Technical Writer Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

Technical writers prepare technical documentation to end-users by gathering and analyzing technical and product information and consulting with engineering and technical staff. They also develop documentation templates for the system, database, and program information. Technical writers must have excellent writing, editing, and communication skills, the ability to thrive under pressure, and be able to clearly present technical content to end-users. If you have experience writing clear and concise technical content and exceptional writing skills, you might be a perfect fit as a technical writer for us.

Typical duties and responsibilities

• Organize material and complete writing assignments according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology
• Maintain records and files of work and revisions
• Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel
• Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail
• Interview production and engineering personnel and read journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and production method
• Observe production, developmental, and experimental activities to determine operating procedure and detail
• Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding

Education and experience

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, communications, or a related field.

Required skills and qualifications

• Experience working in a technical writing position
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong attention to detail
• Able to write in explanatory and procedural styles for multiple audiences
• Excellent prioritization and multitasking skills

Preferred qualifications

• 5+ years working as a writer
• Experience with SEO, app development language, and content writing
• Strong written skills
• Excellent grammar skills

 This position will routinely collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs), trainers, and management in developing and producing necessary materials for operational processes and accreditation compliance.

Responsibilities

• Creates, manages and updates documentation within the document control system. Partners with key business units to manage change(s), solicit feedback and ensures compliance and integrity of content. Facilitates document management analysis to senior management, document and recommend potential solutions for process improvement. Ensures material(s) are effective, current and relevant. Develops flowcharts, organizational charts and other tools useful in organizing and defining operational processes. Assures that all documents required for accreditation and or regulatory compliance are updated and maintained on a priority basis.
• Evaluates information to determine compliance with standards using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes are in compliance. Identifies and validates information and makes recommendations for changes and/or updates. Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish tasks.
• Uses logic, reason, and knowledge to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Uses effective communication. Understands written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Communicate effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Understands the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. Verbally communicates with others to convey information effectively. Reads and understands written information and ideas.
• Maintains positive, cooperative, and mutually supportive relationships with all instructional staff, and support personnel. Serves as technical advisor on all written materials relating to the development, delivery, and evaluation of documentation.
• Other responsibilities as judgment or necessity dictate

Physical requirements

• Constantly (67-100% of time OR 6 or more hours) required to sit, use hands to handle or feel, talk, and hear
• Frequently (34-66% of time OR 4-6 hours ) required to reach with hands and arms
• Occasionally (0-33% of time OR 1-3 hours) required to stand, walk and stoop, kneel, and crouch
• Occasionally (0-33% of time OR 1-3 hours) required to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

Responsibilities

• Write and produce content for publication on the online channels, with a primary focus on writing articles for our corporate blog
• Articles will convey a sense of the company’s services, values, culture, and heritage to public audiences
• Deploy approved articles to the website
• Participate in planning and brainstorming sessions for online content calendar
• Act as backup content creator for social media channels as needed, including writing social posts and taking or editing photos or videos
• Create and distribute statistical reporting of online content’s performance as needed
• Act as backup administrator for social channels, including responding to comments and private messages, updating or deleting content, etc. as needed

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or greater in a related field such as journalism, communications, public relations etc.
• Two or more years of experience writing and producing online content in a corporate, governmental, non-profit, or agency environment
• A strong online content portfolio is required including long-form articles. Demonstrated writing, editing, and interviewing skills
• Understanding of web writing principles as opposed to print
• Experience working diplomatically with internal clients and sources while maintaining corporate standards
• Experience managing multiple projects on deadline and publishing to a schedule. This role will involve working on multiple articles simultaneously
• Must be familiar with AP Style or commit to learning it
• Availability to occasionally work extended hours or on weekends (this happens rarely)

Additional qualifications

• Proficiency with photo editing in Adobe Photoshop and some experience with a range of content creation tools (examples could include Canva, WeVideo, Premiere Rush, After Effects, Illustrator, etc.) is a plus
• Experience with at least one major social media management platform (examples could include Hootsuite, Sprinklr, Social Studio etc.) is a plus
• Videography and video editing skills are a plus
• Experience working with OpenText Teamsite platform is a plus

The ideal candidate will create, review, edit, and publish technical documentation on products and internal processes.

Responsibilities

• Researches, writes, edits, and proofreads product implementation documentation within established time frames and produces illustrations and screenshots for the documentation when necessary
• Coordinate with groups downstream from development to ensure requested/required documentation of various development efforts are captured and passed to downstream groups
• Conducts and/or assists in documentation planning tasks, including preparing documentation plans, defining audience, performing task analysis, and establishing project schedules
• Conducts tests and solicits feedback to ensure the clarity, completeness, technical accuracy, and quality of the documents produced
• As assigned, reviews and validates technical documentation produced by other departments or by other writers to ensure technical accuracy and adherence to styles
• Helps identify needs and creates templates in MadCap Flare for various types of technical publications
• Perform other related duties, as required
• Responsible for ensuring that all security, availability, confidentiality, and privacy policies and controls are adhered to

Experience and knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Technical Communication, English, Journalism, or related field
• Typically requires a minimum of two years of technical writing experience with demonstrated writing and analytical skills
• Must possess a comprehensive understanding of software development processes
• Knowledge of programming languages, specifically SQL, is desired
• Knowledge of banking practices is highly desired
• Knowledge of help authoring software, specifically MadCap Flare and single sourcing is highly desired.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Strong teamwork, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative working environment and be highly proactive
• Ability to travel to customer sites, if needed