Creative & Media employment contract

Sub-editor Employment Contract UK

Name: Sub-editor Employment Contract UK
Brand: HRHeaven
SKU: creative_and_media_sub_editor_generated_v1
Price: 19.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

Set accurate publication preparation around house style, evidence and deadline-controlled page production.

Watercolour illustration showing Sub-Editor at work in Creative & Media on a pale sage background

This contract includes Edit assigned copy for clarity and accuracy. Write proportionate headlines standfirsts and captions. Query facts sources and legal risks. Preview before payment PDF and editable DOCX files after checkoutBuilt for UK employers

Create My Sub-editor Contract — £19.99

Looking for a Sub-Editor employment contract? This page takes you straight into the role-specific builder, with preview before payment and both PDF and DOCX files included after checkout.

Solicitor-approved framework Preview Before Payment £19.99 one-off PDF & editable Word Industry-specific clauses Secure Stripe payment

1,881Role-specific contract paths

GuidedHR Action journeys

40Industries supported

UK-focusedEmployment guidance

Secure payments by Stripe Data handling controlsUK employment contextClear product and advice boundaries

Legally validated and solicitor-approved contract framework

Reviewed for straightforward UK employer use

This page is maintained for UK employers creating sub-editor contracts for creative & media. HRHeaven uses a legally validated and solicitor-approved self-service contract framework, with wording for role duties, confidentiality, notice, holiday, probation and practical workplace expectations. It does not replace individual legal advice for complex or disputed circumstances.

Last updated: 19 June 2026
Content owner: HRHeaven employment documentation team
Review standard: UK employer template review, versioned clause logic and preview before payment

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Send the completed contract for signature from your HRHeaven workspace without buying a separate signature tool.

Employer dashboard

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Free branding

Add your company name, logo and brand colour so the contract looks like it came from your business.

What's included in your contract

Job description

Clear role overview and key responsibilities.

Probation period

Clear probation terms for the selected arrangement.

Role-specific duties

Maintained responsibilities, records and authority boundaries for the selected role.

Working hours

Standard and flexible working arrangements.

Holiday entitlement

Holiday terms explained for the selected arrangement.

Confidentiality

Client and company confidentiality.

Disciplinary process

Clear process and employee rights.

Notice periods

Notice terms explained for both parties.

Before you create it

Use this Sub-Editor contract with confidence

Practical checks to help an employer choose the right starting point and prepare the information the document needs.

When to use this contract

Deliver clear accurate publication-ready copy, maintain consistent headlines captions and style, and produce traceable editorial queries and corrections.

Workplace context: Office, studio, remote systems, client meetings or approved project locations.

What makes this role different

Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering desks editions shifts and deadlines. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering copy style headlines captions and layouts. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering facts sources legal review and confidentiality. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering publishing access corrections and versions. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering client confidentiality.

Not a fit / obtain specialist advice

Recheck the role or obtain appropriate advice if the work would exceed these maintained authority boundaries: The sub-editor cannot fabricate facts, expose protected sources, publish outside assigned authority or conceal material corrections. Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

What to prepare before you issue it

the desks platforms and editions
the house style and editing scope
the legal and factual escalation route
the publishing and layout permissions
the correction and handover process

Day-to-day operating brief

What Sub-Editor work looks like in practice

A Sub-editor prepares reporters' or contributors' copy for publication by improving clarity, structure, grammar, headlines, captions and consistency while preserving meaning and editorial accuracy. The role may work on print pages, websites or live news desks under strict deadlines. Terms should define desks and editions, house style, fact and source queries, headline authority, image captions, layout or content-system access, legal escalation, corrections, shift work, confidential copy, version control and the boundary between editing material and taking the final publication decision.

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

Edit assigned copy for clarity and accuracy.
Write proportionate headlines standfirsts and captions.
Query facts sources and legal risks.
Prepare pages or digital entries within authority.
Record corrections versions and desk handovers.

A realistic working scenario

A strong headline overstates what the underlying report establishes. The sub-editor rewrites it to match the evidence and records any unresolved legal or factual concern for the duty editor.

Outputs to agree

clear accurate publication-ready copy
consistent headlines captions and style
traceable editorial queries and corrections

Records and evidence

Copy version source and deadline.
Edit query response and decision.
Headline caption image and approval.
Publication correction and handover.
Design files.
Project briefs.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Creative Director, Design Lead, Account Director or Project Manager. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

The sub-editor cannot fabricate facts, expose protected sources, publish outside assigned authority or conceal material corrections.
Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

Tools and systems

Design software.
Project management tools.
Approval systems.
Client communication tools.

Workplace context

Office, studio, remote systems, client meetings or approved project locations.

Contract priorities

desks editions shifts and deadlines
copy style headlines captions and layouts
facts sources legal review and confidentiality
publishing access corrections and versions

Information the employer should prepare

the desks platforms and editions
the house style and editing scope
the legal and factual escalation route
the publishing and layout permissions
the correction and handover process

Individually written and reviewed against the maintained role record.

Maintained role evidence

The facts this Sub-Editor contract is built around

These role-pack details give an employer something concrete to check before using the contract for creative & media work.

Work setting

Office, studio, remote systems, client meetings or approved project locations.

Primary duties

Edit assigned copy for clarity and accuracy.
Write proportionate headlines standfirsts and captions.
Query facts sources and legal risks.
Prepare pages or digital entries within authority.

Tools and training to confirm

Design software.
Project management tools.
Approval systems.
Client communication tools.

Governance focus

Employer procedures and role controls. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering desks editions shifts and deadlines. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering copy style headlines captions and layouts. Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering facts sources legal review and confidentiality.

Contract builder output

Sub-Editor clauses and builder inputs

HRHeaven builds the contract from the employer's answers, the selected industry, and the role-specific wording for this job.

Role wording

Sub-Editor duties

Deliver clear accurate publication-ready copy, maintain consistent headlines captions and style, and produce traceable editorial queries and corrections.

Edit assigned copy for clarity and accuracy. Write proportionate headlines standfirsts and captions. Query facts sources and legal risks. Prepare pages or digital entries within authority. Record corrections versions and desk handovers.

Builder answers

What the contract builder captures

Employer and employee details Role title and reporting line Pay, hours and working pattern Holiday, probation and notice Workplace and site rules Company branding and e-sign

Preview before purchase

Complete the builder, check the document output, then pay only when you are ready to download.

Specific clauses

What is added to the finished contract

The sub-editor cannot fabricate facts, expose protected sources, publish outside assigned authority or conceal material corrections.

Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering desks editions shifts and deadlines.

Follow the Employer's documented arrangements covering copy style headlines captions and layouts.

£19.99 one-off contractPreview before payment, then download the branded PDF and send for signature.

Employee Handbook + Contract Bundle

Employee handbook bundle

Sub-Editor Contract + Employee Handbook Bundle

Pair the contract with a fully customisable employee handbook and keep the role wording, workplace rules, branding and policies aligned from day one.

Industry-specific policies Contract and handbook generated together UK-focused policy content Easy to edit and maintain

After the contract

Run the employee lifecycle with HR Actions

Once the Sub-Editor contract is created, HR Actions help creative & media employers manage the next HR steps: recruitment, probation, performance, absence, disciplinary, grievance and offboarding.

Choose the right level of support