Copy Editor

Result of Service The expected outcome are documents that meets the highest standards of clarity, accuracy and correct language and do not require further editing or proofreading. Unresolved ambiguities encountered while editing to be brought to the attention of the author before final drafts are submitted.

Typical expectations are about 1-2 short assignments per week with occasional need for editing longer documents and reports.

Work Location The contractor is expected to work remotely and will not work in a UN Office.

Expected duration As-needed basis.

Duties and Responsibilities The UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Iraq is integrated with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq's (UNAMI) Development Support Office to track and report on socio-economic issues for the UN Country Team, mission leadership, the Government of Iraq, and other development partners. RCO/DSO generates a variety of reports and documents (both long and short) in English such as Common Country Assessments, Cooperation Frameworks, field reports, annual results reports, press releases, and memos and letters.

RCO/DSO is currently seeking qualified copy editor consultant on an as-needed basis. The consultant must have a demonstrated high level of language skill equivalent to a native English speaker and 10 years of experience in professional editing and proofreading technical documents and reports in international development to assist the RCO team with copyediting. The contractor should be comfortable with building the capacity of national staff while handling various editing roles, from copyediting and proofreading to substantive editing with high standards and short deadlines.

Under the supervision of the RCO Team Leader or her/his designee, the copy editor consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Proofread text to improve clarity and readability;
• Editing text written by a number of authors to ensure a single consistent style;
• Identify obvious contradictions, gaps, or confusing statements;
• Correct spelling and punctuation errors and appropriate use of words with correct grammar and syntax;
• When applicable, weaving chapters and contributions together to form a coherent and consistent report, including editing to avoid repetition;
• Elimination of typos, inconsistencies, redundancies, grammar mistakes, as well as improve phrasing and language for easier reading;
• Edit any gross inconsistency in the style and format (line spacing, indentation, capitalization, paragraphs, headings, margins, fonts, abbreviations, currency symbols, etc.) throughout the document;
• Appropriate use of italicized and bolded words;
• Ensure all footnotes, sources, references are correctly formatted, referenced and consistent;
• Check all the numbering of illustrations, boxes, figures, graphs, and tables, and ensure they are correctly captioned and referred to in the text;
• Check all numbering of headings, sub-headings, to make sure they correspond to the table of contents;
• Check that the heading structure is clear and logical;
• Prepare a complete table of contents and acronym List per document and executive summary as required;
• Fill in missing acronyms in the table of acronyms given at the beginning of the document;
• Ensure that all cross-references to chapters, sections, subsections, tables, and figures are correct and in the correct format (in bold where necessary);
• Ensure that references and sources are accurately and consistently stipulated, in the correct order;
• Make sure that no text has disappeared or was cut out accidentally during layout;
• Check the pagination of the publication, to make sure that it corresponds to the Table of Contents and Index (if an Index exists);
• Identify common errors made by RCO/DSO staff in their draft documents;
• Provide periodic feedback sessions remotely with individual or all RCO/DSO staff to explain common errors and suggest improvements; and
• Other similar editing tasks as required.

Proposed Fees and Terms of Payment:

A fee of US $250 for 1,000 words to be paid as one installment upon submission of the edited document, and the successful completion of assignment, subject to satisfactory performance.

Qualifications/special skills Licenses & Certificates: Accredited certificate in professional copyediting and proofreading would be a plus. Competency: Ability to lead training sessions with an online audience, particularly national staff, to build their capacity and reduce errors. Skills: - Highly proficient in Microsoft Word. - Outstanding editing skills, including the ability to edit lengthy reports that are easy to read and meet high professional standards, edit documents to reduce repetition and simplify text, and proofread to eliminate grammar and formatting errors and inconsistencies; - Proven record/samples of edited publications, reports, and documents; - Strong experience with Microsoft Office particularly MS Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat Professional, and the ability to work in track changes modes in Word and PDF files when required; - Ability to deliver on time as committed and be responsive to all communications; - Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines to deliver products on time; - Ability to remain detail-oriented and focused when processing large amounts of text; - Willingness to collaborate with a team of authors, graphic designers, and others; - Self-motivation; and - Substantial knowledge of development issues and terminology, particularly in Iraq or the Middle East. Academic Qualifications: Master's degree in English, language arts, development studies, or similar field is required. Experience: A minimum of 10 years of proven experience in professional proofreading and editing development related documents and technical reports in the field of international development is required. Language: Native English speaker (or equivalent) is required. Knowledge of Arabic would be a plus.

Additional Information Methodology: The assignments will be sent to him/her electronically via his/her email address. The Consultant shall submit his/her work electronically in a Microsoft Word format and verify that it has been received.

The consultant is expected to provide her or his own equipment, software, and reliable telecommunications internet bandwidth capable of conducting meetings and visual presentations over the Internet. The translator is responsible for any costs related to obtaining or maintaining his or her own updated versions of Microsoft Office software.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.