Senior Copy Editor

Role

Senior Copy Editor

Salary / Rate

£25-35 per hour inside IR35

Location

Mainly onsite, multiple locations available.

Office locations include Newport, Edinburgh, Fareham, and Darlington – with a preference for Edinburgh or Newport.

Contract Duration

12-month contract, with potential to extend. Inside IR35 – will be based on an Umbrella solution.

We are currently looking for a Senior Copy Editor for our government client. The role is based mainly on site, with 4 days per week in the office and the remainder of the week working remotely. There is no further flexibility with expected time on site.

Essential Skills / Experience Required

• Degree or equivalent experience in English, Journalism, Communications or a related field with proven experience in copy editing.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills – able to produce a clear narrative with a keen eye for detail and a strong command of grammar and style.
• Experience of developing and aligning to a corporate voice.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively speak and collaborate with diverse teams and external stakeholders.
• Experience delivering writing training and workshops.

Desirable

• Experience supporting broader communication team activities such as digital publishing or media enquiries, or an openness to contribute to these activities.
• Previous experience working with scientific / technical authors.
• Awareness of the UK Statistics Code of Practice.

Role / Responsibilities

• Edit and proofread papers, reports, and publications to ensure a clear narrative, accuracy, grammar, and style conformity.
• Assist with drafting media, blogs and digital content and website publishing tasks to help a small communications team manage peaks and troughs.
• Develop training assets and deliver training programs and workshops to improve the writing skills of staff members.
• Provide one‑on‑one coaching and feedback to writers, helping them refine their writing style and communication.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce the organisation\’s style guide, ensuring consistency in all written materials, including embedding a common voice that aligns with organisational values and the new strategy.
• Collaborate with the team to enhance the overall quality and readability of work.
• Ensure that any copy is accessible and aligns with current accessibility guidelines.
• Assess the writing needs of the organisation and implement strategies to address them effectively.
• Work closely with subject matter experts to ensure the messages are clear and accessible, ensuring written regulatory work has the desired impact.
• Conduct content reviews to identify opportunities for enhancing the impact and clarity of written materials.
• Ensure that all communications adhere to best practice.
• Be a key member of the wider Communications Team, to support forward planning, wider digital communications, and engagement activities.

If you are interested in the above role, please click Apply Now and send a CV for quick review.

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, Circle and our Client guarantee to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. Our client is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant and as such, they guarantee to interview all veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. If you qualify, please notify us on igs [at] circlerecruitment [dot] com. We will be in touch to discuss your suitability and arrange your guaranteed interview.

Should you require reasonable adjustments at any point during the recruitment process or if there is a better way for us to communicate, please let us know.