Senior Aviation Maintenance Technical Writer (Temporary)

XWING; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Joby Aviation is seeking a Senior Aviation Maintenance Technical Writer (Temporary Full-Time) to own planning and authoring ASD S1000D data modules in simplified English. You will edit and obtain FAA approval for maintenance publications, and manage documentation lifecycle with strong traceability and configuration control.

The role requires 8+ years of technical authoring, 5+ years ASD S1000D experience, and demonstrated ability to turn complex engineering data into clear procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, aviation, or related field.
• 8+ years of overall technical authoring experience.
• 5+ years ASD S1000D / ATA iSpec 2200 / ASD STE 100 experience.
• Excellent English language technical writing skills.
• Ability to turn complex engineering information into clear procedures.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Experience creating illustrations specifications for maintenance documents.
• Experience with FAA/EASA publications for aircraft type certification.
• Experience with Jira/Confluence and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Gather and analyze source documentation from SMEs.
• Author maintenance documentation in S1000D data modules.
• Create specifications for illustrations with engineers.
• Coordinate with fabricators for maintenance publications.
• Build and maintain S1000D DMRS and data modules.
• Track documents through lifecycle using Jira, SmartSheet, GPSL Xignal.
• Facilitate review and approval of publication content.
• Mentor junior team members and support onboarding.
• Travel as needed to support documentation efforts.

Skills

Technical writing

Attention to detail

English writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, aviation, or related field

Tools

Jira

Confluence

GPSL Xignal

Microsoft Office

Job description

Senior Aviation Maintenance Technical Writer (Temporary)

Job Locations: US-CA-Santa Cruz | US-CA-Marina

ID: 2026-5264

Category: Air Operations

Type: Temporary Full-Time

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

The Senior Maintenance Technical Writer takes ownership of planning and authoring ASD S1000D data modules in simplified technical English, editing and obtaining internal and FAA approval of the content of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness including the Aircraft Maintenance Manual, Illustrated Parts Catalog, Structural Repair Manual, Wiring Diagram Manual, Component Maintenance Manuals, and other documents as needed. Tasks typically range from creation of original content to editorial review and rework of content as required as it evolves. have a deep understanding of technical documentation development principles, such as development traceability and configuration management of documentation throughout a product’s life cycle. This is a temporary role.

Responsibilities

• Gather and analyze source documentation created by subject matter experts (SMEs)

• Author end-user documentation in S1000D data modules based on source data

• Creation of specifications for illustrations required in all maintenance documents in coordination with illustrators and engineers

• Build relationships with fabricators and maintainers of test article aircraft to facilitate documentation of all information and instructions needed to support required maintenance activities and initial type certification of an aircraft

• Build and maintain S1000D Data Module Requirements Lists (DMRLs)

• Tracking documents during creation, review and approval processes, and throughout their life cycle, using tools such as Jira, SmartSheet, and GPSL Xignal

• Facilitate review and approval of publication content

• Applying broad aviation and project experience in innovative ways that propel the program toward success

• Participate in department hiring processes by interviewing applicants and providing feedback to the group lead

• Participate in the development, documentation, and revision of department processes, procedures and controls

• Participate in AI agentic tool development to automate and accelerate team workflows and processes.

• Provide mentorship and professional development support to new and less experienced team members

• Take ownership of and lead special project activities proactively, as needed

• Exercise delegated authority as assigned by the group lead

• Travel to locations where technical authoring support is needed, as required

Required

• Bachelor's Degree in an engineering, aviation, communication, business or related subject

• 8+ years of overall technical authoring experience

• 5+ years structured authoring experience such as ASD S1000D / ATA iSpec 2200 / ASD /STE 100

• Excellent English language technical writing skills

• Ability to turn complex engineering information into clear, concise, and understandable processes, procedures and guidance

• Ability to ask questions that tease out detail and nuance

• Meticulous attention to detail

• Experience creating specifications for illustrations to clarify, simplify and promote end-user understanding of complex concepts

• Previous experience developing maintenance publications for government aviation regulatory authorities, such as the FAA and EASA, in support of aircraft type certification within project deadlines

• Previous experience providing mentorship and professional development support to more junior team members

• Experience using the Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Relevant experience and education will be considered

Desired

• AI Agent development experience

• Previous experience with GPSL Xignal authoring platform

• FAA A&P certificate or military/foreign equivalent – management of, or working in maintenance teams a strong plus

• Experience with WebManuals

• Experience with Atlassian software products (Jira, Confluence)

• Previous experience developing avionics end-user publications

• Previous experience developing component maintenance manuals (CMMs)

• Previous experience developing illustrated parts data (IPD) / illustrated parts catalog (IPC)

• Previous experience developing wiring diagram manuals

• Previous experience developing structural repair manuals

• Previous experience developing troubleshooting guides

• Previous experience with Simplified Technical English

• Experience with graphics tools (e.g. Iso Draw, CATIA Composer, Visio, Adobe Illustrator and/or Photoshop)

Additional Information

The target base pay for this position is $43 - $52/hr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer