Full-Time Technical Writer
Job Description
Location: Anywhere in the US or Canada; position is fully remote
RStudio creates great software that helps people understand data and make better decisions in real-world applications. Our core offering is an open-source data science toolchain, and we aim to make it available to everyone, regardless of their economic means.
We are always looking for ways to improve our users’ experience as they learn to install, configure, use, and discover our features and products so they can solve the problems they came to us to help address. We think of customer support very broadly, encompassing good product design, clear and helpful documentation, accessible learning resources, responsive technical support, knowledgeable guidance around best practices, and positive personal interactions throughout the entirety of the customer relationship. We are committed to the success of our users, and to fostering that success in the most effective, efficient, and empathetic way possible.
About the job
As we grow, we are adding our first Technical Writer role to create content that will guide our users through the best practices of installing, configuring, and using our products. You will work closely with our Support, Engineering, and Solutions Engineering teams to develop guides, cookbooks, walkthroughs, feature spotlights, and other written assets to make it delightfully easy to get our products up and running. Later, you’ll tackle other customer challenges via the written word, but the initial focus will be on installation and configuration to facilitate a short time-to-value for the user. We have many high-quality assets for these topics today, and you will augment them with narrative resources that can guide administrators through the process sequentially and holistically. The technical nature of our products will require empathetic and nuanced communication to ensure success for a variety of user personas.
We value both critical thinking and collaborative approaches, and you will have both autonomy and support as you work toward these goals. Along the way, you will have input into product direction, and opportunities for technical learning and leadership.
There are many here who love to write and who appreciate good documentation (a sampling of our Slack channels includes #books, #bibliophiles, #bookclub, and #oxford-comma for the grammar lovers among us), so you will be working with an eager and excited team motivated to make our written resources exceptional.
About you
- You excel at writing in the English language. Your grammar and style are correct and consistent, and you tell a good story.
- Your pieces are clear and concise with good references and easy-to-follow instructions. You can write for a technical audience, but also for the business user.
- You are good at bringing together information from many sources into a coherent narrative. You enjoy breaking down complex topics into consumable guidance.
- You are able to organize content in a way that makes it easy to follow and to discover.
- You are humble and collaborate well with other people. You strive to bring thoughtfulness and empathy to all of your work.
- You are internally driven by curiosity and continuous learning. You enjoy getting to know the software well as you write about it.
- You are self-motivated, reliable, and can function effectively in a distributed team.
- You are highly organized and thrive in the small-startup-company environment.
- Bonus: You are familiar with the data science field, have used R or other data science tools in your own life, or have even been a part of the R or RStudio communities through in-person meetups, conferences, workshops, events, or electronic forums.
- Bonus: You have written scripts for video tutorials, webinars, or other instructional content.
About us
- We are committed to a culture that values diversity in all its forms.
- We are a nonhierarchical organization, and we expect self-motivation and agency. If you get uncomfortable around “broken windows” and take initiative to improve your surroundings, you will thrive here.
- We are a learning organization, and we have assembled some of the leading minds in data science and software engineering. We take mentorship and career growth seriously. We hope to learn from you, and you will also deepen your skills, influence, and leadership as a result of working at RStudio.
- We operate under a uniquely sustainable business model: Our expectations are high but reasonable, the workload is realistic, and a significant portion of our company is directed towards serving the open source community. We are profitable, and we plan to be around decades from now.
Notable
- 100% distributed team (you may optionally use one of our offices in Seattle or Boston)
- Competitive compensation with great benefits including:
- Medical/dental/vision/life insurance (100% of premiums covered for most plans offered)
- Paid parental leave
- 401k with matching contribution
- A profit-sharing plan
- Home office allowance/co-working membership support
- Flexible environment with a generous vacation policy
RStudio is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applicants of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed.
