Organization: Netflix
Contact Name: Claire Kister
Address: 100 Winchester Circle, Los Gatos CA
Phone Number: 408-540-3150
Email Address: ckister@netflix.com
Web Site: http://jobs.netflix.com/jobs.php?id=NFX00960
Job Title: Technical Writer
Job Duration: Permanent, Full-Time
Description:

Technical Writer – Operations Engineering
Cloud and Platform Engineering

Netflix is the world’s leading streaming video service, and our growth is accelerating. At Netflix, we are building new cloud management tools, pushing the limits of cloud-based technologies, and powering our explosive growth while improving the availability and reliability of our services. As a Technical Writer, you will lead our efforts to drive tools and best practices adoption by providing top notch documentation for our products and services. While the majority of our audience is internal, there are many projects with external impact such as Netflix OSS http://netflix.github.io.

In this role, you will create and maintain clear, concise documentation for Netflix’s internal tools and open source projects. This may include elements like source code examples, user’s guides, and embedded help. You will need to have a strong computer science and technical writing background to effectively execute project demands. The team needs someone who can be a self-starter and interact with service developers to get the right information to document. As the owner of the technical content space, you will define and execute content strategy, create the content and manage the content lifecycle.

Responsibilities include:

• Define and execute content plans for each of those
• Own and maintain existing documentation
• Develop language style guides and formats for various content types
• Develop metrics to measure content performance
• Work with UX/UI designers to develop in-line help
• Support architects and engineers with developing architectural diagrams

You have these skills:

• 5+ years of technical writing experience – documentation for APIs, SDKs, components, and tools
• 3+ years of programming experience (Java, Python, Ruby, C++)
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Comfortable with deploying and monitoring services
• General understanding of distributed, cloud based systems
• Proficient with HTML, CSS, Wiki formats, Google Docs

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2014
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: Nimble Storage, Inc., 211 River Oaks Parkway, San Jose CA 95134
Cost: $100 STC members, $125 non-members (includes lunch)
Sponsor: STC Silicon Valley Chapter
Instructor: Jim Bisso
Please bring: Your laptop

Workshop Description

One of the hottest markets for technical communication jobs in Silicon Valley is API documentation. Yet few tech comm books, conference sessions, or workshops tend to focus on developing API documentation skills.

One reason is that API documentation is typically seen as the developer’s domain, requiring a programmer’s level of knowledge to navigate. In reality, technical writers can create helpful API documentation without being full-fledged programmers.

With a working knowledge of the code you’re documenting, you can create API documentation that includes descriptions of objects, methods, arguments, as well as code samples and other details to help developers understand how to successfully use an API.

In this all-day workshop, Jim Bisso, a veteran of API documentation and author of Documenting APIs—Writing Developer Documentation for Java APIs and SDKs, will cover a variety of topics to help technical writers get started with API documentation. Specifically, the workshop will include the following:

• What is an API?
• What is API documentation?
• What are the different kinds of API (developer) documentation?
• Writing good API documentation.
• Overview of tools and languages.
• Samples of API docs.

Bring your laptop!

The workshop will be held at the following location:
Nimble Storage, Inc.
211 River Oaks Parkway
San Jose CA 95134

Nimble Storage offers plenty of free parking onsite. Meet in the lobby of the 211 building at 9:00 AM to sign in and be directed to the workshop classroom. Note that by company policy, all visitors must sign an NDA. Power outlets and Wifi are provided.

Lunch will be served from noon to 1:30 PM. We are ordering a variety of pizzas and salads. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions so we may better accommodate you.

Registration

The workshop is full!

We hope to have another API Documentation Workshop later in 2014.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the workshop, contact Tom Johnson (the event organizer) at tom@idratherbewriting.com or Jim Bisso (the instructor) at
jbisso@gmail.com.

About the Instructor

Jim Bisso has 25 years of experience writing API documentation for such companies as Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Inprise, and Taligent. He has also taught computer science and documenting APIs at UC Berkeley Extension, Golden Gate University, Mills College, and the University of San Francisco. Jim has also been a corporate trainer for Oracle University and Bitzone LLC.

Organization: Trilyon, Inc
Contact Name: Carolyn Joshua
Address: 10131 Linda Ann Pl, Cupertino CA
Phone Number: 408-799-9082
Email Address: carolyn@trilyonservices.com
Web Site: www.trilyonservices.com
Job Title: Technical Writer
Job Duration: 12 months +
Description:
Trilyon is looking for a Technical Writer with API experience to conceptualize, research, and write documentation for software and hardware solution offerings for its client in the Bay Area. This is a long term contract and the location is San Jose, CA. If you are interested in this position please e-mail me at carolyn@trilyonservices.com or call me at 408 799-9082 immediately to discuss.

Requirements:

• Must have API documentation experience.
• Must have experience documenting networking products.
• Experience with XML/DITA topic-based authoring is a plus<.>
• Must have experience with text editor such as text editor (such as NotePad++, TextWrangler, or equivalent) to write content in XML or JSON format.
• Must be comfortable getting verbal input from engineers.
• Ability to function well and be flexible, in a fast-paced development environment with rapidly changing deadlines and project scope.

Please join us on Monday, February 24 at 6:00 PM for our February meeting, to be held at:
Harry’s Hofbrau
1909 El Camino Real
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 366-3733

Challenges When Developing Hardware Documentation for Industrial Design: A Case Study

Presented by Rebecca Firestone

What is a Tech Comm professional to do when documenting a manufactured physical hardware product that has absolutely no computer component whatsoever? The vast majority of technical writing focuses on tools and processes that lend themselves to automated text handling, but this type of documentation does not. Instead, this type of hardware documentation must wordlessly convey specific physical motions and gestural qualities to be successful. This presentation addresses the challenges faced with this type of documentation, as well as the strategies that the writer developed for addressing these challenges.

Rebecca Firestone worked closely with a core team of engineers to develop an effective graphical language and style. After trying several different tools and production methods, a combination method evolved: SolidWorks, 3D PDF renderings, Jing, Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and unstructured FrameMaker. This approach could make it difficult to migrate to a structured content-management system, and might require sacrificing a considerable amount of graphical leeway for the sake of convenience and speed. Can we afford to lose the qualities that make the documents special? However, considering future growth and best practices in Tech Pubs, can we afford NOT to?

In this presentation and demo, Rebecca will walk the audience through the creation of a composited document in both Frame and InDesign, and also touch upon the initial challenges from the perspective of potential conversion to topic-based authoring approaches.

About the speaker:

Rebecca Firestone is a writer and business content developer with 20 years of experience, focused mainly on product and user documentation for enterprise software products. Currently employed as a Senior Technical Writer at Zep Solar in San Rafael, CA, she focuses on product documentation–including installation manuals, tutorials, white papers, slide shows, technical notes, and component-level instruction sheets. Rebecca has worked with several Bay Area architectural design firms, writing articles and features on design and energy compliance. Other experience includes complex enterprise software applications, such as telecom convergence billing systems, messaging presence servers, and customer relationship management software. As a trainer, she worked with account managers, professional services, channel partners, new hires, and customers to deliver industry-specific, hands-on courses in the convergence billing industry space. In addition to her work in the software industry, she also worked with a leading electronics manufacturer to write business articles and white papers on the use of expert systems for supply-chain optimization.

Organization: Stage 4 Solutions, Inc
Contact Name:
Address: 4701 Patrick Henry Dr, Bldg 19, Santa Clara CA
Phone Number: 408-868-9739
Email Address:
Web Site: www.stage4solutions.com
Job Title: Technical Writer
Job Duration: 3 to 6 months
Job Location: Onsite at the client’s offices in San Jose, CA
Description:
We are looking for a Technical Writer for a contract role at a large high tech company that is creating SaaS-based networking monitoring solutions. The Technical Writer will be responsible for creating all technical documentation, including user guides, installation manuals, etc. Prior experience with SaaS/web-hosted solutions is required.

This is a 3 to 6 month project, 40 hours per week, onsite at the client’s offices in San Jose, CA. This is a W-2 role as a Stage 4 Solutions’ employee.

Responsibilities:

• Create all technical documents including installation, configuration, user and troubleshooting guides, release notes, etc.
• Work with internal teams to develop and deliver technical publications.
• Understand the product by installing prototypes and attending customer demos.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of technical writing experience for SaaS/Web-hosted solutions, and/or networking management products.
• Proven ability to create user guides, administration manuals, help documentation, etc.
• Strong ability to interface with engineers and product management teams.
• Strong technical aptitude to learn new solutions and technologies.

Please submit your resume to our network at http://www.stage4solutions.com/careers.html
(please apply to the Technical Writer, SaaS Solution Role).

Please feel free to forward this opening to others you think might be interested.

Organization: BlackArrow
Contact Name: Shannon Ramirez
Address: 65 N San Pedro Street, San Jose CA
Phone Number: 408-642-6400
Email Address: employment@blackarrow.tv
Web Site: www.blackarrow.tv
Job Title: Senior Technical Writer
Job Duration: Permanent
Description:
Are you a Tech Writing Rock Star? If so, let’s chat. We’re looking for someone who can come in and create and manage a set of technical documents that our customers and partners can use to set up, configure, operate, monitor, and troubleshoot our system in their highly complex video infrastructures. This role requires someone who can hunt down information about complex processes and products and present it to readers in an easy-to-understand logical, clear, concise manner.

Responsibilities include:

• Writing clear, concise, and accurate technical documents which describe:
  • How our products work
  • APIs and interface specifications
  • Standard messaging and protocol specifications
  • Reference deployment architectures
  • Installation and software configuration instructions
  • Software administration, operation, and monitoring guides
  • Training materials
• Working directly with subject matter experts from product management, engineering, QA, operations, and customer support teams; leveraging industry and BlackArrow product specifications documents; and working hands-on with BlackArrow’s products as needed to create and maintain this documentation and ensure its accuracy
• Editing raw documents, notes, and other inputs to create final BlackArrow technical documents
• Generating information in the absence of engineering specifications or other product-requirement documents when necessary
• Generating technical illustrations which capture technical architectures, data and messaging flows, and other complex and/or conceptual functions
• Additional responsibilities that would be beneficial:
  • Defining and prioritizing what documents need to be done
  • Creation of templates and format specifications for our documentation
  • Defining the systems, data repositories, and mechanisms that will be used to capture, control, and version our source documentation
  • Defining the information architecture or methods in which users can navigate through and/or discover information within a large number of documents

Desired Skills and Experience
About You:

• You have demonstrated strong writing and editing skills, with attention to detail and ability to self-edit
• You understand the need to meet tight deadlines and project documentation completion dates, and do so
• You are well-organized and are able to schedule and maintain multiple documentation projects effectively to meet production schedules
• You have the keen ability to distill highly detailed technical functionality into clear, comprehensive descriptions, and task-oriented instructions for end users
• You come equipped with a high degree of technical proficiency
• You possess inter-personal skills that allow you to succeed in a team environment
• You are a self-starter who can track down information on your own
• You communicate well both written and verbally
• You are fluent in the English language

Your Skills:

• Minimum 5+ years experience writing technical documentation and reference material for end users, administrators, and developers
• Experience with a broad range of current software technologies, especially client-server technology, HTML, XML, SOAP, and J2EE
• Expert user of MS Word, Acrobat, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, and/or other tech pubs software
• Expert with Illustrator, Photoshop, and/or other image/illustration editing software
• Experience with HTML/XML authoring/viewing tools
• BA/BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with coursework or equivalent experience in Technical Writing

Organization: Synergistech Communications
Contact Name: Andrew Davis
Address: 2471 Solano Ave, #119, Napa CA
Phone Number: 707-554-9365
Email Address: synergistech@gmail.com
Web Site: www.synergistech.com/jobs/
Job Title: Junior Technical Writer
Job Duration: Permanent
Description:
Staff Junior Technical Writer (SJT-411)

Compensation: Competitive, with excellent benefits
Audience: Medical imaging professionals
Location: Onsite in Santa Clara, CA, with flex-time
Starts: ASAP
Duration: Full-time employment (FTE), indefinite
Relo/Visa help: No
Representation: Principals only, please

This growing, diversified medical equipment company needs a staff (FTE) Junior Technical Writer to research, plan, outline, and write technical documentation for its imaging hardware products.

You’ll receive guidance from two senior-level Technical Writers, be trained on products’ doc requirements, and assist with ISO-related quality control, production, and release duties.

The company develops, manufactures, and sells medical imaging systems, biopsy devices, and treatment products focused on the healthcare needs of women, permitting early detection of disease, improved diagnosis, and less invasive treatments.

To qualify for this role, you’ll need to be MS Windows-literate and able to handle all aspects of digital file management. You’ll also require proficiency with Acrobat and MS Office, and a solid working knowledge of manufacturing resource planning (MRP) and engineering release processes and standards.

This is a full-time staff employee role with a competitive salary and excellent benefits. You’ll work fully onsite in Santa Clara, and there is some flexibility available regarding working hours.

Required:

• Solid hands-on experience with MS Windows
• Proficiency with MS Office applications and Adobe Acrobat
• Working knowledge of manufacturing resource planning (MRP) and engineering release processes and standards
• Strong end-user procedures writing experience, as evidenced by a showable portfolio
• A 2- or 4-year degree

Desired:

• Experience working with content management systems (CMS) such as Author-it

To apply:
Please email your Word-formatted resume (and a cover letter highlighting any relevant but less-than-obvious experience) to Andrew Davis, synergistech@gmail.com, citing “SJT-411″ in your Subject line.

Organization: The Mosaic Company
Contact Name: Jill Howard
Address: 3170 Crow Canyon Place, Ste. 200, San Ramon CA
Phone Number: 925-785-1107
Email Address: jillh@themosaiccompany.com
Web Site: www.themosaiccompany.com
Job Title: Technical Writer/Editor
Job Duration: Ongoing
Description:
Technical Writer (Location is in San Ramon, CA.)
The Mosaic Company works closely with each client to analyze specific business needs, corporate culture, infrastructure, and performance gaps before designing and developing an advanced, custom, performance-improving training solution. Our services include consulting, development of e-learning, blended learning, instructor-led training, simulations/animations, and applications. Our expertise in instructional design and content development allows us to specifically tailor programs to our clients’ specifications.

Primary Responsibilities:

We are looking for an experienced Technical Writer who can take complex technical information and communicate it in a clear, concise and accurate manner. The ideal candidate for this position is a self-starting, well-organized individual with a strong editing and writing background.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Create, develop, and produce technical documentation from.existing materials and new content through subject-matter-expert interviews.
• Edit highly technical procedures for style without altering content’s meaning.
• Verify that all materials developed adhere to company style guide and standardized template.
• Leverage a strong understanding of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in active voice.
• Work with client on subject matters including but not limited to basic mechanical engineering and gas concepts and principals.

Key Competencies:

• Accountable: consistently able to deliver high-quality products in an accurate and timely manner based on the parameters provided.
• Adaptable: able to learn quickly, communicate clearly, and enjoy working with complex technology.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Desired background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Technical Writing, English, Journalism, Engineering, or related field, and at least 3-5 years experience as a Technical Writer.
• Strong command over the English language and understanding of procedure writing.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Good planning, organizational, and time management skills

Organization: Mondo
Contact Name: Kevin Liu
Address: Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara CA
Phone Number: 415-906-4441
Email Address: Kevin.Liu@mondo.com
Web Site: www.Mondo.com
Job Title: SDK Technical Writer – Windows Mobile
Job Duration: 3+ Months
Description: My direct client, a cloud technology company, has an immediate need for an SDK Technical Writer.
Where: Santa Clara, CA
When: ASAP
Duration: Contract / Contract To Hire / Permanent
Rate: Open / DOE

You will work as an integral part of an Agile development team to research, plan and produce technical content for a range of developer audiences, with a focus on APIs for application development, especially Windows mobile.

Job Summary

Our client is a cloud company that allows developers to dramatically cut development time and build great applications for desktop, mobile and web. It provides services such as file store, data store, key-value store, push notification, sync and user management through back-end services that developers can access and use with a few lines of code. We offer these services through an SDK that provides everything developers need to build great apps. Our client offers its services on several platforms, including iOS, OS X, Windows Mobile, Android, Windows RT and Java.

Responsibilities

We are searching for a Technical Writer to join our newly-formed Developer Relations department. We produce technical content for our cutting-edge software solution that provides multi-platform application development services. This is an excellent position for an experienced individual contributor who wants to get involved in app development process, and help define and create our documentation offerings for our SDK. This position reports to the Director of Developer Relations in Santa Clara, with frequent contact with our engineering team in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Significant face time with engineers is a must and will include travel and online video conferencing.

Required Experience

• 4-6 years industry experience as a Tech Writer in a software company.
• Experience writing and documenting Windows Mobile.
• Experience documenting REST APIs.
• Comfortable with the fast-changing environment of a growing and independent group.
• Has the technical aptitude necessary to quickly come up to speed on technology topics including mobile, file store, data store, push notifications, sync and user management.
• Experience with a range of authoring environments.
• Can produce content in the absence of specifications, using a combination of interviews, web research, and hands-on access to the product.
• Be able to test APIs that you document, to ensure accuracy and completeness and to derive samples for reference pages.
• Influence the design of the APIs you document to address various use cases.
• Contribute to continuously creating and improving our documentation standards, tools, and processes.
• Excellent writing samples targeted at a range of audiences.

Pluses:

• Experience with mobile development, especially Windows, is highly desired.
• Previous start-up environment experience a plus.
• Experience with JSON, XML, HTML a plus.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies is a plus.
• Experience working with source control systems such as GitHub, Subversion and Perforce is preferred.

Interested?

Please send updated resumes and best contact time to Kevin.Liu@mondo.com!

Organization: Trilyon, Inc
Contact Name: Carolyn Joshua
Address: 10131 Linda Ann Pl, Cupertino CA
Phone Number: 408-799-9082
Email Address: carolyn@trilyonservices.com
Web Site: www.trilyonservices.com
Job Title: Technical Writer with XML or API experience
Job Duration: Long Term
Description: Trilyon is looking for a Technical Writer with XML or API experience to conceptualize, research, and write documentation for software and hardware solution offerings for its client in the Bay Area. This is a long term contract and the location is San Jose, CA. If you are interested in this position please e-mail back or call me at 408-799-9082 immediately to discuss.

Requirements:

• Must have at least 5 years of documentation experience.
• Must have experience documenting networking products.
• Experience with XML/DITA or API is required.
• Must be comfortable getting verbal input from engineers.
• Ability to function well and be flexible, in a fast-paced development environment with rapidly changing deadlines and project scope.

Organization: Clarity Consultants
Contact Name: Kelli Downey
Address: 1901 S Bascom Ave, Campbell CA
Phone Number: 800-330-6558
Email Address: kdowney@clarityconsultants.com
Web Site: www.clarityconsultants.com
Job Title: Technical Writer
Job Duration: 8 months
Start Date: April 1, 2014
Job Location: Palo Alto, CA preferred for partial onsite.

Will consider virtual candidates but must be able to collect information without wasting time or sending a laundry list of questions.

Description:
We are working with our client in identifying a Technical Writer to update and maintain an existing User Guide for the client’s virtual networking product line.

The document to be updated will cover setting up the products and use them to deploy logical networks and connecting an installation to cloud orchestration tools such as VMware and OpenStack. The audience for this document includes cloud administrators, data center administrators, and network administrators.

Experience Required:

• 3+ years of technical writing experience.
• Experience writing documentation for IT administrators, virtualization/cloud administrators and/or network administrators.
• Experience with IP networking, virtualization, and/or cloud computing tools such as VMware, Amazon AWS, OpenStack, or CloudStack.
• Network routing, network switching or network security documentation experience.
• Knowledge of IP networking technologies.
• Experience producing HTML-formatted documentation from FrameMaker or DITA sources.
• Knowledge of virtualization technologies and infrastructure.
• Proficiency with DITA or other XML-based documentation formats.
• Ability to work efficiently at the UNIX/Linux command line.
• Proficiency with FrameMaker.
• Able to provide writing samples that demonstrate the ability to write clear administrator documentation.

To be considered for this project, please send an email to kdowney@clarityconsultants.com with the following:

1. Your resume.
2. Respond to each bullet point listed under “Experience Required” with your relevant skills and experience.

Please include reference#7148 in the subject line.

NOTE: 100% Remote Positions
Due to the nature of this virtual position, we anticipate a high number of responses from interested applicants. We may not be able to personally respond to your inquiry immediately but please know that your resume and email responses will be reviewed.

About Us:
Clarity Consultants is the leading provider of consultants for corporate learning and development and technical communications. For more than 20 years, organizations have turned to Clarity to deliver talent to help expedite critical projects. We are passionate about delivering the best L&D and Technical Communications solutions for our clients, we understand training and development, and we know the value that experience brings to the overall success of a project.

If the above opportunity is not for you and you are a learning and development or technical documentation professional, please register on our website at www.clarityconsultants.com.

Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ClarityConsultants
Follow us on Twitter: @ClarityLnD, @ClarityTechComm

Organization: Synergistech Communications
Contact Name: Andrew Davis
Address: 2471 Solano Ave, #119, Napa CA
Phone Number: 707-554-9365
Email Address: synergistech@gmail.com
Web Site: www.synergistech.com
Job Title: Sr Technical Writer/Content Strategist
Job Duration: Indefinite (staff/FTE)
Description: Staff Senior Technical Writer/Content Strategist, sys-admin doc for security appliances, San Jose (SSD-413)

Job code: SSD-413
Compensation: Competitive base salary and benefits
Audience: IT security experts and network administrators
Location: Onsite in San Jose, CA (just north of the airport), with flex-time
Starts: ASAP
Duration: Full-time employment (FTE), indefinite
Relo/Visa help: No
Representation: Principals only, please

This respected, growing data security appliance developer needs a talented staff Senior Technical Writer to create and refine procedural, reference, and UI-based content for IT security, system administration, and software development professionals.

You’ll work onsite in San Jose using unstructured FrameMaker to modularize and augment existing content (approx 50% each) as well as to improve its accuracy and online accessibility. You’ll also help refine the products’ error messages, UI text, and usability. And you’ll initiate and lead the migration to XML-based structured, and ultimately adaptive, content.

To succeed in this role, you’ll:

• Maintain high standards for content accuracy, completeness, and timeliness
• Execute (existing) plan to modularize content
• Implement XML-based structure (not necessarily using FrameMaker)
• Research, select, and leverage CCMS (component content management system) technology to
• Support reuse as well as role-, device-, and context-sensitive delivery
• Set up an efficient, sustainable content development and production system

The company develops security appliances for the enterprise that protect and control access to sensitive data in cloud, big data, database, and file servers. Their technology includes transparent, embeddable encryption products and efficient key management solutions that comply with all regulatory mandates.

All SMEs are local and onsite, and have a track record of providing solid support to the documentation effort. For example, they provide timely doc reviews, and even code samples and original content when appropriate; you’ll just need to validate it on the products’ CLI. The team’s development methodology is transitioning quickly from waterfall to Agile.

The ideal candidate for this role understands IT security technology and appliance-based security products (firewalls, antivirus hardware, intrusion detection devices, etc), and has worked at a small company interacting with the entire product lifecycle.

This is a full-time (40 hours/week), salaried, onsite staff job in San Jose. You’d earn a competitive salary and receive excellent employee benefits. And if you’ve already earned your stripes as a from-scratch structured content implementation lead, you’ll earn substantially more.

Required:

• Solid experience creating from-scratch enterprise software documentation
• Familiarity with Linux, UNIX (esp. HP-UX, AIX, Solaris), and Windows
• Facility with CLIs (command-line interfaces) and complex GUIs
• Working knowledge of unstructured FrameMaker (esp. conditional text, insets, etc), bug-tracking tools (esp. Jira), and version-management apps (esp. Subversion)
• Experience migrating PDF content to the web
• Strong system-admin and reference writing samples, as evidenced by a showable portfolio

Desired:

• Recent work experience in the IT security industry
• Leadership role in a successful migration to structured content

To apply:
Please email your Word-formatted resume (and a cover letter highlighting any relevant but less-than-obvious experience) to Andrew Davis, synergistech@gmail.com, citing “SSD-413″ in your Subject line.

Organization: Synergistech Communications
Contact Name: Andrew Davis
Address: 2471 Solano Ave, #119, Napa CA
Phone Number: 707-554-9365
Email Address: synergistech@gmail.com
Web Site: www.synergistech.com
Job Title: Contract Technical Writer
Job Duration: 3+ months, renewable
Description: Contract Technical Writer, API ref doc with code samples, 2+ days/wk onsite Palo Alto, $open (CCS-412)
Job code: CCS-412
Compensation: $open (1099, corp-to-corp or W2, your choice)
Audience: Developers implementing persistent cloud-based storage solutions
Location: Onsite 2+ days/week in Palo Alto, CA
Starts: ASAP
Duration: Full-time, 40 hrs/week, 3+ months
Relo/Visa help: No
Representation: Principals only, please

This stealth-mode software startup needs a Contract Technical Writer with strong software development skills to create conceptual and reference content – including working code samples – for their persistent cloud storage system.

You’ll need enough software industry and engineering experience to help define and improve the products, and the ability to write modern “paste-tweak-and-run” code examples to support APIs in Objective C, Java, REST, and C.

If you’ve participated actively in API development cycles, providing feedback on the APIs themselves, and can show samples of developer tutorials and, ideally, dynamic websites, this company wants to meet you.

In this role, you’ll need to work onsite in Palo Alto at least a couple days/week throughout the project. You can work corp-to-corp, as a 1099-based independent contractor, or as a W2 temporary employee for as long as mutually agreed. The project has no fixed term, and is renewable in three (3) month increments.

Required:

• Strong code reading and sample-code writing skills in one or more of these languages (Objective C, Java, C) or the REST protocol
• Experience providing feedback on APIs during development cycles
• Showable portfolio samples that include cut-and-paste’able code samples
• Willingness to work onsite in Palo Alto several days a week, and offsite (on your own equipment) the rest of the time

Desired:

• Working knowledge of storage and virtualization concepts
• Willingness to consider converting to staff/salaried employment

To apply:
Please email your Word-formatted resume (and a cover letter highlighting any relevant but less-than-obvious experience) to Andrew Davis, synergistech@gmail.com, citing “CCS-412″ in your Subject line.

Organization: Compass Marketing
Contact Name: Joanne Schweibinz
Address: 3447 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette CA
Phone Number: 925-299-7878
Email Address: joanne@compassad.com
Web Site: www.compassad.com
Job Title: Freelance Technical Writer
Job Duration: 3 months
Description:
Compass Marketing, a full-service agency, is seeking a self-motivated and hard-working FREELANCE TECHNICAL WRITER. Hours will vary depending on the client’s needs.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This position involves performing technical writing, editing, and related functions for collateral materials, websites, and other client documents. It involves editing highly specialized technical materials and turning sometimes-deficient English into clear and correct English.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Produces publication-ready documents.
• Edits for clarity and consistency as well as grammar and punctuation.
• Perform final quality control checks on all assigned documents to be published.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Ability to produce, evaluate and edit the content, structure, and format of a range of written material.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Highly desirable: Experience writing copy for electrical, software, and lighting (LED) manufacturers.

Organization: Alcatel-Lucent IPD
Contact Name: William Chun
Address: 777 East Middlefield Road, Mountain View CA
Phone Number: 650-623-3300
Email Address: william.chun@alcatel-lucent.com
Web Site: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/products
Job Title: Technical Writer
Job Duration: Full-Time (Staff Writer)
Description:
Alcatel-Lucent’s IPD team is seeking a senior technical writer. As a writer in the Alcatel-Lucent IPD team, you will produce documentation to support the Multi-Service Routers and next generation product suites. Project experience should include hardware installation documentation, command reference, software user manuals, and release notes. The position is located in Mountain View, CA.

The job requires 5 + years of networking technology Technical Writing/Technical Editing experience.

Required Applications

• FrameMaker 10.0 or higher – Book-building experience in conditionalized text is required.
• Adobe Acrobat – Produce editable PDFs for reviews, add security features for final versions.
• Microsoft Word – Access product requirement documents and engineering specs.
• Webworks – HTML and web publishing.
• IP Routing Protocols – This position involves documenting features pertaining to IP routing protocols.
• This includes general knowledge of the following:
  • Application Layer – BGP, DHCP, DNS, FTP, HTTP, LDAP, NNTP, NTP, RIP, RTP, SIP, SMTP, SNMP, SSH, Telnet, TLS/SSL.
  • Transport Layer – TCP, UDP, DCCP, SCTP, RSVP.
  • Internet Layer – IP (IPv4/IPv6), ICMP, ICMPv6, IGMP, IPSec.
• CLI navigation experience required.
• WiFi and LG technologies desired.
• Release Notes.

General Work Practices

• You must be able to organize your time efficiently. You will sometimes deal with limited resources on a broad range of technical topics.
• You must be tenacious to obtain technical clarification and meet deadlines.
• You will work with a wide range of product management and engineering disciplines, locally and remotely.
• You must be able to generate product documentation from engineering specifications or other product-requirement documents.
• You must be flexible and adaptable and able to work through engineering changes and release deadlines in an environment of changing project priorities.
• You must write clearly and succinctly, using consistent, industry-standard technical documentation style approaches.
• You must take responsibility and accountability for your projects and be willing to provide assistance for all IPD product group documentation.

Please join us on Monday, May 19 at 6:00 PM for our May meeting, to be held at:
IHOP Restaurant
4200 Great America Pkwy.
c/s Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 980-8887

Ageism and Today’s Technical Content Developer

Andrew Davis is a recruiter of technical content developers in the SF Bay Area. He hears regularly from candidates and hiring managers experiencing frustrations that are (in part) related to ageism and generational differences. He’s motivated to make more successful job matches and empower qualified candidates so you can consider him your ally. In this presentation, he’ll think aloud through the context, symptoms, causes, and potential solutions for ageism, all the while seeking your input.

There’ll be success stories, encouragement, and details of viable solutions; this won’t be a pity party. Come prepared to participate; it’s sure to be a lively meeting.

About the speaker: Andrew Davis has recruited technical content developers in the SF Bay Area since 1995. He is a former software industry Technical Writer and has a reputation for both understanding and championing the role of content development.

Andrew enjoys helping those who communicate complex information get ahead by recognizing and refining their value to technology companies. He’s candid and connected and, just as importantly, he likes to help tech industry workers achieve their goals and achieve independence from intermediaries.

Andrew ran Synergistech Communications during the Internet Gold Rush years and has recently returned to solo recruiting mode, posting jobs at http://www.synergistech.com/jobs. Learn more about him, and join him on LinkedIn, by visiting http://www.linkedin.com/in/synergistech.

Andrew Davis is a long-time member and supporter of STC Silicon Valley.

Organization: Synopsys, Inc.
Contact Name: Barbara Heninger
Address: 700 E. Middlefield Rd, Mountain View CA
Phone Number: 650-584-4299
Email Address: barbh@synopsys.com
Web Site: http://www.synopsys.com/company/synopsyscareers/Pages/jobsearch.aspx
Job Title: Tech Writer Sr. I / 6730BR
Job Duration: Full-time
Description: Technical writer to develop and maintain Analog/Mixed-Signal product documentation.

Tasks include:

• Gather information from specifications, training and conference papers, prototype software, and by working directly with developers and applications engineers.
• Analyze customer information needs and provide information in response to those needs.
• Propose structure, scope, and purpose for all needed types of documentation.
• Write for a technical audience (engineers, technicians, and scientists).
• Represent Technical Publications to project team and project team needs to Publications.
• Coordinate with other writers on multi-writer projects, including schedules and deliverables.
• Communicate progress toward project goals.

QUALIFICATIONS
BA, BS, BSEE, or equivalent experience.
Experience in technical writing or other professional writing experience.
Writing samples are required.

LOCATION
Preferred location is Mountain View, California.
Interested applicants located at other appropriate US Synopsys office sites may be considered.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Grasp new technology quickly.
• Develop creative solutions to documentation challenges.
• Understand basic information organization principles.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Understand technical writing principles, including information presentation, writing, and editing.
• Understand technical writing production processes, including document conversion, layout, illustration and production.
• Can review highly technical specifications and scope resources and timeframes for delivery of appropriate customer documentation.
• Leadership skills such as the ability to make decisions quickly, flexibility to reprioritize on short notice, and ability to foster teamwork.
• Experience working independently, as part of a team, and with overseas development teams; experience communicating with non-native English speakers.
• Experience working with various levels in an organization (managers and individual contributors) and across functional areas (R&D, support, marketing, sales, and program management).
• Experience with FrameMaker, structured FrameMaker, or other XML editors.
• Experience developing user assistance, online Help, or online training materials.
• Experience with content reuse systems.
• Working knowledge of UNIX or Linux.

Organization: MindSource, Inc.
Contact Name: Michelle Koller
Address: 555 Clyde Avenue, Mountain View CA
Phone Number: 650-314-6421
Email Address: mkoller@mindsource.com
Web Site: www.mindsource.com
Job Title: Marcom Creative Specialist
Job Duration: 6-12 months (with a possibility of extension or hire)
Description:
Are you an amazing copy writer with a creative side? Do you like to play with web development tools? Then this could be for you!

We are seeking a driven an amazing copy writer & who has a strong creative side to produce marketing collateral and PowerPoint Presentations for the Director of a revolutionary IPTV System.

You will be creating digital signage, newsletters, and most importantly; dynamic, impactful presentations by using visual storytelling and information design techniques. You will need to be detail-oriented and have a good eye for layout and design.

You may be asked to travel in support of the Director to create PowerPoint presentation decks at key conferences and meetings (minimal travel involved). This is a 6- to 12-month contract opportunity with a possibility of extension.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design and develop presentations and templates in Microsoft PowerPoint. Infographics is a plus.
• Solid writing skills combined with independent conceptual and design development, and client based on project requirements.
• Build and incorporate graphics from Illustrator or Photoshop, and other multimedia components (audio, video, animations etc.).
• Create builds and dynamic transitions within presentation software.
• Create presentations and templates that align with relevant corporate look and feel.
• Apply design treatment to slides including formatting, stylizing, and creation of conceptual and technical graphics (including charts and graphs).
• Prepare scheduled and ad hoc PowerPoint presentations and assist, so that the Director can present professionally and flawlessly.
• Assist with the design and production of a wide range of collateral projects (Signage, Newsletters, PP Decks and some Website content).

Requirements:

• Bachelors in Marketing, Graphic Design, or equivalent.
• 3+ years experience creating copy and graphic collateral in a corporate or creative environment.
• Advertizing agency, News (Newspaper/Magazine/eZine, etc.) backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
• Expert knowledge of PowerPoint, the Adobe Suite CS6 (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) and MS office programs (Word, Excel).
• Technically proficient in building files and templates, and importing excel data.
• Ability to thrive under tight deadlines while providing onsite production support.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Web design/development skills such as HTML, JavaScript are pluses.
• Fast thinking, attention to detail and understanding of what it takes to support a fast paced business effort are all essential.

Organization: Clarity Consultants
Contact Name: Kelli Downey
Address: 901 E Hamilton Ave, Campbell CA
Phone Number: 800-330-6558
Email Address: kdowney@clarityconsultants.com
Web Site: www.clarityconsultants.com
Job Title: Editor
Job Duration: 12 months, hours will fluctuate 20-40 hours per week
Start Date: ASAP
Job Location: 100% Onsite in Cupertino, CA

Experience Required:

• 8+ years of experience in a full-time editing role
• Expertise in Associated Press or Chicago style (grammar, spelling, syntax, diction, and punctuation)
• Proven ability to articulate editing recommendations and collaborate daily with writers
• Proven ability to work effectively and efficiently under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Background check required if selected

Preferred Skills:

• Experience editing for a daily publication or technical writing
• Experience editing training deliverables
• Editing experience for a sales audience

To be considered for this project, please send an email to kdowney@clarityconsultants.com with the following:

1. Your resume.
2. Respond to each bullet point listed under “Experience Required” with your relevant skills and experience.

Please include reference#7198 in the subject line.

Organization: Kenandy, Inc.
Contact Name: Stewart Florsheim
Address: 303 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 500, Redwood City CA
Phone Number: 650-641-8987
Email Address: stewart@kenandy.com
Web Site: http://www.kenandy.com/
Job Title: Senior Technical Writer
Job Duration: Staff
Description: Do you want to produce documentation and training materials that take advantage of the latest media and strategies? Kenandy is a growth company that creates cloud-based ERP software for companies that design, manufacture, and distribute products. The product is developed on the Salesforce1 Platform. We’re looking for a versatile Senior Technical Writer who can help us develop:

• Online Help
• User manuals (including Release Notes and system admin guides)
• Implementation/Best Practice documents
• Training materials (including videos, self-paced training, and/or slide decks)
• Knowledgebase articles and blogs

Most of the content will be managed through a single-source development tool (Madcap Flare), and will be output to the Web and PDF. The content will be distributed through several channels including the online Kenandy Community.

The job requirements include:

• At least 5 years technical writing or instructional design experience, preferably for a software company
• Excellent writing and information design skills, with proven versatility in producing content for a variety of media
• Experience using Madcap Flare or similar technology
• Experience developing training materials (including videos, self-paced training, and/or slide decks) and using related software (e.g., Camtasia and/or Captivate)
• Experience in HTML and Web technologies
• Experience in the Salesforce Platform a plus
• Experience writing about ERP software a plus

This is a perfect opportunity for an experienced self-starter who wants to work at a fast-paced company, and take advantage of the latest media. If you fit the bill, please apply via our website (http://www.kenandy.com/joinus) and include your salary requirements.