Application Specialist

Job Purpose

Customer Engagement – Mission Statement

Our mission is to create exceptional experiences for RWS customers and internal teams by delivering award winning, reliable, insightful, and proactive technical expertise. We empower customers and internal teams to succeed by resolving issues with excellence, guiding them through product setup & smooth adoption. We constantly challenge and optimise our processes through AI and modern tooling. All our actions contribute to building long‑term trust.

About the role

This is a hands-on position that requires an excellent communicator with a solid ability to work as a team. The candidate will be applying deep technical knowledge to supply technical support, design and implement solution to a wide variety or internal and external technology users. The Application Specialist will be the main point of contact for technical related matters and engage with other RWS Departments as required to ensure customer satisfaction

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated and will preferably have experience in a similar role.

About Product & Technology

Product & Technology plays a pivotal role in aligning the organization with its strategic objectives and enhancing shareholder value. Product & Technology is responsible for establishing unified standards and governance practices throughout the company. Additionally, we oversee the development and maintenance of core applications essential for the seamless operation of various functions across the organization. We are committed to driving and executing future roadmaps that are in line with the overall strategic direction of RWS. 

With a global reach, Product & Technology provides support services to over 7500 end users worldwide. We take pride in managing the information security operation and safeguarding all our assets. Our core functions encompass Enterprise & Technical Architecture, Network & Voice, Infrastructure, Service Delivery, Service Operations, Data & Analytics, Security & Quality Compliance, Transformation, Application Development, Enterprise Platforms, With a dedicated team of over 500 staff, Product & Technology ensures a strong presence across all regions, enabling efficient and effective support to our global operations.

Job Overview

Key Responsibilities

Implementation and Configuration activities:

• Assess and document the areas for process optimisations for assigned accounts through a structured dialogue with clients and PJMs. Areas of focus include workflow definitions, user roles and rights, languages and derivatives, costing formulas, organisation structures, vendor configurations, content sources and file types, translation memory management strategy (sequencing etc), terminology management strategy (sequencing etc), reporting requirements, broker script requirements.
• Full responsibility of the design and delivery of the technical configuration including testing as agreed with technology users

• Assess and monitor anticipated costs for key items such as implementation of the solution, Professional Services (if applicable) and contribute to document those costs in Statement of Work If required
• Document functional specifications to be used by developers to deliver customisations

Process and Knowledge Building activities

• Keep abreast of the latest localization processes and ensure latest Technology certification levels at all time (RWS Studio, RWS TMS, etc…)
• Ensures that relevant project documentation is updated and maintained and that changes are communicated to the extended project team

Communication and Relationships activities:

• Answer user questions about the system

• Provide user training to internal or external contacts including, if necessary, translators, project managers, job creators and client reviewers. Ensure that training is thorough and documented through written and recorded training materials to maximise self-learning and self-help by the users after training.

• Inform users of New technology Releases and advise on best course of actions (Upgrade implementation or advise using the current version in case of risks clearly communicated to the users)
• Builds trustful relationships with peers and technology users alike by attending account meetings for example and identify efficiency gains on the current process such as adding/removing translation workflow steps or ways to ensure that support cases capture all the information required
• Communication of timelines to users and monitor the status of ongoing commitments

Additional Responsibilities (Optional)

At times, employees will be required to perform various people management responsibilities.  The specific responsibilities and the time allocated to each are determined on a case-by-case basis based on business needs. People management responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Resource scheduling – arranges back-ups, manages overtime and absences, administrative tasks to manage paid leaves and vacations
• Monitoring and reporting on people KPIs – overtime hours, time/utilization status against project codes/tasks.  Facilitates local resources – obtains PCs/required equipment, coordinates systems access, arranges desk/office space
• Performance Management
• Overtime/utilisation – monitors overtime/utilisation via reports, identifies issues/causes of excessive overtime and takes/recommends corrective action.

• Goals and objectives – helps to set and/or clarify performance objectives.
• Feedback and coaching – provides on-going feedback and coaching to improve performance, identifies and addresses/escalates performance issues. Appraisals – provides input on performance review.
• Learning – identifies required training for new and existing team members, helps to secure learning programs/resources, co-ordinates the delivery of on-site and/or virtual learning.
• Provide feedback and suggestions on appropriate developmental activities, coordinates on-the-job development, and facilitates networking and participation in developmental projects.
• Staff planning – identifies resourcing issues and raises to management, helps to create accurate staffing plans.
• Recruitment – interviews candidates, participates in recruitment activities such as job fairs and provides input on recruitment advertisements.
• On-boarding – mentors new hires, administers new hire process, ensures new hire has necessary equipment in a timely fashion, coordinates learning, and arranges introductory meetings with colleagues.

What to bring

• Acute attention to details
• Reflect, analyse and make suggestions on existing processes to increase the overall efficiency
• Advanced level of diplomacy and negotiation skills
• Proven methodical problem solving skills
• Keen interest for technology
• Advanced Hardware and networking knowledge
• Good understanding of current content creation tools and files types (XML, HTML, SGML derivatives, MS Office, FrameMaker and other current or proprietary file types)
• Incident Management Portal experience (Salesforce, BMC, etc…)
• Advanced time management skills

Nice to have

• Programming knowledge

• SQL Knowledge
• HTML and XML  fundamentals
• Previous CAT Tool experience
• Knowledge of localisation processes
• Scripting, Macros or programming skills (C,.Net Framework)
• Technical consulting experience

You will be a great fit if

• You like a challenging but rewarding fast-paced environment
• You love working with some of the top global brands
• You love finding solutions to complex problems
• You are willing to develop your technical skills

You like communication to a wide range of audiences (end users, RWS Senior management, etc..)

Education and experience

• University Degree

• IT related qualification or experience

Life at RWS

Life at RWS - If you like the idea of working with smart people who are passionate about growing the value of ideas, data and content by making sure organizations are understood, then you’ll love life at RWS. 

Our purpose is to unlock global understanding. This means our work fundamentally recognizes the value of every language and culture. So, we celebrate difference, we are inclusive and believe that diversity makes us strong. We want every employee to grow as an individual and excel in their career. 

In return, we expect all our people to live by the values that unite us: to partner, putting clients fist and winning together, to pioneer, innovating fearlessly and leading with vision and courage, to progress, aiming high and growing through actions and to deliver, owning the outcome and building trust with our colleagues and clients.

RWS embraces DEI and promotes equal opportunity, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. RWS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at RWS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. RWS will not tolerate discrimination based on any of these characteristics. 

RWS Values 

Get the 3Ps right – Partner, Pioneer, Progress – and we´ll Deliver together as RWS.

Recruitment Agencies: RWS Holdings PLC does not accept agency resumes.  Please do not forward any unsolicited resumes to any RWS employees.  Any unsolicited resume received will be treated as the property of RWS and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such resume will be considered null and void.