Senior Technical Editor

Venesco•Mc Lean, VA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role serves as the editorial authority for a Federal highway research publications program, overseeing the end-to-end editorial process for high-stakes technical documentation. The Senior Technical Editor will set and enforce stylistic consistency, mentor a team of technical editors and writers, and transform raw research data and engineering language into authoritative documents that meet Federal publishing standards. The subject matter includes highway safety and operations, autonomous vehicles, human factors, roadway design, roadway materials, bridge engineering, and emerging surface transportation technologies. Products range from one-page briefs to complex documents exceeding 500 pages. This position requires expert-level command of the GPO Style Manual and an uncompromising eye for detail. The team is expected to work independently, managing the full lifecycle of a document from outline to final publication, including online and web publishing.

Requirements

Master's degree in English, Journalism, or a technical field.
10 or more years of professional editorial experience, including supervisory and project management experience.
Expert-level command of the U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual.
Demonstrated experience editing complex technical documentation — research reports, technical manuals, or scientific publications.
Demonstrated experience ensuring Section 508 accessibility compliance in published content.
Superior mastery of English grammar, punctuation, and typography.
Proven ability to translate engineering and research language into content suitable for both technical audiences and public transparency.
Meticulous attention to formatting, referencing, and copyright compliance.
Working knowledge of online and web publishing workflows and content management systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience in transportation, especially highway and surface transportation research.
Experience in a Federal publishing environment or with a scientific or technical society press.
Experience with the Chicago Manual of Style as a secondary authority.
Experience mentoring or supervising a team of editors.

Responsibilities

Oversee the entire editorial process for high-stakes technical documentation across the program.
Direct editorial staff alongside the Project Manager — assign tasks and ensure timely, accurate completion.
Mentor junior editors and writers and build consistency of practice across the team.
Perform and supervise substantive editing, copyediting, proofreading, rephrasing, reformatting, and rewriting for logical flow, coherency, and organizational structure.
Verify technical accuracy of content, schematics, and data tables, and ensure they integrate seamlessly with narrative text.
Conduct reference checking, fact checking, and verification of copyrights, product names, and trademarks.
Ensure every document conforms to the current TFHRC RD&T Communication Reference Guide and the GPO Style Manual, with the Chicago Manual of Style governing anything those two do not cover.
Ensure all content meets Section 508 accessibility requirements, including alternative text for non-text elements.
Manage copyright and permission clearances, model release forms, and publication forms.
Serve as the quality gate for all publications and documents produced under the program.
Apply version control and quality assurance across every stage of editing, writing, layout, and document production.
Support the Quality Control Plan — identify defects, prevent recurrence, and report status to the client.
Manage documents from outline through final publication, including electronic and print production and web publishing.
Facilitate and monitor internal review processes for publications, e-newsletters, and internal communications.
Coordinate review and approval with technical subject matter experts, management, the Office of Chief Counsel, and the Office of Public Affairs.