Technical Writer job

Trimble Transportation is in business for optimizing the movement of freight by providing shippers and carriers both mobility, enterprise and visibility software tools they need to run their businesses more efficiently. As the leading provider of Transportation Management Software (TMS), Asset Management Software (AMS), and Fleet Management Software (FMS) we are devoted to propelling companies in the trucking industry toward increased efficiency, lower costs and optimize operations.

Position Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented person with exceptional writing, research, and organizational ability who will working with product managers, software engineers, quality assurance analysts, trainers, and documentation staff to research, learn and document Trimble’s suite of applications. A thorough understanding of these applications is critical.

Our ideal candidate is a person who can write about highly technical subjects for various audiences. You must have the skills and experience to produce the following types of materials:

• Online help for Microsoft .NET applications and web applications
• Online web content for our educational website
• eLearning content for our online training course offerings
• User guides and installation guides
• Instructional videos

Primary Responsibilities:

• Work with the owners of technical knowledge to collect information that is relevant to end users for their successful configuration and operation of Trimble’s software products
• Use templates and documentation style guidelines effectively to develop documentation that has a consistent visual and structural approach
• Perform thorough research and analysis to develop mastery of Trimble’s products
• Participate in the build-out of our educational website by developing knowledge base articles/job aids, and researching industry and technical articles that can be incorporated into the website
• Work with trainers to develop high quality, well written presentations for use in our on-demand and virtual training courses
• Use Microsoft Word and online help tools (WebWorks ePublisher) to design, develop, build, and publish online help systems
• Script, record, and edit instructional videos
• Assist with internal and external communications and tracking for our website and training offerings
• Organize and present content in a manner that meets the needs of the intended audience, as well as the output required, i.e., online help/web content, hard copy, video
• Comply with quality standards for well organized, clear, accurate, and complete end user documentation and instructional materials
• Adhere to departmental requirements regarding project tracking and publication of end user documentation and course content

Required Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Technical Communications, Instructional Design, Computer Science, or Education, or equivalent work experience
• 3+ years’ experience in developing guides, online help, and educational materials for a software company
• Intermediate to advanced skill level with Microsoft Word, with a strong understanding of styles
• Experience with online help development tools
• Excellent written, verbal, and organizational skills
• Attention to detail, particularly with completing processes and verifying functionality
• Experience developing online help and/or online documentation
• Ability to work well as part of a team
• Ability to deal with the challenges of a high-energy environment where there are frequent changes and additions to the software products Trimble develops
• Ability to effectively present information to an internal department and/or large groups of employees
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, set priorities, schedule and meet deadlines, and take initiative to accomplish tasks with minimal supervision in complex situations
• Strong time management, research, and problem-solving capabilities

Preferred Skills:

We are especially interested in candidates with one or more of the following:

• Background in the transportation industry
• Familiarity with any of the following:
  • HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript or similar web programming languages/tools
  • Basic Microsoft SQL skills/ SQL Server Reporting Service (SSRS)
  • Adobe Creative Cloud applications
  • TechSmith Camtasia Studio
• Experience documenting APIs, including:
  • Basic SQL database understanding – tables, columns, data types
  • Understanding objects, methods, and properties
  • Understanding the difference between a property and a parameter
  • Experience using Visual Studio to look at code files to view the methods and recognize elements
  • Understanding how to call methods and updatable properties
• Experience documenting data warehouse systems, including:
  • Basic understanding of Extract Transform Load (ETL) process and star-schema model concepts
  • Basic understanding of reporting, including visualization (charts and thematic maps)
  • Basic understanding of mathematical/statistical functions and calculations
• Experience writing/troubleshooting batch programs
• Teaching/training experience in a corporate environment