Senior Editor

Education Writers Association; New York (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University seeks a full-time Senior Editor to lead editorial and communications efforts. You will edit, format, and refine reports for practitioners and researchers, and write material for print and web to describe findings accessibly.

Demonstrate strong writing, critical thinking, and the ability to distill complex research into actionable guidance, while collaborating with researchers and designers to maximize reach and impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years in editorial or social science research roles.
• Proven track record editing publications that translate complex findings into actionable recommendations.
• Superior grammar, spelling, and standard style understanding.
• Strong writing, critical thinking, and ability to distill research for broad audiences.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work autonomously and in a team.
• Experience editing in Word with track changes.

Responsibilities

• Edit, proofread, and format CCRC papers, reports, briefs, and proposals.
• Provide feedback and guidance for writers during manuscript development.
• Liaise with authors, reviewers, and designers to coordinate publication phases.
• Write and edit research summaries, press releases, blog posts, and newsletters.
• Review layouts for errors, style consistency, and branding adherence.
• Post and curate content on center websites and assist social media efforts.
• Collaborate with research and communications staff on projects.
• Participate in CCRC events and professional development.

Skills

Editing publications

Writing

Critical thinking

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Project prioritization

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Word (Track Changes)

Job description

Senior Editor,Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University

Position Summary

The Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University, studies community colleges because they provide critical access to postsecondary education and are uniquely positioned to promote social mobility in the United States. Our mission is to conduct research that helps these institutions strengthen opportunities and improve outcomes for students from all backgrounds.

CCRC is seeking a full-time Senior Editor who will support the center’s editorial and communications efforts. Reporting to the center’s Communications Director, the Senior Editor will:

• Develop & edit: As the center’s primary editor, review, edit, proofread, and format research-based reports and briefs aimed at practitioners and policymakers, as well as academic/technical papers written for researchers.
• Create content: Write and edit a variety of material for print and web (including research summaries, press releases, blog posts, website content, and email newsletters), describing complex research findings in an accessible way.
• Improve engagement: Look for opportunities to improve audience engagement through high-quality messaging, digital storytelling, and compelling graphs or visuals.
• Facilitate dissemination: Post and curate online content, participate in broader communications activities, and collaborate directly with researchers to strengthen the reach and impact of their work.

Please find the application link at https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/about-us/employment.html and include a cover letter, resume, a writing sample, and 2–3 editing samples (ideally anonymized before-and-after documents, such as Word files with tracked changes) with your application.

Responsibilities

• Edit, proofread, and format CCRC papers, reports, briefs, proposals, and other
• Provide feedback and guidance for writers during manuscript
• Liaise with authors, reviewers, and designers to coordinate all phases of publication
• Write and edit research summaries, press releases, blog posts, website content, email newsletters, and other material.
• Review publication layouts for errors, style inconsistencies, and adherence to brand
• Post and curate content on the center’s websites and help maintain social media
• Collaborate with research and communications staff on project-related
• Participate in CCRC events and professional development

Requirements

• Bachelor’s
• 5+ years of experience in editorial or social science research roles, with a proven track record of editing and refining publications that shape complex qualitative and quantitative findings into compelling narratives with actionable recommendations for practice.
• Superior understanding of grammar, spelling, and standard style
• Strong writing skills, critical thinking, and
• Ability to understand complex academic prose, edit text discussing statistical methods/results, and distill research findings and implications for broader
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to
• Ability to work autonomously and in a team
• Ability to track and prioritize multiple projects and to anticipate and meet
• Experience editing in Microsoft Word, including using “track changes” and formatting tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Prior experience editing applied research or academic papers, preferably in social sciences such as sociology and
• Familiarity with APA
• Experience writing and editing content for the web and for nonacademic
• An eye for design and an interest in digital
• Familiarity with AI-assisted editing/proofreading tools.

Note: A proofreading test and editing/writing assignment will be included in the interview process.