International Telecommunication Union is looking for a Technical Standards Editor

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems.

ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.

Technical Standards Editor

Vacancy notice no: 2409

Sector: TSB

Department: OPD

Country of contract: Switzerland

Duty station: Geneva

Grade: P3

Type of contract: Short-term

Duration of contract: 6 months

Recruitment open to: External

Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 5 October 2026

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

The Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) fulfils the objectives of the Union relating to telecommunication standardization, by providing secretariat support to groups studying technical, operating and tariff questions and facilitating the adoption of Recommendations in these areas with a view to standardizing telecommunications and information technology on a global basis. In order to achieve these objectives, the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau works in accordance with the instructions of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assemblies (WTSA), Telecommunication Standardization Study Groups and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group. TSB, headed by an elected Director, provides the technical, administrative and logistic support for the assemblies and for the meetings of the groups mentioned.

The Operations and Planning Department (OPD) is responsible for coordinating and planning support for the activities of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector. It does this through managing the Bureau's activities for organization and planning of assemblies and logistical support to meetings. The Department oversees document processing and provides IT services and solutions for electronic working methods and the development of ITU-T databases. The Department also provides administrative and secretarial support for intellectual property matters and manages the technical editing and final production of ITU-T Recommendations and publications as well as ISO/IEC common texts. The Department collaborates closely with the Departments of the General Secretariat and the Bureaux which are responsible for providing support services.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In the Editing, Publications and Documents Unit (EPD), within the Operations and Planning Department (OPD) of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), and under the supervision of the Engineer Editor, the Technical Standards Editor performs the following duties:

1. Copy-edits draft and approved ITU-T Recommendations (ITU technical standards) and other documents in accordance with internal editorial norms, ensuring clarity, accuracy, use of the appropriate terminology and alignment with organizational policies and procedures.
2. Helps control correspondence with authors and Study Group Counsellors, reviews edits performed by editorial assistants; and rewrites texts, as required, in consultation with study group Counsellors, Rapporteurs and editors.
3. Coordinates editorial workflows among the Editing and Publications team, Study Group secretariats and other stakeholders.
4. In coordination with Study Group Counsellors, ensures the overall consistency of ITU-T Recommendations and highlights technical issues as appropriate.
5. In coordination with the relevant units, advises Study Group Counsellors on copyright matters, follows up on copyright requests relating to ITU-T Recommendations, identifies copyright issues and determines copyright licensing terms for electronic attachments.
6. Ensures that the procedures for the publication of approved common texts with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are followed.
7. Assists in the coordination and performance monitoring of the editing and publication workflows.
8. Participates in activities related to the harmonization of terminology, including the Secretariat of the Standardization Committee for Vocabulary (SCV).
9. Performs other related duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Applying Expertise; Effective Communication; Learning and Knowledge Sharing; Organizational Commitment; Results-Focused, and; Teamwork and Collaboration.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

Analysis, Judgement and Decision Making

Client and Service Orientation

Innovation and Facilitating Change

Leadership

Planning and Organising

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Excellent drafting and editing skills of technical documents in English.
• Excellent knowledge of English grammar and usage.
• Excellent knowledge of computerized office applications and tools.
• Knowledge of editing and editorial processes.
• Knowledge of database conception, formal description languages such (e.g. XML) and electronic publishing formats would be an advantage.
• Familiarity with the development of standards, in particular ITU-T Recommendations, would be an advantage.
• Ability to work effectively in an international and multicultural standardization environment.

Education:

Advanced university degree in electronics, telecommunications, information and communication technology (ICT), electrical engineering, science or a related field OR education from a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of an advanced university degree in one of the fields above. For internal candidates, a first university degree in one of the fields above in combination with seven years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree for promotion or rotation purposes.

Experience:

At least five years of progressively responsible experience in technical editing, report writing, and the preparation of presentations related to the development and publication of ICT/telecommunication standards, including at least two at the international level. A Doctorate in a related field can be considered as a substitute for two years of working experience.

Languages:

Knowledge of English at advanced level and knowledge of French at intermediate level. Knowledge of a third official language of the Union (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) would be an advantage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This temporary opportunity is available to individuals residing locally.

INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU Careers website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

While we do our best in sharing high quality job postings, Jobs in Geneva can't guarantee or be made responsible for the content in the postings (e.g. specified deadlines or links).