The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium (Consortium) is seeking a Science Writer/Editor to be based within the Communications and Education Services department at the Consortium office in Charleston, South Carolina.
The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, a state agency established to manage the Sea Grant College Program for South Carolina, optimizes the environmental, social, and economic potential of coastal and marine resources of the state and region through the support and dissemination of high-quality research, extension, education, and communications programming.
Responsibilities
The Science Writer/Editor will address the coastal information needs of a variety of stakeholders by extending science-based information to targeted audiences and residents of South Carolina. The Science Writer/Editor will produce the quarterly Coastal Heritage magazine, coordinate the agency’s annual report, and provide editing and content development for other platforms.
Job Duties
- Write and edit accurate and balanced feature articles for Coastal Heritage, the Consortium’s award-winning quarterly magazine.
- Collect information through interviews and research, assemble tables and graphs to illustrate the periodical, and proofread material to ensure consistency of writing style and grammatical accuracy.
- Conduct research to verify reliability of material.
- Schedule meetings with the Coastal Heritage editorial team to solicit input and comments on current and future issues.
- Coordinate photoshoots with contract photographer.
- Interface with the contract graphic artist and coordinate mailing of Coastal Heritage.
- Assist the Consortium’s web developer with the web-based version of Coastal Heritage, including specifying photos to be used and proofreading the issue for correctness.
- Co-lead with the director of Communications and Education Services editorial services, including writing news releases, proofreading technical reports, and copy editing, and proofreading impact and accomplishment statements required for the National Sea Grant College Program and the State of South Carolina. Provide editorial services for other products as needed.
- Lead the production of the Consortium’s annual report, other specialty or technical reports, summaries, and briefing publications in collaboration with the public information coordinator and web developer/graphic artist.
- Assist with production management, including soliciting bids from vendors, writing requisitions for services, and off-site press checks.
- Participate in communications program planning.
- Maintain effective working relationships with representatives of the media; co-coordinate Consortium and media interactions.
- Assist director of Communications and Education Services with other duties as needed.
Required Qualifications
B.A. or B.S. in Journalism, English, or Communications from an accredited higher education institution and at least five years of science writing experience with successful publication. Proficiency with translating science into articles for a non-technical audience. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Strong interpersonal communication skills. Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize projects. Exceptional research, writing, editing, proofreading, and product development capabilities. Meticulous attention to detail. Fluency with Microsoft Office applications.
Preferred Qualifications
M.A. or M.S. in Journalism, English, or Communications from an accredited higher education institution and at least ten years of science writing experience. Experience and keen interest in writing about coastal and ocean topics with science-based accuracy and balance. Demonstrated ability to write in long- and short-form for various media including print, web, enewsletters, and digital media. Extensive knowledge of current coastal and ocean issues and stakeholder needs in South Carolina and the Southeast region. Demonstrated skill and ease interacting with a variety of audiences, including government, academia, non-governmental organizations, media, and the private sector. Photography, videography, video editing, and digital media development experience a plus.
