Technical Author

Come join us and make a difference in the world!

Discover more at www.necsws.com

We are looking for a Technical Author with a proven record of delivering high quality technical documentation for software applications.

As the successful candidate, you will join a team of authors who are based in various locations around the UK and India. Collectively, the team is responsible for providing online help, user guides, system administration guides, training material, release notes and other documentation (as required) for a wide variety of software products. In addition, the team produce ‘How To’ videos and downloadable ‘Quick Start’ guides for inclusion in the online help.

Initially you will work alongside other members of the team on one of our larger projects assisting with the implementation of scheduled enhancement activities. Thereafter you will be given the opportunity to take ownership of at least one documentation project. However, as an experienced author, you will also be expected to assist other members of the team working on various other projects as the need arises.
Additionally, you will work closely with the Documentation Manager to explore ways in which the team can improve the end-user experience and adopt any new ways of working agreed as a result. 

Key Deliverables

• Provide engaging, easy to follow documentation that gives the user confidence to use the system as quickly and effectively as possible
• Produce highly professional and accurate documentation that reflects the quality of the product
• Follow the documentation and release processes to ensure that documentation is released in a timely and consistent manner

Key Responsibilities

• Manage medium to exceptionally large documentation projects
• Manage documentation projects in accordance with project deliverables
• Write software user guides for the various applications and services the company supplies
• Write the online help that accompanies the applications and services that the company supplies
• Liaise with software developers, business analysts and subject matter experts (SMEs) to gain an understanding of the product and seek clarification on the more technical aspects
• Ensure documents meet the quality standards expected
• Deliver all relevant documentation in time for the software release
• Travel to UK office locations occasionally for meetings etc. as the need arises
• Liaise with customers to identify where improvements to documentation can be made

Training

Training will be given on corporate styles, branding, and team standards. Domain knowledge will be gained on the job over the course of time.

The successful candidate will be expected to complete the in-house Technical Author Skills program.

Essential Experience & Skills:

• Considerable Technical writing experience in a software development environment

• Considerable experience writing context-sensitive online help

• Good working knowledge of MadCap Flare or RoboHelp is essential.
• Ability to use MadCap Flare (or RoboHelp) to generate online help and user guides
• A good understanding of technical authoring processes including single sourcing
• Good working knowledge of HTML / XHTML
• Ability to manage large projects with minimal supervision
• Ability to work effectively on own initiative
• Efficient time management with the ability to work to and meet tight deadlines
• Strong command of the English language
• A team player with effective communication skills
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to explain technical concepts in simple terms
• Good technical understanding of IT systems in general
• Ability to absorb new and complex information quickly
• Ability to compare documentation to the software with meticulous attention to detail
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft products specifically Word and Excel

Desirable:

• Working knowledge of MadCap Capture
• Working knowledge of MadCap Mimic
• Working knowledge of CSS
• Good working knowledge of the Agile development methodology
• Good working knowledge of JIRA
• Experience working in a local government arena such as Revenues and Benefits

We pride ourselves in offering an excellent benefits package, including an above average pension scheme. When you join the team at NEC Software Solutions, you are provided with the following:

• Private Medical Cover funded by NEC for Employees (with the option to add family members at an additional cost) 
• 25 days paid holiday with the option to buy/sell 
• 4 x basic salary life assurance cover funded by NEC (with the option to increase cover at an additional cost)
• A Group Pension Plan with fantastic employer contributions up to a maximum of 8.5%
• A selection of flexible benefits to suit your individual needs
• All colleagues get free access to LinkedIn Learning. Over 15000 courses covering a huge breadth of subjects. Learn about what you like, when you like, how you like. 

OTHER INFORMATION

• Candidates must be able to demonstrate a pre-existing right to work and travel within the UK. Documentary evidence will be required.
• All offers are subject to satisfactory vetting and reference checks. Depending on the nature of the role a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check may also be required.

NEC Software Solutions is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all communities. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific accessibility needs during the recruitment or interview process, please feel free to share these with us. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accommodating experience for all candidates.

Who We Are:

We’re NEC Software Solutions (part of global tech giant NEC Corporation). While you read this ad, our software is helping to dispatch ambulances, support families, keep trains on the move, locate missing people and even test the hearing of newborn babies.

Working with us, you’ll be helping our 3,000+ employees push the boundaries of what’s possible and support amazing public services.

We work with governments, hospitals, police forces, housing providers, local authorities and more. We help them pay financial support faster, speed up treatments for patients and respond to emergencies in the right way. The more we do, the more our customers can do for others. And together, we make a world of difference.

We’d love your help. And we’ll support you all the way.