Copy Editor, Knowledge Products on Women’s Economic Justice at African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Kampala, Uganda

Job Description

Since its establishment in 1988, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) has played a leading role in building the women’s movement and amplifying the voices of African women to influence decisions made at national, regional and global levels, that impact on their lives. FEMNET continues to mobilize African women to hold governments accountable to women’s rights and gender equality commitments including: the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development among others. FEMNET’s vision is an African society where gender equality is achieved and women and girls enjoy all their rights and live in dignity. Our mantra is women’s rights are human rights, and we exist to mobilize African women for the achievement of gender equality and the realization of women’s and girls’ rights at all levels.

2. Purpose and Objective

FEMNET’s Economic Justice and Rights Programme is seeking services of a Copy Editor to edit knowledge products within the programme. The copy editor’s role involves meticulously reviewing various research publications, focusing on grammar, syntax and linguistic consistency. Beyond linguistic refinement, the editor ensures that the content is logically organized, making it accessible and comprehensible for a diverse audience. Furthermore, the editor will consider context to ensure that the language used is gender inclusive and resonates with the intended audience. This is vital in supporting our work around movement building, knowledge management and policy advocacy.

3. Scope of Work:

The Consultant working under the supervision of the Economic Justice and Rights Lead and in close consultation with the rest of the team shall perform the following responsibilities:

Substantive language editing which aims at improving the overall coverage and presentation of the product, its content, scope, length, level and organization. The editor may rewrite and rearrange the material through consultation with the author and the EJR lead.
Detailed editing for meaning, which largely involves checking whether each section expresses the author’s meaning clearly, without gaps and contradictions. This also involves looking at each sentence, the author’s choice of words, the use of abbreviations, comparing the data in tables with relevant texts, checking text against the illustrations and their captions, etc.
Where applicable, weaving chapters and contributions together to form a coherent and consistent document, including editing to avoid repetition.
Checking for consistency. This involves streamlining spelling, language style, checking the numbering of illustrations, tables and notes, and any cross-references to them, and the consistency of bibliographical references.
Looking out for legal problems such as copyright, plagiarism, libel, etc.
Checking quotations or illustrations that may need permission from the copyright owner.
Creating, when applicable, the list of acronyms and the table of contents and providing guidelines for the indexer.
Ensuring the clear presentation of the material for the typesetter/designer: Making sure that the material is complete and that all the parts are clearly identified, for example the grade of each subheading, which pieces of text, such as long quotations and pull outs, should be distinguished typographically from the main text, and where tables and illustrations should be placed.
Inclusivity and Sensitivity: Ensure the document is inclusive and sensitive to diverse perspectives.
4. Profile, Experience and Qualifications

The consultant should have:

Bachelor’s degree in mass communication, political science, law, public policy, economics, development studies, gender or other relevant fields. A master’s degree is an added advantage.
Minimum of 3-5 years of professional experience in copy editing, preferably in a relevant field such as policy documentation in finance and economics, publishing, journalism, or legal documentation.
Demonstrated experience with both substantive editing and proofreading.
Bilingual Candidate, with exceptional command of the English and French language, including grammar, syntax, punctuation, and style.
Proficient in using standard editing tools and software.
Experience with style guides (e.g., Chicago Manual of Style, AP Stylebook) and the ability to adapt to specific organizational guidelines.
A keen eye for detail to identify and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style
Strict compliance with media publishing and research ethics to ensure that the information presented in the policy is original, factual, correct and current in terms of dates, names and statistics.
5. Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver the edited version of the research publications/knowledge products as soft copy.  All changes made to the original text should be visible- by using the ‘track change’ function, on a separate document.

6. Liaison, Coordination and Reporting

The consultant will work closely with FEMNET’s Economic Justice and Rights Lead.

7. Duration of Assignment

This consultant is expected to complete the assignment and submit the copy-edited publications within (7 working days) upon signing the contract.

8. Selection of Consultant

The consultant shall be contracted by FEMNET. The contract will include Withholding Tax (WHT) deduction in line with laws of contracting where FEMNET is headquartered. A WHT certificate will be issued to the consultant. Payment will be done through bank transfer to the consultant bank account. FEMNET will not meet the costs of bank charges. Payment schedule will be agreed upon with the consultant upon successful selection. In case of team/firm applicants, a designated assignment contract manager (lead consultant) will be the contact between FEMNET and the team and responsible for all deliverables.

9. Intellectual Property Rights

The consultant expressly assigns to FEMNET any copyright arising from the outputs produced while executing the service contract. The consultant may not use, reproduce, disseminate, or authorize others to use, reproduce or disseminate any output produced under the service contract without prior consent from FEMNET.

10. Terms of Service

This is a non-staff contract and therefore the consultant is not entitled to insurance, medical cover or any other status or conditions as FEMNET staff.