Senior Editor required

We are looking for a highly experienced editor to help us provide world-class editing and document production support to publishers and public sector organisations worldwide. This is a full-time, permanent role with a 6-month probationary period.

About us: We provide publishing support services to a wide range of organisations including publishers, government departments, and national and international public sector organisations. Our services include copy-editing, substantive editing, writing, design and layout, proofreading, and production management. We have a reputation for delivering high-quality work coupled with attentive, personalised service.

Working closely with the rest of your team, you will review, copy-edit, and rewrite documents such as research articles, policy documents and long-form reports, in the fields of science, medicine, public health, the environment, law, international affairs, and finance and banking, among others. You will check and provide feedback on your colleagues’ editing and writing work as part of our rigorous quality control process.

In addition, as one of our senior staff members, you will manage work projects and be responsible for some of our client contracts. You will be the main point of contact for one or more clients and will be responsible for meeting, and preferably exceeding, their expectations. You will prepare schedules, budgets and quotations for new work and may on occasion travel to represent the company to existing and potential clients.

You will collaborate closely with team managers to allocate your clients’ tasks to more junior colleagues and other team members, providing coaching and training as required. You will be personally responsible for the overall quality of work returned and will provide comprehensive feedback to your colleagues when necessary.

The salary for this post will be in the range £30,000 to £37,500. Successful applicants with copy-editing experience but without significant experience in project management and contract management will begin at the entry level of the grade. All relevant experience and qualifications, such as a postgraduate degree in publishing or relevant subject areas, will be taken into consideration when determining starting salary.

If you have significant experience of the publishing industry, including substantial copy-editing, proofreading and project management experience and a good track record of client management, we may consider you for a more senior role with a salary scale of £33,750 to £41,250. In this role, you will do all the above tasks, and also help managers and directors to grow the company, for example by developing new services or tendering for contracts.

This position is based in our office in Perth. Experienced candidates may, after a period of time, be able to carry out this role partly from home.

About you: For this post you must have a good degree in an academic subject and considerable previous publishing experience. A postgraduate qualification (in publishing or in an academic field) is an advantage.

We are looking for individuals with a strong background in publishing, and in particular we want people with advanced copy-editing and rewriting skills backed up with substantial copy-editing experience. To meet our clients’ requirements, you should have the equivalent of at least 10,000 pages of editing under your belt if your first degree is in a language-related field, or at least 20,000 pages if your degree is in any other area.

Publishing experience in at least one of law, science, medicine, social sciences or humanities is essential, and experience of client contract management is desirable. You will need to have an excellent command of English and be able to understand complex ideas and explain them clearly.

You must also be completely at ease with new technology and be able to make advanced use of software packages such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro. You will need to be productive, well organised and meticulous, and able to solve problems on your own. Enthusiasm, resourcefulness and proven ability are essential. You will be expected to contribute from the start.

You will be an effective communicator, able to liaise appropriately with authors, academic editors, clients and suppliers. You must be comfortable collaborating with and directing others, but you also need to be able to work on your own.

You must be eligible to work in the UK.

How to apply: If you are interested, here is what to do:

• Describe your publishing career and experience and explain why you are suitable for this post.
• Attach a full CV in MS Word or PDF format.
• Include your current salary and/or salary expectations.
• Address your application to Dr Lucy Harrier using our application form. Please let us know where you first saw this vacancy.

Applications close at noon on Friday 7 February 2025. Interviews will take place in Perth in February. The interview will include a short test of your English-language abilities and a 1-hour on-screen editing test. Apply as soon as possible. If we receive strong applications then we may commence interviews sooner than the closing date.

Submit as comprehensive an application as possible. If you don’t explain why you are suitable or supply a full CV you are unlikely to be interviewed. Your cover letter is vital, as it tells us how good you are at conveying information – the core service we provide. It should have impeccable spelling and grammar. Tell us what you can offer, not just how you expect to benefit from the job.

Please try not to ask us questions that have been answered in this list. Note that possessing a degree in a publishing or academic subject is essential.