Publications Specialist II – Magazine Editor

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in District of Columbia, +1 more state.

📋 Description

• Oversee the entire lifecycle of Public Roads magazine and related publication products.

• Create and maintain editorial calendars, production schedules, and publication timelines.

• Coordinate multiple simultaneous publication initiatives and overlapping production cycles.

• Act as the main point of contact between authors, editors, technical reviewers, graphic designers, web teams, and Government stakeholders.

• Manage the intake, review, approval, tracking, and final publication of articles.

• Supervise version control and manage the publication workflow throughout the production process.

• Ensure that all content adheres to Federal publishing standards, editorial guidelines, branding instructions, and accessibility standards.

• Assist with editorial reviews, proofreading, and quality assurance tasks.

• Coordinate technical, legal, public affairs, and management reviews as necessary.

• Monitor publication milestones and proactively address production delays or workflow challenges.

• Assist in the creation of promotional content and publication outreach initiatives.

• Maintain records of publications, archives, production documentation, and stakeholder contact lists.

• Prepare status reports and production updates for Government stakeholders.

• Suggest enhancements to publication processes, workflows, and quality control practices.

⛳️ Requirements

• Must be eligible to acquire and retain necessary USDOT facility and network access.

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, English, Publishing, or a related discipline.

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in publication management, editorial operations, or magazine production.

• Proven experience in managing recurring publications, magazines, journals, newsletters, or similar communication products.

• Familiarity with coordinating complex editorial review and approval workflows.

• Strong project management and organizational capabilities.

• Experience in managing publication timelines, production schedules, and multiple simultaneous deliverables.

• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and communication abilities.

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholder groups.

• Capacity to prioritize tasks in a deadline-driven environment.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and publication management software.

• Preferred: experience managing technical, scientific, research, or government publications.

• Preferred: experience with FHWA, USDOT, or other Federal civilian agency publications.

• Preferred: familiarity with Adobe InDesign, Acrobat, or similar publication-production tools.

🏝️ Benefits

• Occasional travel for conferences, publication planning meetings, stakeholder engagements, and outreach events as necessary.

• Standard Monday-Friday work schedule during business hours, with flexibility to accommodate publication deadlines and production schedules.