Email to: Joshua.Dion -at- simplivity.com
Expectations of the Candidate
The manager of technical publications will oversee a group of Technical Writers responsible for the development and maintenance of high quality product documentation, including artifacts such as Online Help, Configuration Guides, Hardware and Software Installation Guides, Release Notes, Quick Start Guides, etc.
Reports to: Director of Engineering Operations
Responsibilities
- Manage the technical writing department in accordance with organizational policies and goals.
Supervise, lead and direct a group of technical writers with varying backgrounds and levels of experience. - Manage performance and career development for each member of the team.
- Project manage all phases of documentation development including planning, development, verification, validation, through translations and final release.
- Ensure that new and existing publications follow established documentation procedures.
- Develop and manage department metrics to monitor progress and report the status of technical publications activity.
- Develop and execute to a long term vision for the group.
- Drive improvements in documentation structure, tools and processes.
- Develop and maintain a SimpliVity documentation style-guide.
- Create and maintain documentation project plans and publications schedules.
- Work with a variety of cross functional stake holders including developers, testers, engineering managers, manufacturing and support.
- Ensure that documentation complies with department standards for presentation, format and content.
- Bachelor's Degree in a writing related or science/engineering field.
- 5+ years directly managing technical writers.
- 8-10 years of experience in high-tech computer industry, SW or HW writing. Storage industry, Virtualization, VMware, distributed systems, file systems, operating systems, GUI, and CLI.
- Significant experience managing back-end tools and infrastructure for a documentation team.
- Track record of growing documentation departments and creating high performing teams.
- Understands and has experience performing all roles in the technical publishing life-cycle: planning, analyzing user needs, solution design, creating content, coding, formatting, publishing, peer editing, kitting, and delivery.
- Ability to work with diverse personality types.
- Ability to work under very limited supervision.
- Strong negotiation, facilitation and conflict-resolutions skills.
- Expert in one or more information methodologies: STE, Structured writing, information mapping, DITA.
- Extensive experience and expertise in MadCap Flare.
- Expert user of tools: FrameMaker, Adobe Technical Communications Suite, Confluence or other Wiki, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Publisher.
- Knowledgeable user of Linux, UNIX, and Windows OS.
- Skilled user of content management, content reuse, single-sourcing, conditionalization, multi-streaming.
- Skilled user of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Visio, GIMP, Inkscape for the purpose of creating and editing screenshots and images.
- Expert in one or more content coding solutions: XHTML, XML, DITA tagging, proprietary coding methods (Frame, Author-IT).
- Experience producing global products and creating translatable content.
- Knowledge of technologies such as storage, virtualization, VMWare, networking and Linux are a plus.
- Familiarity with high-tech start-ups an advantage.
- Photography or videography skills are an advantage.
- Results oriented individual.
- Self-motivated.
- Self-starter, minimal direction required.
- Entrepreneurial spirit (passionate about joining a startup, adaptable to changing situations).
- High professional standards.
- Analytical.
- Highly organized.
- Strong team player.
- Ability to cope and adapt to change and uncertainty, calm and poised under pressure.