Specialist, Copy Editor

QUALIFICATIONS Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., literature, language, journalism) or equivalent certification/on‑the‑job training.

• Minimum of three years’ editorial experience and two years’ experience in educational assessment.

• Demonstrates strong end‑to‑end copyediting proficiency: spelling (interpreting dictionary entries, compounding/hyphenation), grammar and terminology, punctuation, syntax, diction, and usage.

• Interprets and applies major style and usage references with confidence (e.g., Chicago Manual of Style , Gregg Reference Manual , Garner’s Modern English Usage , and other industry standards).

• Proficient with Adobe Acrobat and various Microsoft Office 365 apps:
  Word, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, One Drive, and Excel.

• Understands the basics of HTML/XML for web publishing and adapts to evolving software and requirements.

• Communicates clearly and respectfully; listens, synthesizes, and applies information effectively.

• Gives and receives feedback constructively; accepts direction and acts on it.

• Reliable and organized: meets deadlines with appropriate quality; manages time effectively.

• Exercises sound judgment and analytical decision‑making; advocates/persuades when necessary and knows when restraint/negotiation is more productive.

• Self‑managed, resilient, and adaptable to process and duration modifications; works independently when required.

• Accountable for editorial proficiency and quality; uses systems correctly; owns errors and identifies root causes.

• Demonstrates decency and professionalism: mentors or accepts mentoring; maintains confidentiality, openness, and truthfulness.

• Displays curiosity about rules, processes, tools, perspectives, and the broader business context.

• Implements grammar, spelling, usage, punctuation, syntax, and style per department, client, and industry standards; applies rules consistently.

• Ensures uniformity and consistency across assessment components; sustains focus and reliably identifies errors throughout the workday while minimizing mistakes.

• Exercises good judgment when applying client style guidelines; queries when deviations from style would be appropriate for best outcomes; may create/modify client style guidelines.

• Understands the copy editor’s scope of responsibility, knows what to do when requested to go beyond scope, and flags concerns when needed.

• Proactively seeks learning opportunities to strengthen editorial expertise by refining skills, expanding knowledge of style guides, and integrating emerging best practices.

• Adheres to quality assurance and quality control steps and review guidelines; recognizes the impact of editorial errors on item/test validity and broader reputational and program risks.

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of the application of copyright law in assessment and knows when to escalation concerns.

• Understands educational assessment foundations (content standards, alignment, validity, item‑level statistics).

• Considers assessment design interactions (passage–item relationships, item types, metadata, accommodations) and the impact of editing cross‑components.

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of assessment best practices (universal design, plain English, accessibility design).

• Uses Pearson‑preferred applications and platforms (e.g., ABBI, eStyle, Oracle) and demonstrates strong understanding of related publishing workflows (e.g., ABBI interactions with XPRT/TN8, XML issues, MathML); suggests necessary enhancements.

• Identifies appropriate digital job aids and documentation and knows when and whom to ask for help or training; may develop job aids and create training for colleagues.

• Assists with staff training, including mentoring, seminars, and one‑on‑one support; engages proactively in Editorial and Assessment Trends channels.

• Works collegially across Editorial, Asset Services, Content, CDS, and Pearson; shares essential…