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 2+ 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