Proofreader (Contract)

HLK, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Chicago and St. Louis, is looking for experienced contract proofreaders to support our growing team. In this role, you’ll review and edit work across a variety of clients and deliverables — ensuring technical accuracy, brand consistency, and overall quality assurance. You’ll be a key partner in producing clean, professional materials that reflect HLK’s commitment to excellence.
Location: RemoteType: Contract, Part-TimeHours: 7am–1pm CT or 1pm–7pm CT

Responsibilities

• Proofread and edit a wide range of digital and print materials for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and consistency
• Conduct basic fact-checking (e.g., verifying dates, names, figures)
• Review layouts and final files for typographic, formatting, or style inconsistencies (e.g., bold, italics, links, capitalization)
• Ensure consistency across multi-element campaigns and cross-channel deliverables
• Confirm adherence to brand guidelines and proper usage of technical product names and trademarks
• Apply AP Style (and other relevant style guides as needed)
• Prioritize incoming work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Communicate with project managers and team members to ensure timely, high-quality delivery

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, or a related field
• Minimum 3 years of proofreading experience in a marketing department or ad agency
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Adobe Acrobat (or other PDF markup tools)
• Strong working knowledge of AP Stylebook (Chicago Manual of Style or MLA is a plus)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet quick turnarounds
• High level of accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail
• Self-motivated, flexible, and reliable
• Candidates must be located within the United States

We believe in the power of people to drive brands. Together, we shape a brand's identity and inspire its next move.  We believe that brands have the power to influence people. We create brands in constant motion, on a mission to connect, surprise, and change behavior.  Our mission is to provide an environment where passionate problem solvers can thrive. Every day we encourage our people to do 3 things: Be Curious. Seek out the right problems to solve. Embrace criticism. Dig deeper and dream bigger. Be Thoughtful. Approach everything with a sense of humanity. Act with empathy and support one another. And Be Brave. Take calculated risks, push the work, and move forward fearlessly.