Senior Technical Writer

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