Technical Author
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Technical Author / Documentation Manager
Brierley Hill
£40-45,000
Are you the person who makes complex things clear?
Our client is a global engineering business that designs and manufactures sophisticated products - intricate electromechanical assemblies, precision engineering components, the kind of hardware that genuinely improves people's lives. And they need someone brilliant to make sure the world understands how to use, service, and maintain them.
This is a newly energised leadership role at the heart of their global R&D Engineering function. You'll take ownership of everything their customers and service teams rely on such as owner's manuals, spare parts catalogues, service instructions, and product literature and then push the whole operation forward into the digital age.
The Role
You'll lead a growing team of technical documentation professionals (currently 4, spread across global locations) and set the strategic direction for how they create, manage, and deliver technical content worldwide. That means moving from traditional print models to modern multi-channel delivery: online platforms, interactive tools, dynamic digital formats while keeping everything accurate, compliant, and usable.
You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with R&D, Product Management, Regulatory, and IT, championing structured authoring, CMS adoption, and reusable content approaches that scale. You'll own the documentation KPIs, the vendor and translation partner relationships, and the culture of continuous improvement within your team.
What You Bring
- Experience in technical documentation, technical communication, or product information management
- Leading a a team you know how to develop people, not just manage them
- Solid experience documenting complex mechanical or electromechanical engineering assemblies
- Proven expertise with CMS platforms, structured authoring (DITA/XML), and digital publishing
- A track record of driving change across global, cross-functional teams
- Familiarity with CAD-based illustration and spare parts documentation is a real plus
- Degree in Technical Communication, Engineering, or a related discipline
- Fluent English; additional languages always welcome
Why This Role?
Because it's genuinely strategic. You won't be maintaining the status quo you'll be reshaping how a global engineering business communicates with the world. There's a real team to lead, a real transformation to drive, and a business that's ready to invest in doing this properly.
If you're ready to own it, we'd love to hear from you - send CV to Gary Simpson.
Salary - up to £45k plus extensive benefits
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your DITA/XML and structured authoring experience prominently as this is specifically mentioned for the digital transformation
📊 Quantify your team leadership: "Led 6-person documentation team across 3 locations, improving delivery time by 35%"
🔧 Emphasise experience with electromechanical or precision engineering documentation as they manufacture sophisticated assemblies
🌐 Showcase your CMS platform expertise and digital transformation achievements in moving from print to multi-channel delivery
🎯 Demonstrate strategic impact: "Implemented structured authoring reducing translation costs by £40k annually"
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Led digital transformation of technical documentation for 200+ electromechanical products, implementing DITA/XML structured authoring that reduced content creation time by 40%
- •Managed 4-person global documentation team across 3 locations, delivering owner's manuals and service instructions for precision engineering components worth £2.8M annually
- •Implemented CMS platform migration from legacy systems, establishing multi-channel delivery that improved customer satisfaction scores by 28% within 8 months
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Letter preview — tailored to Simpson Recruitment Services
Dear Hiring Manager,
Your Technical Author role at Simpson Recruitment Services represents exactly the strategic documentation leadership opportunity I've been seeking. With proven experience in DITA/XML structured authoring and CMS platform implementation, I'm well-positioned to drive your client's digital transformation from traditional print to multi-channel delivery systems.
My background in leading technical documentation teams through complex engineering projects, particularly with electromechanical assemblies, aligns perfectly with your global R&D Engineering function requirements. I've successfully managed cross-functional relationships with R&D, Product Management, and IT teams while implementing scalable content strategies.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you approach migrating from traditional print documentation to a multi-channel digital delivery system?
- ›What's your experience with DITA/XML structured authoring and how have you implemented it in previous roles?
- ›How do you manage documentation for complex electromechanical assemblies with multiple spare parts?
- ›What CMS platforms have you worked with and how do you evaluate the right solution for global teams?
- ›How do you ensure documentation compliance across different regulatory requirements in global markets?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you led a documentation team through a significant change or transformation.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to work with cross-functional teams (R&D, Product Management, IT) to deliver a complex project.
- ›Give me an example of how you've developed team members rather than just managing them.
- ›Tell me about a time you had to drive change across global, distributed teams.
- ›Describe a situation where you improved documentation processes and what impact it had on the business.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you led a documentation team through a significant change or transformation.
Describe a situation where you had to work with cross-functional teams to deliver a complex project.