Director, Localization

Project Management Institute

About The Position

The Director of Localization owns the global strategy, operating model, and execution for delivering high-quality, scalable multilingual experiences across products and content. This role leads localization as a strategic capability, ensuring content, assessments, and learning tools are effectively translated and culturally adapted for global audiences. The position requires expertise in AI driven translation technologies, localization operations, and organizational leadership to improve quality, speed, and cost at scale.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in product management, localization, internationalization, or a related field, with at least 5+ years leading localization programs or teams at scale.
Demonstrated success building or leading a centralized localization or translation capability across multiple product lines or business units.
Strong understanding of NLP, AI-driven translation models, localization workflows, and translation management systems.
Hands-on experience with leading localization and machine translation tools such as DeepL, Lilt, Smartling, Phrase, XTM Cloud, Azure Speech AI, or Amazon Translate.
Proven ability to scale localization in B2B and B2C environments while balancing cost, quality, speed, and user experience.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience using experimentation, A/B testing, and data insights to inform decisions.
Excellent communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders across global teams.
Deep knowledge of cultural sensitivities, linguistic nuance, internationalization best practices, and accessibility considerations.
Track record of expanding multilingual reach and improving language accessibility through strategic product and operational initiatives.

Responsibilities

Define and own the multi-year localization and machine translation strategy, including operating model, governance, and roadmap for global products and content.
Lead and develop a high-performing localization organization, including product managers, product owners, and key vendor relationships.
Build and mature a translations Center of Excellence that drives capability development, repeatable standards, and operational excellence across the company.
Partner with leaders across product, engineering, design, linguistics, data science, content, learning, and certification teams to align localization priorities with business goals.
Own the strategy for AI-driven translation and localization platforms, including machine translation, large language models, translation management systems, and real-time translation capabilities.
Evaluate, select, and manage the right mix of internal workflows, automation, and external vendors such as DeepL, Lilt, Smartling, Phrase, XTM Cloud, Azure Speech AI, and Amazon Translate.
Establish enterprise-wide frameworks for translation quality, consistency, cultural relevance, and accessibility compliance.
Implement automated and manual QA processes, including linguistic validation, usability testing, and performance monitoring for localized experiences.
Define and track KPIs related to language coverage, translation accuracy, cycle time, cost efficiency, and user engagement to drive continuous improvement.
Optimize end-to-end workflows for translation, review, deployment, and governance, identifying bottlenecks and scaling automation where appropriate.
Lead internal and external stakeholder management across business teams and localization partners, balancing cost, speed, and quality tradeoffs.
Ensure localized content and experiences align with regulatory, legal, privacy, accessibility, and cultural requirements across target markets.