Senior Writer/Editor (Fixed Term)

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a Senior Writer/Editor to join the Technical Communications team at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) for a 4-month part-time, fixed-term assignment. In this role, you will write and edit technical content for reports, the SEI website, blogs, and presentations. You will collaborate with SEI researchers, engineers, and other subject-matter experts to gather complex technical information and prepare it for distribution to different audiences, from technical experts to lay readers. You will manage the content through all stages of the writing process from inception to completion, including drafting stages, but also through multi-author editing stages where you will play a central role in ensuring clarity, optimal organization, unity of voice, grammatical correctness, and adherence to style standards.

Requirements

• At least five years of experience in writing and editing.
• Ability to both develop original content and perform meticulous line-by-line editing of complex documents.
• Exceptional copyediting and proofreading skills, including mastery of grammar, punctuation, syntax, usage, and consistency in technical and formal writing.
• At least five years of experience with 508 conformance, including using accessibility tools and assistive tech and media such as JAWS.
• Commitment to customer service for subject-matter experts, but also a strong advocate for their readers.
• Keen eye for detail and a strong focus on quality and adherence to a style guide.
• Strong organizational, time management, and project management skills and can prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Social skills to interview subject-matter experts or work closely with them to plan and develop written technical materials.
• Experience with complex subjects—preferably, but not necessarily, in software or science—and can learn new topics quickly.
• Experience in research writing or long-form documentation, such as academic articles and reports.
• Significant experience with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work with minimal or no supervision, but also participate in team decision making.
• Willingness to travel within the SEI and CMU community—and occasionally to sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings—to support the SEI’s mission (<5%).
• Ability to pass a background check, get and maintain a DoW security clearance, and possibly get and maintain other customer-required background checks.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in an academic or technical research setting
• Documenting software
• Marketing writing for a technical or DoW audience
• Coordinating with others to meet service-level agreements for projects
• Issue- and project-tracking software
• Website content-management systems
• Learning a markup language or using LaTeX or other document-preparation systems

Responsibilities

• Edit formal technical reports at all editorial levels, including substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Correct grammar, punctuation, syntax, usage, capitalization, citations, formatting, and style-guide inconsistencies with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Analyze content for Section 508 conformance by testing against 508 standards manually as well as by using accessibility tools and assistive tech and media; apply changes to documents to ensure 508 conformance.
• Apply and enforce editorial standards and style-guide conventions consistently across long-form, highly technical, multi-author documents.
• Write technical content and stories for the SEI website, Year in Review, and other communication channels.
• Collaborate with technical staff to write blog posts about technical topics.
• Write and edit brief articles and marketing materials.
• Write and edit web content, video scripts, and content for other electronic media.
• Collaborate with SEI Communication Design, Web Services, Public Relations, and Outreach teams on publications, presentations, web pages, information graphics, and event materials.
• Plan, manage, schedule, and track your project tasks.

Benefits

• 8% monthly contribution to your retirement plan, without having to contribute yourself.
• Tuition benefits for you and your dependent children to attend classes at CMU.
• Flexible work arrangement.
• Access to university resources such as campus fitness facilities, mindfulness programs, childcare, free transportation on the Port Authority Transit System, and more.
• Annual professional-development opportunities to attend conferences and training or get a certification.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed