Martin Thomas

512-***-**** * acxryn@r.postjobfree.com

Summary

12+ years of experience editing and writing professionally; extraordinary capacity for detail-oriented work; record of promotion; great interpersonal skills and work ethic; positive attitude.

Education

The University of Texas at Austin, May 2004--B.A. English, Business Minor

Experience

Technical Editor October 2009-present

IHS Technology, Austin, TX

Edit analyst reports to plan from editing manager. Feed the status back on editing progress to supervisor. Ensure high-quality of outgoing text and quantitative data; ensure conformance to IHS Style Guide. Manage workload to maximize authors meeting committed report delivery. Edit press releases and blogs on request. Per annum, complete a total of 65 reports. Provide feedback to authors and their managers on quality with recommendations for improvements and training. For authors where much editing is needed, provide per report a short summary report to analyst and analyst’s supervisor giving both general impression of report and highlighting top few habitual faults where analyst’s improvement efforts should be directed. Help deliver training courses or short sessions on Austin site for new analysts. Identify initiatives for improving value and quality of reports

Content Developer September 2007 – October 2009

McGraw-Hill, Austin, TX

Planned, wrote, and developed engaging and differentiated digital content that required adherence to schedules, budget and project plans using subject matter and instructional design skills and competencies. Effectively utilized the Content Generation Studio (CGS) to write and publish new content and to update digital content based on user feedback and analytics. Provided input and recommendations to the Digital Teaching Platform and Author environment including enhancements, applets, and games for future programs by understanding market needs, program requirements, and competitive advantages. Collaborated with other departments including: Creative, Technology Partners, Production, Marketing, Sales, and the Implementation Team to ensure a successful product launch and provide ongoing support during implementation. Conducted user acceptance testing to ensure correct product functionality and accuracy of content. Performed other content developer duties as assigned.

Technical Writer/Editor May 2004 – August 2007

Legislative Budget Board, Austin, TX

Developed and updated end-user manuals for the ABEST system used by state agencies to submit their budget requests to the Legislature. Worked the help desk to address the agencies' problems and questions during the budget submission period. Developed user instructions for the Fiscal Notes system used to track money allocated to bills as they proceed through the legislative process. Prepared summaries of the three stages of the Bill of Appropriations, entering large amounts of data into spreadsheets that tracked amount and percent of change for each agency the various articles of the bill. Using white papers and data submitted by budget analysts, compiled, standardized, and edited large publications submitted to the legislature and general public, tracking development status for projects involving over 100 people. Prepared agency-wide business procedures in the most succinct possible terms based on management input and legal documentation. During the legislative session, most work was performed under intense deadlines and the strictest confidence.