Senior Technical Writer

NOV; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 480,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

NOV Africa (Pty) Ltd seeks a Senior Technical Writer to research, organize, write and edit technical manuals and related documents so they are understandable by users. You will work with multiple engineering groups, gather data, and produce clear, publishable documentation.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 5+ years of technical writing experience. Proficiency with MS Word, Excel, FrameMaker and Adobe tools is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Media Studies, Technical Communication, or Professional Writing.
• At least 5+ years of technical writing experience.
• Knowledge of software development and documentation process is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Research technical data and develop procedures from interviews and observations.
• Organize data and write technical manuscripts, including procedures and parts lists.
• Determine illustrations needs and coordinate with illustrators.
• Proofread and edit publications for style and format conformance.
• Meet with writers to assign projects and report status.
• Schedule review meetings for publication approvals and revisions.
• Contribute to style guides for NOV products.

Skills

Technical writing

Research

Editing

Project management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Media Studies, Technical Communication, or Professional Writing

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Adobe Creative Suite

FrameMaker

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Job Description

NOV Africa (Pty) Ltd is seeking a Senior Technical Writer to research, organize, write and edit technical manuals and related documents in a manner that the user can understand.

Primary Responsibilities

• Research technical data and develop procedures through interviews, on-site visits and production observations.


• Organize and research available data, write technical manuscripts from the data including procedures and parts lists.


• Determine illustration needs and recommend content to illustrators.


• Assist in proofing and editing technical publications of other writers for conformance to style and format.


• Meet with other writers to determine project assignments and report project status.


• Schedule and conduct review meetings for approval of new or revised publications before final version is released.


• Assist in the development and revision of style guides that meet the specific needs of NOV products.

Facility / Group Specific Responsibilities

• Provide documentation assistance to management and product engineering as necessary.


• Proactively and promptly address documentation concerns of management and product engineering.


• Collaborate with multiple engineering groups and project stakeholders.


• Handle multiple projects effectively.


• Actively participate in internal and external process improvements.

Education & Experience Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Media Studies, Technical Communication, or Professional Writing


• At least 5+ years of technical writing experience


• Knowledge of software development and documentation process preferred.

Job Requirements

• Must be able to gather and assess technical documentation to create and update user documentation in compliance with engineering technical input, best practices, and department standards.


• Must be able to translate highly technical concepts into understandable content for the end user.


• Must be able to determine project scope, budget, execute, and successfully complete assigned projects and deliverables.


• Must be able to balance work volume and quality and appropriately escal…es potential risks and issues to management.


• Must be able to work independently and with a team to publish high‑quality technical documentation.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Strong analytical skills and ability to operate in a fast‑paced environment with evolving project requirements and priorities


• Effective communication


• Attention to detail


• Focus on quality and deadlines


• Analytical thinking


• Problem solving skills


• Teamwork/cooperation (within and across the business units)

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Proficiency with authoring and desktop publishing tools, specifically MS Word, Excel, and Adobe Creative Suite (FrameMaker, Adobe Acrobat