Desktop Publisher - Judge Group

Position: Desktop Publisher

Location: 100% remote

Duration: Contract to hire.

Senior desktop publishing professional to provide formatting and layout of public sector and commercial proposal deliverables. These are typically prepared in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Some proposals are prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint, and occasionally in Adobe InDesign. Some proposal products are exported and finalized in Adobe Acrobat. 

Desktop publishers partner with proposal managers, coordinators, technical subject matter experts, consultants, editors, graphic designers, and other team members to produce proposal templates, format documents, and related material while ensuring compliance with solicitation requirements and adherence to branding standards. Work includes creating proposal templates that follow customer requirements and protocols, working with a team to pull information from different source files into a master proposal file, and performing final layout/formatting and quality and compliance checks as directed. The successful candidate must demonstrate an ability to work independently (with little to no supervision) and efficiently under conditions of multiple deadlines and changing priorities to produce a large volume of high-quality material with attention to detail. 

         Create a working proposal master document in Office 365 (Word, Excel, or Power Point), based on established proposal and slide templates and following instructions from the client (documented in an RFI/RFQ/RFP) or from internal customers.

·         Format proposals in accordance with established styles, incorporating graphics and tables as needed. Formatting work also includes adjusting spacing; standardizing headings, margins, and indentations; typing text, charts, tables, forms; ensuring correct pagination; inserting figures and photographs; electronically sorting and compiling text; and generating final deliverables in Microsoft and/or Adobe programs.

·         Create and update automated fields such as the table of contents and lists of acronyms and figures.

·         Assist proposal team members (proposal managers, coordinators, consultants, writers, etc.) in use of the proposal templates.

·         Independently research issues and troubleshoot problems encountered with desktop publishing software.

·         Maintain integrity of electronic file management structure and version control in the SharePoint Proposals library.

·         Comply with requirements of electronic file maintenance (limited access to proposal files and supports/controls distribution of proposal files).

·         Perform compliance checks while compiling proposal documents or volumes to confirm that material provided by contributors meet RFP requirements or company guidelines for format (font size, margins, linespacing, brand colors, etc.)

·         May edit some proposal graphics and place final versions of graphics into final proposal documents.

·         Review work to minimize errors; rework errors.

·         Provide peer reviews and formatting compliance checks for other team members.

·         When requested, produce hard copy or soft copy proposals using 3-ring binders and; preparing all components such as binder spines, covers, index tabs, USB drives, CDs, and CD labels. Perform quality and compliance checks on production items (hard copies and electronic copies)

·         Work efficiently under conditions of multiple deadlines and changing priorities to produce a large volume of high-quality material with attention to detail.

·         Assist in reviewing, updating, and facilitating template and formatting training to internal team (Proposal Managers, Coordinators, etc. and end-users (authors/subject matter experts, etc.)

What you will need to have:

·         This position requires at least 4-6 years of experience formatting complex documents using advanced features of Microsoft Word, including Experience with macro-based templates (utilizing existing macros, updating macros to formatting requirements if necessary, and creating macros).

·         Experience managing task/assignment calendars/schedules; tracking your own assignments and working with proposal team leads to help identify and resolve conflicting deadlines (whether rescheduling or seeking backup support);

·         Experience creating, editing, and enhancing PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat Professional.

·         Working ability to format documents in Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel, including ability to adjust page sizes and margins, set styles, and prepare PDFs. Experience with Office 365 is required to be able to work with our templates and macros.

·         At least four years of experience working on documents on live Microsoft Teams/SharePoint sites with multiple authors.

·         Ability to work with highly technical documents in a fast-paced environment requiring a variety of deliverable types, and shifting priorities.

·         Above average communication skills, both written and verbal, with a proven ability to interface with individuals at all levels of a corporate organization.

·         The ideal candidate will be a problem-solver with a can-do attitude who is comfortable working in a team environment.

What would be helpful to have:

·         An eye for design. We are looking for someone who can bring creative ideas for fitting lots of content into page-limited documents in a way that highlights the most important messages.

·         Advanced skills in Adobe Acrobat Professional.

·         Working experience using Adobe Creative Cloud for editing graphics in Adobe Illustrator as well as formatting proposal documents in Adobe InDesign.

·         Experience providing training and guidance in desktop publishing practices, including use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and Adobe Acrobat Professional.

·         Experience preparing documents that are accessible for people with disabilities, including compliance with Section 508 Standards.

·         Experience performing document production and delivery (printing, copying, binding; spines, covers, index tabs, CDs, and CD labels, quality checks, etc.).

 

Additional Requirements

·         Must be a US citizen due to the nature of many of our US government proposals.

·         Must be able to work extended hours, often with short notice, to meet deadlines. Extended hours may include late nights, early mornings, weekends and holidays.

·         Ability to produce and provide QC for hard copy proposal documents in person in our Tysons’ Corner office. This hybrid position requires the candidate to be able to come to the office as needed – during busy periods this may be three days a week, at other times work may be remote.