Technical Writer - Engineering (New York, NY)

At Squarespace, we enable millions to build a brand and transact with their customers online. That means delivering impactful, reliable software products to our customers. Technical writers contribute to that mission by maximizing engineer efficiency through internal technical documentation.

We're looking for an experienced technical writer to grow and drive several internal technical documentation projects within the Data Engineering department. As a member of our growing Technical Writing team, you'll work closely with engineers and stakeholders to break down complex information into clear, concise, and accurate documentation. You'll also mentor and coach engineers on their writing and documentation workflows.

This role sits in Engineering and reports to the Technical Writing Manager in NYC.

All Squarespace employees are working remotely at this time. We are closely monitoring the status of COVID-19 as we continue our work to build a return-to-work plan that ensures a safe return to our offices and provides flexibility for our employees.

In this role you'll

• Explain complex information in clear, accurate internal technical documentation for engineers and data scientists
• Advise and coach engineers and teams on documentation workflows and technical writing best practices
• Collaborate with stakeholders to plan and identify documentation deliverables that meet audiences' needs
• Communicate with stakeholders about documentation priorities and progress
• Recommend improvements to documentation practices and standards in Engineering
• Partner with engineers and data scientists and perform individual research to learn new technologies and inform your work

What we're looking for

• Experience writing technical documentation for engineering audiences and for projects of increasing complexity and scale
• Audience-centric, effective, and impeccable writing skills
• Ability to pick up technical concepts quickly and a firm understanding of technologies at previous companies
• Experience documenting data systems; experience with the following is a plus:
• Big data tooling, such as Hadoop
• Google Cloud Platform
• Orchestration tooling, such as Kubernetes and Airflow
• Streaming queue systems, such as Kafka
• Familiarity with docs-as-code tools and practices, such as Git, GitHub, Bitbucket, static site generators, and Markdown
• Ability to efficiently and effectively navigate ambiguity and competing priorities to identify audiences' needs
• Outcome-focused thinking with the ability to foster ideas, navigate complexity, and work autonomously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and trust

In your first three months, you'll

• Get to know the teams you work with and their technologies through 1:1s, attending meetings, and shadowing your stakeholders
• Begin owning one cross-team documentation project, contributing content and identifying future deliverables
• Understand the audiences for your documentation including those that fall outside your immediate teams 
• Build a confident and comfortable relationship with the engineers and leadership members on the teams you work with
• Begin drafting your career development plan with your manager

Working as a Technical Writer at Squarespace

Technical writers at Squarespace increase engineer efficiency by communicating expertly through the written word, working collaboratively, being radically candid, and leaving egos at the door. We treat processes and tools not as ends, but as means to reach business goals and empower our customers. We lift each other up and provide equal opportunities for growth.

Technical writers at Squarespace also have the option to contribute to Squarespace culture in ways meaningful to them, for example, joining or leading Employee Resource Groups, planning or attending (currently virtual) team events, and joining game nights.

About Squarespace

Squarespace makes beautiful products to help people with creative ideas succeed. By blending elegant design and sophisticated engineering, we empower millions of people — from individuals and local artists to entrepreneurs shaping the world’s most iconic businesses — to share their stories with the world. Squarespace’s team of more than 1,200 is headquartered in downtown New York City, with offices in Dublin and Portland. For more information, visit www.squarespace.com/about.

Benefits & Perks

• Health insurance with 100% premium covered for you and your dependent children
• Flexible vacation & paid time off
• Up to 20 weeks of paid family leave
• Equity plan for all employees
• Retirement benefits with employer match
• Fertility and adoption benefits
• Free lunch and snacks at all offices
• Education reimbursement
• Dog-friendly workplace in New York office
• Commuter benefit in the form of reduced tax (Ireland) and pretax (US)

Today, more than a million people around the globe use Squarespace to share different perspectives and experiences with the world. Not only do we embrace and celebrate the diversity of our customer base, but we also strive for the same in our employees. At Squarespace, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

*Thank you to our friends at Awaken for inspiring the structure of this job description.