Senior Technical Writer (Contract) ZA

SPAN Digital; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 600 000 - 945 000; Full time

Job summary

A premium software consulting firm is seeking a Senior Technical Writer for a 7-8 month contract in Cape Town. This role involves producing high-quality documentation for engineering teams, leading documentation processes, and collaborating with various stakeholders. An ideal candidate will have significant technical writing experience, project management skills, and a degree in a related field. The firm offers hybrid working, mentorship opportunities, and a strong commitment to personal growth.

Benefits

Flexible work policies

Global exposure

Mentorship opportunities

Catered lunches

Qualifications

• Proven work experience in technical writing, creating engineering documentation.
• Experience with in-development technical platforms requiring new documentation.
• Ability to manage relationships across diverse client expectations.

Responsibilities

• Produce high-quality engineering documentation that meets learning objectives.
• Lead the documentation workstream, driving all aspects from strategy to delivery.
• Serve as the primary contact for client relationships.

Skills

Technical writing

Project management

Google Workspace

Agile engineering project management

Communication skills

Education

University degree in English, Communication, Journalism, Education, Engineering, or equivalent

Job description

SPAN Digital is a growing premium software product and consulting company headquartered in San Francisco, with additional development offices in Cape Town and Guadalajara. While we work across a range of industries, we’re especially focused on technology, digital media, and fintech. We strategize, design, and build software solutions for clients ranging from startups to global brands—helping engineering teams navigate the fast-changing world of software development and deliver more effective digital products.

Our Services teams work side‑by‑side with clients to design prototypes, launch production‑ready services, and lead major product enhancements. We help SaaS companies sustain success and accelerate growth through tailored strategies, scalable teams, and industry‑aligned best practices. Our strength lies in the seamless integration of expert talent, efficient processes, and deep domain expertise.

Our Product Teams leverage our unique advantage to develop category‑defining products that enable our customers’ teams to work more effectively, make better decisions, and achieve more.

We’re a global, high‑performing team building smart solutions for ambitious clients. At SPAN, you’ll work alongside experienced founders, tackle meaningful challenges, and keep growing—personally and professionally. We balance structure with flexibility, autonomy with accountability, and learning with doing. It’s not about grinding, it’s about thriving. If you’re looking for a place to do your best work with people who bring out your best—you’ve found it.

Need: SPAN Digital is a growing premium software product and consulting company, headquartered in San Francisco, USA, with development offices in Cape Town, South Africa, and Guadalajara, Mexico. We are looking for a Senior Technical Writer for a 7‑8 month contract period.

As a contract Senior Technical Writer, you will produce engineering documentation for our high‑profile clients, collaborate on knowledge management initiatives, and contribute to the overall success of our products and services. This role will serve as a central point of contact for client engineering teams and represent SPAN's documentation expertise and approach, while working collaboratively with project management and organizational leadership. You will work along with a team of talented Tech Writers who collaborate with developers, quality engineers, product managers, and usability experts, both for our client teams and internally within SPAN, to deliver high‑quality technical documentation for engineering teams.

***This is a great opportunity to work on a variety of engaging projects for top‑tier Silicon Valley clients.***

Responsibilities

• Produce high‑quality, well‑structured engineering documentation that meets the learning objectives of the intended audience
• Lead the documentation workstream as primary owner, driving all aspects from strategy through delivery
• Serve as the first point of contact for the client relationship, establishing trust and credibility with client stakeholders while coordinating with SPAN project management and leadership as needed
• Manage stakeholders across multiple levels of the organization, facilitating productive working relationships with subject matter experts, engineering leads, and product and project managers
• Make content strategy decisions and recommendations that align with user needs, product roadmaps, and documentation best practices
• Work with internal and client‑facing teams on product and services engineering documentation, from requirements to completion
• Manage documentation and knowledge management projects to completion within timeline and budget targets
• Design the structure of the documentation deliverable, using our pre‑defined templates and procedures for knowledge management solutions
• Identify relevant learning objectives for each area of the documentation
• Analyze and inventory existing and potential content, identifying opportunities for reuse, and areas where new content is required
• Leverage new technologies to accelerate documentation production while maintaining high technical quality standards
• Effectively facilitate working sessions with a wide variety of subject matter experts at various levels of involvement and understanding of the documentation process
• Coordinate the review and approval process at various levels of scrutiny with the client (internal or external), ultimately securing their acceptance and sign‑off of the end‑to‑end deliverable
• Estimate in advance the time and effort required for each initiative, creating a high‑level plan, and an accompanying resourcing estimate
• Deliver projects in line with the agreed plan and resourcing, escalating issues and risks in a timely manner as they arise
• Perform the above duties within SPAN's proven approach to knowledge management and documentation services

Requirements

• Proven work experience in technical writing, creating engineering documentation, or equivalent technical content
• Experience with in‑development technical platforms that have little to no pre‑existing documentation and require new documentation from the ground up
• Proven ability to maintain productive relationships across diverse client expectations and navigate challenging stakeholder dynamics
• Must be comfortable making day‑to‑day decisions independently while knowing when to elevate strategic issues
• Ability to break down complex, technical concepts and create high quality documentation targeted to various audiences
• Ability to deliver high‑quality documentation with attention to detail
• Ability to quickly grasp complex technical concepts, and articulate them clearly in text, graphs, and diagrams
• Project management skills are necessary to create project plans, coordinate with internal and external teams, and report on the status of the project
• Ability to work independently and proactively, while also effectively collaborating and taking general direction from project leaders
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Extensive experience working in a team environment across multiple time zones
• Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace
• Experience working and managing agile engineering projects
• Experience working in a customer‑facing environment
• Experience with learning‑based systems and documentation and Content Management Systems (CMS)
• University degree in English, Communication, Journalism, Education, Engineering, or equivalent

You’ll love it here if:

• You are allergic to hierarchical, bureaucratic, business‑card cultures
• You're sad many of the greatest minds in our generation are busy tricking people into clicking on ads
• You want to work with very smart people from different backgrounds
• You are a voracious learner & an eager teacher of others
• You want to be led from the front, not commanded from the rear
• You don't tolerate intra‑office posturing or other douchebaggery

What we offer:

• Direct collaboration with our Executive Leadership Team and access to mentorship from experienced leaders.
• Global exposure through cross‑regional collaboration
• Real opportunities to grow, influence, and shape your career.
• Engage in meaningful, intellectually challenging work
• A people‑first culture grounded in empathy, excellence, and continuous learning.
• Flexible and generous work and leave policies to support work‑life balance.
• A hybrid work model that supports both remote work and in‑office connection.
• A learning‑driven environment that values expertise and craftsmanship — including Meetups, Conferences, Lunch & Learn Fridays, TechRadar Sessions, and e‑Learning resources.
• Enjoyable perks like Friday catered lunches, on‑site haircuts, a pet‑friendly office, and ping pong — it’s a home away from home.
• Community involvement through charitable initiatives, plus employee awards and recognition.
• A MacBook and home office allowance — everything you need to do your best work.