As a Junior Technical Author you will be responsible for writing specialist information about our products and services, and how they work. You will need to explain how things are used in a way that is easy to understand and presented in the form of user guides, reference and instruction manuals, training guides, instructional videos or online help incorporated into software and operating guides for multi-platform use.

Role Info:

Junior Technical Author

Basingstoke, Hampshire

Full Time, reporting to Group Product Manager.

Company Industry: Design and Manufacture of Critical Messaging Devices, Wireless and IoT Systems

Seniority Level: Approximately 1 years’ experience in a technical writing or allied role.

Is This You?

+ Helpful, inquisitive, a good listener, you want to understand - from manuals, videos and conversation

+ A natural team player and outgoing individual, well organised, punctual

+ You love communications tech, following and using the latest developments, gadgets, apps and devices

+ Comfortable working with MS Office, Google apps, Component Content Management Systems and Adobe

+ You teach people – perhaps it’s how to use things, play sport, make music, cook, or something else

+ Excellent spoken and written English and ideally German or French

Main Duties: 

+ Plan, research, write, revise and edit documents from conception to delivery in printed, softcopy, website and mobile formats for customers, distributors, installers and technicians to operate, install, maintain and service our portfolio of existing and new products.

+ Convey technical ideas, concepts and procedures in crisp simple plain British English. Use a warm, relaxed and helpful style to engage the reader. Design documents to be scanned first, read second.

+ Create illustrations and edit CAD drawings (Solidworks) to complement or replace text in documents.

+ Pay attention to detail, use consistent and correct terminology.

+ Gather information by studying existing technical content, interviewing subject matter experts and where necessary interacting with the product directly, to ensure accurate and complete documentation.

+ With the product Design Authority, scrutinise, proofread and edit as necessary all documentation produced, to ensure accuracy of content and presentation prior to distribution.

+ Maintain the accuracy of all technical publication databases/records by amending them as required, to ensure compliance with all required standards. Arrange translations into applicable languages and incorporation of these translations into the relevant publications to create bi and/or tri-lingual documents.

+ Ensure documents are aligned with the features and products that are available – don’t pre-announce anything in documentation.

Essential Skills:

+ Making every word matter.

+ Qualified to degree or HNC/HND in science, computing, telecommunications, engineering; appropriate time served apprenticeships or forces experience will also be considered.

+ Production and publication of instruction manuals in related or similar engineering fields.

+ A good working knowledge and recent use of: - Microsoft Office, Adobe FrameMaker (V9 onwards) or equivalent industry standard desktop publishing software

+ Image manipulation using illustration/graphic design/digital photography/photo editing applications

+ Able to accurately interpret user stories, wireframes, flow diagrams, mechanical drawings, electrical diagrams, and instructions given by project engineers, software engineers and product managers.

+ Able to carry out editorial reviewing of work produced by peers.

+ Highly Desirable (not Essential) Skills:

- An XML authoring application, especially oXygen.

- Use of a Component Content Management System (CCMS).

- Fluent in German or French.

- Full UK Driving License.