Copyeditor

About this role

Job Requisition: JR101871 Copyeditor (Open) Job Posting Title: Copyeditor Department: CC00301 WM001 | WMUA | Univ. Mktg & Adv. Comms Job Family: Staff - Communications Worker Sub-Type: Regular (benefited) Job Requisition Primary Location: Discovery 2 Primary Job Posting Location: Posting Location - William & Mary Job Description Summary: University Advancement creates the conditions for opportunity – human, financial, & experiential – by garnering and stewarding the resources that advance William & Mary.

At William & Mary, we convene great hearts and minds to meet the most pressing needs of our time. As such, the university aspires to attract and retain exceptional students, faculty, and staff who keep W&M at the forefront of teaching, learning, and research. University Marketing emphasizes three core areas — enrollment, advancement, and reputation — to enhance William & Mary’s standing as a top institution of higher learning in the U.S. and around the globe. Through its work to strengthen brand perception, student recruitment, alumni engagement, and fundraising, University Marketing advances William & Mary’s distinctive excellence, raises its profile worldwide and secures its financial foundation — creating meaningful connections and wide-ranging impact for all times coming.

The Copyeditor is a key member of the Strategic Communications team in University Marketing at William & Mary. In keeping with William & Mary’s values of excellence and integrity, all of our communications must be accurate, consistent, error-free, adhere to our style guides (internal and Associated Press), and convey their message clearly and concisely. The Copyeditor reports to the Director of Advancement Communications and partners with and advises colleagues across University Marketing to help the university, William & Mary Foundation, or other university foundations advance their goals by ensuring their materials meet these high standards.

The majority of the Copyeditor’s work is copyediting print and digital materials to ensure they align with William & Mary’s editorial style guide and brand guidelines, Associated Press (AP) style and accepted rules of spelling and grammar. They will also verify names and constituent information in our customer relationship management database and fact check other information included in our materials as necessary. The Copyeditor may also recommend edits to increase clarity, readability, and accuracy, while keeping within the voice and tone of the piece. They will communicate needed changes and the reasoning for them with the Director of Advancement Communications, colleagues within University Marketing, and university partners as necessary.

In addition, the Copyeditor will create written materials in support of our advancement efforts. These may include letters and emails thanking our donors, including on behalf of the vice president for university advancement and the university’s president; reports on the impact of key funds; articles for the W&M Alumni Magazine and our websites about our alumni and initiatives, based on interviews with alumni, staff and others; print and web copy for prospective students and their families; and other writing that advances our culture of philanthropy and engagement. These writing assignments will require research skills, creativity, and the ability to write in different voices and tones for different audiences.

The Copyeditor will help foster a culture of belonging that embraces all people and perspectives. This is a hybrid position based in Williamsburg that offers a flexible work environment.

This position is classified as operational, meaning it is salaried and eligible for overtime (non-exempt). For benefits and leave purposes, this role falls under the "Operational" classification

Learn more and download the position description on the University Advancement recruitment website: https://advancement.wm.edu/come-work-with-us. Job Description: Salary: $50,000-$55,000, commensurate with experience and internal alignment.

For full consideration, please upload a resume and cover letter and apply by the priority review date of August 7, 2026. As part of the application, upload two writing samples.

Required Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in a field that required significant writing and research or several (typically three or more) years’ experience directly related to the position. • The desire and ability to work and succeed in a fast-paced environment. • Demonstrated initiative, independent judgment, and a positive, responsive, service-oriented attitude. • Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, including use of style guides, with the demonstrated command of correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. • Experience and comfort using Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, as well as Adobe Acrobat (typically three years). • Experience writing and editing articles in journalism or public relations styles. • Experience writing in a variety of voices and tones. • Commitment to diplomacy, tact, and confidentiality when working with individuals on and off campus and responding to Advancement audiences. • Great degree of flexibility and outstanding organizational skills with the demonstrated ability to manage multiple and competing projects concurrently while adhering to strict deadlines. • Strong interpersonal communications skills, including the ability to explain editorial changes and discuss alternative wording options clearly and respectfully. • The ability to build consensus among colleagues and work with diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications: • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. • Detail-oriented research skills, including using internet-based databases. • Experience writing in the voice of a specific person (ghostwriting), preferably an institutional leader. • Experience using a customer relationship management database (CRM) such as Blackbaud or Salesforce. • Comfortable using Adobe InCopy. •

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