Copy Editor - College of ACES, Extension Marketing and Communications

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Supports statewide marketing and communications efforts for Illinois Extension by reviewing and editing a variety of print and digital communications materials to ensure accuracy, clarity, consistency, accessibility, and adherence to organizational style standards. Serves as a subject matter expert in Associated Press (AP) style and works collaboratively with communications professionals to give constructive feedback to writers with varying styles and subject matter.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, communications, public relations, or a closely related field.
Two (2) years (24 months) of professional work experience in marketing, public relations, communications, brand management, or a related professional area.
Demonstrated experience managing publication files with desktop publishing software such as Adobe InDesign.
Copyediting and proofreading experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience editing content across print, digital, and social media platforms for all audiences with a wide range of backgrounds, professions, and lived experiences.
Five years of professional experience in editing, proofreading, journalism, communications, publishing, marketing, public relations, or a related field, with demonstrated ability to produce, edit, and refine clear, accurate, audience-focused content.
Familiarity with higher education, University of Illinois Extension, nonprofit, government, scientific, or public-sector communications.

Responsibilities

Copy edit, proofread, and review assigned communications materials, including news releases, feature stories, reports, marketing materials, website content, email communications, social media content, presentations, and publications.
Write and edit occasional original communications materials, including news releases, feature stories, reports, and web content, to support team and organizational priorities, ensuring alignment with institutional voice, style, and strategic messaging.
Ensure consistency in tone, brand representation, grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage, formatting, and style across communications materials.
Review content for clarity, readability, accuracy, accessibility, and audience appropriateness.
Assist with the development and maintenance of editorial guidelines, style resources, and quality assurance processes.
Manage multiple assignments simultaneously and meet established deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Apply advanced knowledge of the current edition of the Associated Press Stylebook and organizational style standards.
Monitor updates to AP style and emerging editorial best practices and communicate relevant changes to team stakeholders.
Perform other duties as assigned.