Technical Writer Kirkland, WA Research and Development

Echodyne; Kirkland, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSU

Medical insurance

401(k) match

Flexible PTO

Paid holidays

Pet insurance

Job summary

Echodyne, a leading radar technology company, seeks a Technical Writer to join our team and shape documentation for our radar hardware products. You will own planning, development, publication, and lifecycle maintenance of user guides, installation procedures, and system-integration content.

Ideal candidates bring 6+ years in technical writing, a portfolio of hardware/software documentation, experience with DITA/XML and Git workflows, and the ability to translate complex engineering content for

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional technical-writing experience for hardware-software products or systems.
• Portfolio or work samples demonstrating task-oriented technical documentation.
• Ability to learn hands-on product use and validate documentation against hardware/software.
• Experience with DITA XML and content reuse, metadata, conditional publishing.
• Hands-on Git/docs-as-code workflows, PRs, reviews, and issue tracking.
• Translate complex engineering material for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong project-management, prioritization for multiple deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Own planning, development, validation, publication, localization, and lifecycle maintenance of documentation for assigned radar hardware products.
• Create user guides, quick-start guides, installation procedures, system-integration guides, and troubleshooting content for hardware.
• Collaborate with systems, hardware, software, QA, product, support, program management, manufacturing, or operations teams.
• Author and maintain modular content using DITA XML or other structured-authoring formats.
• Contribute through Git-based docs-as-code workflows, including branches, commits, PRs, peer review, and publishing processes.
• Manage multiple documentation initiatives independently, communicate risks early, and adapt plans as priorities change.

Skills

Technical writing

Portfolio samples

Hands-on product use

DITA/XML

Docs-as-code

Technical translation

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in technical communication/engineering/CS/English

Tools

Oxygen XML Editor

CCMS

DITA Open Toolkit

XSLT

CSS

Job description

Echodyne offers the world’s first compact solid-state true beam-steering radar for a wide range of industries and applications. Our high-performance radars work in all weather and are designed for autonomous vehicles, uncrewed aircraft & drones, and security of borders, critical infrastructure, and smart cities. The company combines the patented technology of metamaterials with powerful software to create a radar sensor with unprecedented performance at commercial price points. Echodyne offers its radars to companies working in Automotive, Transportation, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Border Security, Smart Cities, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), and Airspace Management including Urban Air Mobility (UTM).

Echodyne is seeking a Technical Writer to join our fast-growing team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the planning, development, validation, publication, localization, and lifecycle maintenance of documentation for assigned radar hardware products.
• Create user guides, quick-start guides, installation and configuration procedures, system-integration guides, operation and troubleshooting content, and other customer-facing technical materials with a focus on hardware components and assemblies.
• Partner with systems, hardware, software, test/QA, product, support, program management, manufacturing or operations, and training stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle.
• Author and maintain modular content using DITA XML or other approved structured-authoring formats, applying topic-based writing, metadata, conditional content, and reuse strategies.
• Contribute through Git-based docs-as-code workflows, including branches, commits, pull requests, peer review, issue tracking, change traceability, and automated build or publishing processes.
• Manage multiple documentation initiatives independently, communicate risks early, and adapt plans as product priorities change.

REQUIRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE

• Six or more years of professional technical-writing experience, including substantial experience documenting complex hardware-and-software products or systems.
• A portfolio or work samples demonstrating clear, task-oriented documentation for technical products; installation, operation, maintenance, integration, or troubleshooting samples are especially relevant.
• Demonstrated ability to learn through hands-on product use and to validate documentation against hardware, software, or realistic test environments.
• Experience with DITA XML or another topic-based structured-authoring methodology, including content reuse, metadata, conditional publishing, and multi-format output.
• Hands‑on experience with docs‑as‑code workflows and Git, including repositories, branches, commits, pull requests or merge requests, peer review, and issue tracking.
• Ability to interpret complex engineering source material and translate it into content that technical and less‑technical audiences can understand and act on.
• Strong project‑management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to independently prioritize multiple documentation deliverables in a changing environment.
• Bachelor's degree in technical communication, engineering, computer science, English, communications, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

DESIRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE
(Looking for one or more as a complement to the core skills)

• Experience documenting radar, aerospace, defense, government, industrial, embedded, electronic, or other mission‑critical systems.
• Proficiency with Oxygen XML Editor and experience with a component content management system (CCMS), DITA Open Toolkit, XSLT, CSS, or related publishing technologies.
• Familiarity with Agile product development, engineering change control, release management, and documentation traceability.
• Experience creating technical diagrams, annotated product images, or other visual explanations from engineering source material.

Echodyne’s technology is export controlled by the U.S. Government and we must evaluate an applicant’s eligibility to handle export-controlled information or obtain required Government authorizations. Therefore, we will ask you as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or green card holder, or have asylum/refugee status in the U.S.

WHAT WE OFFER

This is an exempt role.

The expected annual salary range for this role is

$124,733 - $187,048 USD

If your skills generally align but not perfectly, please apply anyway. There may be another role that’s a great fit for you!

We offer competitive compensation and benefits to our full-time, US-based employees, including:

• RSU (Restricted Stock Units)
• Fully-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for you
• Choice of PPO or HDHP/HSA
• Virtual Care – 98Point6
• Employee Assistance Program
• Mental Health coverage through Springhealth & Talkspace (Premera)
• Travel Assistance Insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Company Paid Short & Long Term Disability
• Flexible PTO (exempt) / 15 days per year (non-exempt)
• 401(k) match
• Pet Insurance
• Prepaid Legal Program
• Paid Company Holidays

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected by law.