The Senior Editor is a subject-matter expert responsible for developing accurate, subject-specific content for SRM and its clients. The Senior Editor can function as a content lead on large and small projects to generate content or check the work of other team members in order to maintain quality and ensure adherence to client guidelines. Strong project management skills are essential. This position will report to the Editorial Director of Humanities.

Responsibilities

Writing/Content Development Skills

• Apply a deep understanding of ELA or Social Studies to accurately decide what concepts and difficulty levels are appropriate for material at different grade levels
• Produce clearly worded, logically organized, creative content that is easy for learners to understand and on target in terms of client expectations
• Produce content that aligns with approach, tone, and format of the program/project
• Develop clear, comprehensive templates and guidelines that reflect client requirements
• Effectively incorporate key tenets of learning theory and design
• Apply practical knowledge of what works in the classroom and what teachers expect from a good lesson, item, or activity

Editing/Content Refinement Skills

• Ensure that content from outside vendors or other staff is accurate and contains clear, engaging, and pedagogically sound instruction
• Ensure that content accurately matches guidelines and that approach, tone, and format are consistent across deliverables from multiple writers and/or editors
• Accurately identify and correct grammatical and stylistic errors in others’ materials
• Verify the accuracy of content, both print and digital
• Effectively implement client feedback and strategically communicates it and other directives to others to ensure improving quality on subsequent assignments

Knowledge of Educational Marketplace

• Apply an understanding of what is or isn’t acceptable content based on bias and sensitivity concerns in various markets
• Incorporate state, national, and international standards, as appropriate, into content development
• Maintain an awareness of trends, expectations, and standards of specific client marketplaces in order to keep content as marketable as possible

Leadership Skills

• Collaborate effectively with project manager and other team members to balance competing demands of quality, schedule, and budget
• Confidently direct, coach, and motivate project team members
• Effectively communicate internally and externally, maintaining regular touchpoints with project or team staff
• Solve content problems with sound reasoning around business and marketplace principles
• Promptly answer queries from team or client
• Adapt flexibly to changes in roles and needs on projects
• Proactively identify solutions to issues and work with other team members to prevent problems from becoming roadblocks
• Recognize and escalate issues of scope and approval criteria
• Act as a genuine partner and “thought partner” for clients
• Adjust time-on-task to balance budget and schedule demands with client expectations

Desired Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in English, English Language Arts, Social Studies, or related field
• Minimum of three years of experience in the publishing industry
• Experience with MS Office products; experience with Adobe Acrobat a plus
• Experience with implementing house editorial style guidelines
• Familiarity with Chicago Manual of Style a plus
• Familiarity with the Common Core State Standards; familiarity with the Science of Reading a plus
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Meticulous approach to work and an eye for detail while maintaining a perspective of the totality of the project
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines while maintaining the quality of the product
• Ability to follow explicit instructions consistently but also to exercise good judgement when making work-related decisions
• Excellent communication skills, including writing, proofreading, and speaking
• Ability to quickly learn and master new technologies and processes
• Ability to positively receive and implement constructive feedback
• Ability to collaborate effectively with peers
• Available to travel for work-related commitments a plus