Requirements
Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Media Studies, Technical Communication, or Professional Writing, with at least 5 years of technical writing experience. Knowledge of software development and documentation processes is preferred. Must be able to gather and assess technical documentation, translate complex concepts, manage project scope and budget, balance workload, and work independently and collaboratively to produce high-quality technical documentation.
Description
NOV Africa (Pty) Ltd is seeking a Senior Technical Writer to research, organize, write and edit technical manuals and related documents in a manner that the user can understand.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Research technical data and develop procedures through interviews, on-site visits and production observations.
- Organize and research available data, write technical manuscripts from the data including procedures and parts lists.
- Determine illustration needs and recommend content to illustrators.
- Assist in proofing and editing technical publications of other writers for conformance to style and format.
- Meet with other writers to determine project assignments and report project status.
- Schedule and conduct review meetings for approval of new or revised publications before final version is released.
- Assist in the development and revision of style guides that meet the specific needs of NOV products.
FACILITY / GROUP SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide documentation assistance to management and product engineering as necessary.
- Proactively and promptly address documentation concerns of management and product engineering.
- Collaborate with multiple engineering groups and project stakeholders.
- Handle multiple projects effectively.
- Actively participate in internal and external process improvements.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Media Studies, Technical Communication, or Professional Writing
- At least 5+ years of technical writing experience
- Knowledge of software development and documentation process preferred.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- Must be able to gather and assess technical documentation to create and update user documentation in compliance with engineering technical input, best practices, and department standards.
- Must be able to translate highly technical concepts into understandable content for the end user.
- Must be able to determine project scope, budget, execute, and successfully complete assigned projects and deliverables.
- Must be able to balance work volume and quality and appropriately escalate potential risks and issues to management.
- Must be able to work independently and with a team to publish high-quality technical documentation.
BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
- Strong analytical skills and ability to operate in a fast-paced environment with evolving project requirements and priorities
- Effective communication
- Attention to detail
- Focus on quality and deadlines
- Analytical thinking
- Problem solving skills
- Teamwork/cooperation (within and across the business units)
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
- Proficiency with authoring and desktop publishing tools, specifically MS Word, Excel, and Adobe Creative Suite (FrameMaker, Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop).
- Knowledge of Microsoft 365 products, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint