Technical Writer - Government Digital Service - G7

Manchester Digital; Manchester; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is seeking a skilled Technical Writer to create and manage user-centred documentation for GOV.UK One Login integrations. You’ll work in multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with UCD colleagues and subject matter experts to produce accurate, accessible API and product documentation in plain English.

Join a fast-paced, agile environment within DSIT, contributing to national digital services and promoting best practices in technical writing across government.

Qualifications

• Experience writing technical documentation for digital services or software, including API documentation.
• Experience using development tools/workflows to collaborate with developers (Git, GitHub, docs-as-code).
• Ability to write clear, plain English documentation that meets user needs.
• Strong written and verbal interpersonal skills and ability to extract knowledge from SMEs.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines while coordinating work across distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain technical documentation, including API documentation.
• Work with technology experts and stakeholders to understand technical details and system behaviour.
• Write content in GOV.UK style and plain English.
• Collaborate with other writers and content designers to ensure documentation is consistent across user journeys.
• Follow review processes to review your own and others’ work.
• Advocate for user-centred design practices in technical writing.

Skills

Technical writing

API documentation

Docs as code

Git & GitHub

Plain English

Tools

Git

GitHub

Job description

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About The Job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services


• harnessing the power of AI for the public good


• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure


• elevating leadership and investing in talent


• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation


• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

Job Description

As a technical writer in the Digital Identity programme, you will create and manage user-centred documentation for teams that are integrating with and using GOV.UK One Login.

You will work in multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with user-centred design (UCD) colleagues and subject matter experts to understand technical details and system behaviour. You will write accurate, accessible documentation in plain English that meets user needs. You will use docs-as-code workflows and work in an agile development environment.

As a Technical Writer, You’ll

• design and maintain technical documentation, including API documentation


• work with technology experts and stakeholders to get an in-depth understanding of technical details and system behaviour


• write technical content in GOV.UK style and plain English


• work with other technical writers and content designers to make sure documentation is consistent across multiple user journeys


• understand user journeys and information architecture principles so you can structure information effectively


• follow our review processes to review your own and others’ work


• advocate for user-centred design practices in all technical writing work


• showcase your work and help promote technical writing as a discipline in the Digital Identity programme, in GDS and across government

Person specification

We’re Interested In People Who Have

• experience writing technical documentation for digital services or software, including API documentation


• experience in using development tools and workflows to collaborate with developers on documentation, for example Git, GitHub and a ‘docs as code’ approach


• the ability to write plain English documentation that meets user needs


• strong written and verbal interpersonal skills, and the ability to extract knowledge from subject matter experts


• the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and deliver to deadlines while coordinating work across distributed teams


• confidence to showcase your work, provide and receive constructive feedback, and challenge poor documentation practices