content.
• Coordinate with internal teams, including marketing, product development and customer support, to ensure cohesive and effective localisation efforts.
• Monitor and report on the performance of localisation projects, providing insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Identify and implement best practices to streamline localisation workflows and improve efficiency.
• Leverage technology tools, including translation management systems (TMS), ideally XTM, and content management systems (CMS), to enhance localisation processes.
• Oversee localisation budgets, ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts and evaluate performance.
• Use data-driven insights to identify opportunities for improvement and inform decision-making.
• Oversee the errors management process to ensure we are streamlined to record the errors and create correction documents (addenda) before each academic year.
• Respond in a timely and professional manner to queries concerning localisation accuracy of WSET materials as required by the Head of Product Planning and Content Operations.
• Contribute to the successful overall operation of WSET by undertaking such other tasks as may from time to time be requested.

Team leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of localisation project manager(s) and coordinator(s).
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment, promoting continuous learning and development.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members.
• Identify and address any skill gaps within the team, implementing training and development programmes as needed.
• Manage localisation resource and ensure team members have access to the necessary tools, technology and training to perform their duties effectively.

Market research

• Industry insights: Stay informed about localisation industry trends and technological advancements, leveraging this knowledge to make informed decisions for the ongoing localisation strategy.

Quality assurance

• Ensure that all localised content meets the relevant standards of quality and accuracy.
• Collaborate with external localisation vendors to ensure timely and accurate project delivery and regular quality alignment.
• Implement and maintain quality assurance processes, including linguistic reviews and testing, to ensure consistency and correctness across all languages.
• Work closely with in-country reviewers and stakeholders to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments to content.
• Lead LQA programme improvement and act on LQA findings, ensuring the feedback on vendor performance and localisation quality are executed accordingly.

Advocating the localisation team

• Act as a ‘localisation ambassador’ within the organisation: Raise awareness among other teams about the factors that impact on localisation costs and effectiveness.
• Promote best practice: Advocate for best practice and foster collaboration to improve cross-functional teamwork, ultimately contributing to cost-effectiveness and smoother operations.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Alignment with teams: Collaborate effectively with various departments, such as marketing, learning design, and qualifications, to ensure that localisation efforts support and align with the overall goals and initiatives of each department.
• Effective communication: Foster clear and open communication channels to facilitate cross-functional collaboration and effective sharing of insights.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Capable of envisioning the big picture and executing strategic plans effectively.
• Strong understanding of localisation tools and technologies, including AI, MT, CAT tools, TMS and QA tools
• Strong leadership and team management skills, with a focus on mentoring and developing team members
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Problem-solving capabilities
• Proven abilities in project planning and resource and risk management
• Detail-orientated
• Capability to explain very complex issues to a wider cross-functional team who may not have a deep understanding of localisation.
• Ability to work independently
• Line management experience

Desirable criteria:

• Bachelor's degree (in localisation, linguistics or other related field) or equivalent. Proven record of managing a variety of file formats and content types, such as learning management systems, exams, digital (websites/mobile apps) and multimedia
• Proven track record of successfully managing large-scale localisation projects across multiple languages and regions
• Fluent in a second language in any of the following languages: German, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese

UK Benefits  

Annual Leave - 27 days pa + public holidays, increases with service; ability to buy/sell 5 days

Pension (Generous options available after three months)

Health insurance (after three months):

Vitality scheme - post probation - Access to virtual GP appointments, Rewards include Caffe Nero drinks, Cinema Tickets, Apple Watch, Cash Back on Waitrose shopping, 75% off at Champneys, 6 month subscription with HeadSpace, Discounted Weight Watchers membership and gyms, Smoking Cessation day worth £300 and half price health screens

Eye voucher scheme

Food and drink in the office

Nespresso coffee makers and a range of other drinks, fruit, cereals, soups

Season ticket & gym membership loan scheme

Group income protection scheme

EAP

24/7 confidential help and support from trained counsellors and advisors

Death in service

4x annual salary paid to nominees with associated bereavement support for family

Enhanced family friendly leave and pay

Celebration vouchers

Cycle2Work scheme

Discretionary bonus

Development - WSET's in-house training and qualifications in Wines, Spirits, Sake and Beer as well as other professional development opportunities

Any offer of employment or your ongoing employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a thorough background check by an independent third party. NB - If you currently work for one of WSET's APPs (Approved Programme Provider), you may not be eligible to apply for this role subject to your future career plans and the nature of that role. If you work for an APP either in a self-employed or employed capacity and would like to discuss your eligibility, please contact the hiring manager.