Desktop Publisher

• Creative Recruiters | Australia | Remote
• Temporary Offsite Freelance Assignment
• Annual Report in MS Word Project

Are you a seasoned Word specialist with exceptional document formatting skills and experience producing complex, long-form government or corporate reports?

We’re looking for a Senior Word DTP Specialist to support the delivery of a Victoria state government department's annual report for this year.

About the Role:

Working in partnership with a government design studio, you’ll lead the reformatting and templating of a 250-page annual report – traditionally produced in InDesign – into a fully functional and accessible Word template.

This is Phase 1 of the project, focusing on creating the templated Word version for internal approval and concept sign-off.

You’ll work collaboratively with the design studio and their graphic designer to:

• Recreate the existing InDesign layout in Word, including styles, sections, and tables
• Produce a clean internal mock-up and concept presentation for senior stakeholders
• Finalise and lock templates for handover to the Phase 2 content formatting team
• Offer expert advice on formatting approaches, merging strategies, and best practice layout guidance

Key Deliverables:

• Internal layout mock-up (Word + PDF)
• Concept presentation (Word + PDF, with collaboration on branded elements)
• Final locked Word templates with usage guidance
• Handover session to the content rollout team (timing flexible, paid)

You’ll Need:

• Senior-level MS Word DTP experience (Microsoft 365 on PC)
• Proven ability to build complex, style-driven Word templates from scratch
• Confidence working with long, structured documents including multiple sections, advanced tables, and automated TOCs
• Strong communication skills – able to explain layout changes clearly to non-design stakeholders
• Experience working with government or similar formal reporting documents
• Ability to interpret and replicate InDesign layouts into Word format
• Familiarity with accessibility and formatting best practices for government reporting

Nice to Have:

• Prior experience working on annual reports
• Understanding of merging multi-file Word documents
• Experience with financial data/content formatting

The start date for this project is ASAP, and you'll be required to be available five days a week during business hours for the duration of this project.

This is a remote assignment however, given the nature of the client, you MUST be an Australian resident to apply and be shortlisted.

To apply for this opportunity, click on the link below and submit your CV and your up to date folio that showcases examples that highlight your skills that match this brief.

Please note, while we would love to be able to get back to everyone, we will only respond to shortlisted applicants. While this requirement will be offsite, you will need to be an Australian Resident to apply for this role. A periodic rate of pay applies for this role.