Location: Foster City, CA
Work schedule: Onsite, Monday - Friday from 8:30am - 5pm
Pay: $57.77/hour on W2
Job description
Client is helping an on-demand, autonomous ride-hailing company hire a Technical Writer - Manufacturing & Serviceability to develop and maintain technical documentation supporting the build, operation, and maintenance of an autonomous vehicle fleet.
In this role, you'll partner closely with engineers and technicians to gather information, define requirements, and deliver clear, accurate documentation that supports manufacturing and service operations.
The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, collaborative, and experienced in translating complex technical concepts into clear, user-friendly content.
As a Technical Writer - Manufacturing & Serviceability, you'll:
- Author, edit, and publish a wide range of technical documentation, including work instructions, SOPs, maintenance guides, inspection procedures, service manuals, and technical service bulletins.
- Develop documentation for vehicle operations, mission readiness, repair procedures (remove/replace), software programming, and post-repair bring-up.
- Create and maintain process flows, diagrams, and visual aids to support manufacturing and operational workflows.
- Collaborate with engineers, technicians, and subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather, validate, and refine technical content.
- Review and update existing documentation to improve clarity, accuracy, and consistency.
- Develop training materials, including step-by-step guides and short video content, to support technicians and operators.
- Define and maintain style guides, templates, and documentation standards.
- Manage document versioning, workflows, and release processes to ensure materials remain current and aligned with operational changes.
- Utilize visuals (e.g., diagrams, illustrations, callouts) to enhance usability and comprehension.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Technical Communication, Engineering, or a related field.
- 4 8 years of relevant experience in technical writing, documentation, or related fields.
- Travel to various company locations as required to support multiple teams within the Manufacturing Operations department.
- Proficiency in documentation tools and content management systems (e.g., Oxygen, Dozuki, Adobe, Jira, Articulate 360).
- Experience with markup languages such as HTML, XML, or DITA XML.
- Familiarity with topic-based authoring concepts and version control systems.
- Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Strong understanding of content development lifecycles, documentation best practices, and style guide creation and maintenance.
- Ability to design user-friendly, intuitive, and accessible technical content using UX principles.
- Experience managing document workflows, reviews, and release processes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, concise information.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- High attention to detail and a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
- Collaborative team player with a self-starter mindset and proactive problem-solving approach.
- Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement in documentation practices.
Daily tasks
Company is developing autonomous mobility from the ground up, including creating a unique vehicle tailored to autonomous driving. The Manufacturing Operations (MOps) team at company supports all manufacturing and fleet-level maintenance, repair, and upgrade operations. This includes the back-end engineering team that delivers various aspects of technical content and support, with a key focus on improving safety and operational efficiencies. The technical writing contractor for MOps will author and maintain all types of manufacturing & serviceability technical documentation to support technicians and engineers with building & maintaining our autonomous vehicle fleet. They will work cross-functionally with engineers and technicians to define, obtain necessary information, and deliver the required documentation.
Responsibilities:
- Author, edit, and publish a wide range of technical documents including work instructions, labor time estimates, equipment maintenance guides, product quality specifications, process flows and diagrams, logistics procedures, safety protocols, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Review and revise existing documents, policies, procedures, and standards to improve clarity, accuracy, and presentation quality.
- Collaborate with engineers, technicians, and subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather and validate technical information.
- Create training content that is clear and understandable for technicians and operators, including short video clips and step-by-step instructions.
- Define and implement style guides and templates to ensure consistency across all technical documentation.
- Utilize diagrams, illustrations, and callouts to improve user comprehension and engagement in documents.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive process flows to document manufacturing and operational workflows.
- Utilize tools and trackers to manage document versions and ensure materials are current and aligned with operational changes.
- Author, edit, and publish Vehicle operations manuals and mission readiness documentation
- Author, edit, and publish vehicle-level inspection, maintenance, and repair remove/replace procedures
- Author, edit, and publish software programming and post-repair bring-up
- Author, edit, and publish fleet upgrade and rework procedures
- Author, edit, and publish technical service bulletins
- Author, edit, and publish inspection and maintenance procedures
Bonus Qualifications:
- Vehicle technician or autonomous vehicle operator experience
- Previous automotive OEM service manual authoring experience
- Experience with software such as Oxygen XML (DITA), JIRA, GitHub, Confluence, Dozuki, Adobe Creative Suite, CATIA 3DX
- Bachelor's degree with focus in Technical Writing