9 Assistant Editor Jobs in Washington, DC
US Congressional Budget Office is Hiring an Assistant Editor Near Washington, DC
Duties
The Congressional Budget Office is seeking up to two assistant editors to join a group of editors and graphics editors charged with ensuring that the agencys publications are clear and accessible to a broad audience. CBOs nonpartisan analysis helps Members of Congress, Congressional staff, researchers, journalists, and other members of the public understand the effects of policy decisions on the federal budget and the economy. As part of the Editing and Publishing Services unit, assistant editors gain expertise in editing, online publishing, and project management, while contributing to CBOs ongoing efforts in data visualization. They work on a broad set of issues related to the federal budget, including such topics as demographic changes, flooding risks, prescription drugs, and weapons systems.
This entry-level position is limited to a three-year term but has the potential to transition to a permanent position. It could be ideal for people looking to launch a career in editing, policy, or journalism. Assistant editors are trained and mentored by a staff of veteran editors and graphics editors whose career paths include academia, journalism, magazine publishing, nonprofits, government, and freelance editing and design. Much of the work is done independently and involves communicating with colleagues via email and Microsoft Teams chats and meetings. But by working on-site two days a week, assistant editors have the opportunity to interact in person with economists and other experts across the agency, including a cohort of assistant analysts gaining work experience before pursuing postgraduate study.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Excepted Service
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
DO NOT APPLY THROUGH USAJOBS or EMAIL- APPLY ONLINE AT www.cbo.gov/careers.
Qualifications
The curiosity to ask probing questions to understand complicated ideas and the ability to convey those ideas in clear, straightforward language;
A detail-oriented approach to work and a habit of reviewing ones own work for correctness and completeness;
An interest in learning to edit specialized, numbers-heavy research and quantitative information presented in tables and graphs;
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to exercise patience and understand others viewpoints, as drafts undergo review by many people who may make changes and suggestions;
Facility completing tasks under deadlines and the flexibility to occasionally work evenings and weekends when necessary;
A commitment to maintaining objectivity in a nonpartisan organization; and
Proficiency with Microsoft products (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and experience with Adobe InDesignor the ability to learn new software quickly.
Strong interpersonal skills are important. So is the ability to be comfortable and effective in a process for writing and review that involves suggestions and changes from many people. Candidates must be able to handle pressing tasks under deadlines, and they must have the flexibility to work some evenings and weekends when necessary.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidates must have at least three years of professional experience in editing publications similar to those produced at CBOthat is, books, reports, magazines, academic journals, or other publications covering serious subjects in careful detail. Candidates must also hold a bachelors or advanced degree, preferably in English or another field in the humanities. They must have broad editorial skillsranging from guiding authors in writing and organizing drafts, to making complex and difficult drafts clear and graceful, to proofreading with a superior eye for detail. They must thoroughly understand English grammar and syntax and should be sensitive to style and to nuances of tone and meaning. Strong interpersonal skills are important. So is the ability to be comfortable and effective in a process for writing and review that involves suggestions and changes from many people. Candidates must be able to handle pressing tasks under deadlines, and they must have the flexibility to work some evenings and weekends when necessary.
Proofreading and preparing final proofs. Proofreading includes correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors; checking cross-references and links; ensuring consistency with CBOs style guide (which aligns closely with the Chicago Manual of Style); and flagging formatting problems. Preparing final proofs includes entering and checking changes.
Editing smaller publications (including internal documents). CBOs analysts and executives are frequently asked to distill findings or explain analytical methods in presentations at conferences, in testimony, and in written answers to questions submitted by lawmakers after Congressional hearings. Editing those and other smaller publications involves reworking sentences and paragraphs to improve readability; correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors; ensuring consistency with CBOs style guide; working with graphics editors to ensure that charts and graphs tell a story; copyediting citations in footnotes and checking links; ensuring that formatting features in Word meet requirements for production; and managing the project as it advances through review and production.
Assisting editors with larger reports. Tasks are often divided among multiple editors when the agency produces longer publications, such as The Budget and Economic Outlook. Tasks for assistant editors include reading first drafts and providing comments, checking references in footnotes, tagging Word files for production, proofreading Excel files, and shepherding sections of the reports through review.
Checking HTML files. Most of CBOs publications are released as both a PDF file and an HTML file. Checking HTML files involves ensuring that all content appears correctly and that hyperlinks work.
Working on special projects. The editing unit usually has several special projects in the works, such as updating CBOs style guide, testing editing software, and deploying enhanced project management tools. Assistant editors contribute to those projects.
Education
EDUCATION:
Bachelors or higher required
Additional information
This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
See https://www.cbo.gov/about/careers/benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Please submit a cover letter, a resume, a brief writing sample or editing sample, and contact information for three references online at www.cbo.gov/careers. Your writing or editing sample should demonstrate your ability to explain technical information clearly to a nontechnical audience or transform an original submission into a polished document. If submitting an editing sample, please make sure it has electronically tracked changes or pair it with the version of the document before it was edited so that your work is evident. A proofreading sample is not required but may facilitate evaluating your qualifications. Incomplete applications (those without the required documents or with unanswered questions in the online portal) will not be considered. To ensure consideration, apply by April 29, 2024. This position is covered by the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 as made applicable to CBO by the Congressional Accountability Act, as amended.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
See https://www.cbo.gov/about/careers/benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Documents
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
Please submit a cover letter, a resume, a brief writing sample or editing sample, and contact information for three references online at www.cbo.gov/careers. Your writing or editing sample should demonstrate your ability to explain technical information clearly to a nontechnical audience or transform an original submission into a polished document. If submitting an editing sample, please make sure it has electronically tracked changes or pair it with the version of the document before it was edited so that your work is evident. A proofreading sample is not required but may facilitate evaluating your qualifications. Incomplete applications (those without the required documents or with unanswered questions in the online portal) will not be considered. To ensure consideration, apply by April 29, 2024. This position is covered by the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 as made applicable to CBO by the Congressional Accountability Act, as amended.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter, a resume, a brief writing sample or editing sample, and contact information for three references online at www.cbo.gov/careers. Your writing or editing sample should demonstrate your ability to explain technical information clearly to a nontechnical audience or transform an original submission into a polished document. If submitting an editing sample, please make sure it has electronically tracked changes or pair it with the version of the document before it was e
Agency contact information
Annita Gulati
Phone
2022260000
Email
careers@cbo.gov
Address
Annita Gulati
Ford Office Building
Washington, Dist of Columbia 20515
USNext steps
You will receive an email confirming that you have applied to the position. Once your application is reviewed, it will be forwarded to the hiring division if you are qualified. If you don't meet qualifications, you will be informed by email and your application will not be considered further. All qualified candidates will be informed by email when the position has been filled.
Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request
Required Documents
Please submit a cover letter, a resume, a brief writing sample or editing sample, and contact information for three references online at www.cbo.gov/careers. Your writing or editing sample should demonstrate your ability to explain technical information clearly to a nontechnical audience or transform an original submission into a polished document. If submitting an editing sample, please make sure it has electronically tracked changes or pair it with the version of the document before it was edited so that your work is evident. A proofreading sample is not required but may facilitate evaluating your qualifications. Incomplete applications (those without the required documents or with unanswered questions in the online portal) will not be considered. To ensure consideration, apply by April 29, 2024. This position is covered by the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 as made applicable to CBO by the Congressional Accountability Act, as amended.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Recent graduates
Individuals who have graduated from an accredited educational institute or certificate program within the last 2 years or 6 years for Veterans.
Clarification from the agency
DO NOT APPLY THROUGH USAJOBS. APPLY AT www.cbo.gov/careers
Job Summary
Full Time
$74k-96k (estimate)
04/12/2024
07/08/2024
The job skills required for Assistant Editor include Publishing, Proofreading, Project Management, Presentation, Copyediting, Adobe, etc. Having related job skills and expertise will give you an advantage when applying to be an Assistant Editor. That makes you unique and can impact how much salary you can get paid. Below are job openings related to skills required by Assistant Editor. Select any job title you are interested in and start to search job requirements.
The following is the career advancement route for Assistant Editor positions, which can be used as a reference in future career path planning. As an Assistant Editor, it can be promoted into senior positions as an Editor, Sr. that are expected to handle more key tasks, people in this role will get a higher salary paid than an ordinary Assistant Editor. You can explore the career advancement for an Assistant Editor below and select your interested title to get hiring information.
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