Technical Localization Consultant

Job Title        Technical Localization Consultant Location        Remote Duration     2 months /Contract JOB DESCRIPTION Position - Technical Localization Consultant Location - San Francisco (Remote) Duration: Contract Hours: 20-40 hours/week The localization team is swamped and they need a technical person to come in and audit the tech/process they have going on then provide a roadmap. Reddit is totally fine if this person has other work going on. MEETING NOTES WITH MANAGER: • Reddit has an immediate need for a Localization specialist with a technical background. • Need someone to start ASAP • Their Localization team is swamped • Going to be someone who used to be an engineer or who has translated to an software engineer role. • Will need to do an audit on their best practices • Reddit is looking to upgrade their CMS system. • Typically, localization people are coming from vendor side. Reddit however needs someone from the client side. Working with integrating wickets. • They want someone who is technical but also make recommendations. • Work hours will progress. Early stage. Working their own hours. Over time they will need to work core Reddit hours and be available to meet with teams. • 20-40 hours a week over 8 weeks. • A successful project would be creating guidelines and a roadmap for them moving • TMS keywords to search (recommended from manager - Smartlink. Phrase and XTM. Travas. Oral Server. Interview Screening is light. Shortlist 2-3 candidate then send to someone else for deeper dive Job Details: Technical Localization Consultant We are seeking a senior-level Technical Localization Consultant to conduct a comprehensive audit of our end-to-end localization pipeline and deliver strategic, data-driven recommendations. This role will partner closely with engineering, product, design, and localization teams to identify technical gaps, optimize workflows, and guide the evaluation and selection of a new Translation Management System (TMS). Responsibilities: Pipeline Audit & Optimization Strategy • Conduct a deep-dive technical audit of the current localization pipeline, including source code management, content delivery systems, CMS integrations, and internal tooling. • Partner with development, product, design, and localization stakeholders to map technical dependencies, identify bottlenecks, and surface workflow inefficiencies. • Assess existing product architecture and codebases for adherence to internationalization (i18n) best practices, identifying technical debt and scalability risks. • Produce a comprehensive audit report outlining findings, recommended improvements, and quantified ROI, including potential system upgrades or TMS replacement. Deliverables must be suitable for executive-level presentation. TMS Evaluation & Selection • Collaborate with the Localization Manager to define detailed technical and operational requirements for a future-state TMS, with emphasis on APIs, automation, scalability, and system integrations. • Technically evaluate current and alternative TMS platforms, including proof-of-concept testing for key integrations (e.g., GitHub, Zendesk, HubSpot). • Deliver an objective, data-driven recommendation for TMS selection based on technical fit, long-term scalability, and implementation complexity. Must-Have Requirements: • 5–7+ years of hands-on experience as a Technical Localization Consultant, Localization Engineer, or similar role. • Deep expertise in internationalization best practices across web, mobile, and software development (including pluralization, pseudo-localization, bi-directional text, locale-specific formatting, etc.). • Expert-level experience implementing and migrating modern cloud-based TMS platforms (e.g., XTM, Smartling, Phrase, Lokalise). • Strong technical background in API design and integrations (REST/GraphQL), version control (Git), and CI/CD pipelines. • Proven ability to build and present technical business cases with clear, quantifiable ROI to senior leadership. Preferences / Nice-to-Haves: • Experience localizing non-product content such as marketing, support, policy, and high-volume content pipelines. • Hands-on experience with localization file formats including JSON, XLIFF, Gettext, Android XML, and iOS Strings. • Programming experience with Python and/or Go. Familiarity with LitElement or modern web component frameworks.