Technical Author (multiple roles and seniority levels)
Canonical · APJ
- Remote
- Full-time
- $100,000 / year
Job highlights
- Lead documentation for engineering or business teams.
- Combine technical writing with subject expertise.
- Work with the Diátaxis documentation approach.
- Engage with user communities and open source.
- Remote roles with global opportunities.
About the role
Technical Author at Canonical
Canonical is seeking Technical Authors to join their team and set a standard of excellence in technical documentation. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a company that publishes Ubuntu, a leading open-source project powering AI, IoT, and the cloud. We are building documentation capacity at scale with dozens of positions available across various teams and seniority levels, from Graduate to Senior Staff. All applications are handled through a single entry point.
The Role of a Technical Author
These are not traditional technical writer roles. As a Technical Author, you will lead documentation efforts within engineering, business operations, or other organizational teams. You will combine technical communication excellence with subject-matter expertise and collaboration skills. Even junior Technical Authors will develop technical authority and contribute to documentation practice as a first-class discipline. You will work with the Diátaxis approach and elevate technical writing standards.
Focus Areas:
- Product-Focused Technical Author: Be a member of a product engineering team, developing documentation for users and contributing to the product's long-term success.
- Customer-Focused Technical Author: Work in teams like Field Engineering, Customer Success, or Support, addressing user documentation needs for complex software suites and understanding real-world product usage.
- Operations-Focused Technical Author: Join business teams (Legal, HR, Talent) to maintain internal documentation, such as employee handbooks, and define business communication patterns for a growing organization.
You will have the opportunity to specify your preferred focus, and Canonical will help find the right seniority level and team for you. Regardless of focus, you will join Canonical's documentation practice team, collaborating with experts to define documentation excellence and drive development across the company and the open-source community.
Responsibilities:
- Create, maintain, and improve software and other documentation.
- Collaborate with team members to foster effective documentation contributions.
- Influence product development as an expert user with opinions on function and design.
- Engage with user communities to ensure documentation meets their needs.
- Encourage and support community engagement and contributions to documentation.
- Standardize content structure, presentation, style, and language across products.
- Collaborate with documentation peers to advance documentation practices.
- Challenge and advance documentation understanding and best practices.
What We're Looking For:
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
- A deep care for functional written communication.
- A technical writer with a programmer’s mindset, or a programmer with a record of producing excellent documentation.
- A record of community engagement (open-source, documentation, research, etc.).
- Sympathy for the needs and challenges of open-source software and its communities.
- Technical curiosity and fascination with software technology.
- Demonstrable documentation skills, insight, and enthusiasm.
- Experience in software development contexts.
- Familiarity with Linux, command line, Git, Sphinx, and reStructuredText.
- A BSc/BA degree or equivalent.
- Ability to travel twice a year for up to two weeks for events.
Nice-to-have Skills:
- Deep technical domain knowledge.
- Open-source community leadership and management.
- User-experience, interaction, or visual design.
What Canonical Offers:
- Competitive compensation, adjusted for location, experience, and performance, with annual reviews.
- Performance-driven annual bonus or commission.
- Comprehensive benefits that reflect company values and ideals, balanced for local needs and global fairness.
- Distributed work environment with bi-annual in-person team sprints.
- USD 2,000 annual personal learning and development budget.
- Annual compensation review.
- Recognition rewards.
- Annual holiday leave.
- Maternity and paternity leave.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Opportunities for travel to meet colleagues and travel upgrades for long-haul events.
About Canonical:
Canonical is a pioneering tech firm leading the global shift to open source. As the publisher of Ubuntu, a critical open-source project for AI, IoT, and the cloud, Canonical is shaping the future of software. The company operates on a global scale, setting high standards for employees and expecting excellence. Most employees have worked remotely since Canonical's inception in 2004. Working at Canonical means stepping into the future, being challenged to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and excel.
Canonical is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a discrimination-free workplace. Diversity in experience, perspectives, and background is valued to create a better work environment and better products. All applications receive fair consideration regardless of identity.
Key skills/competency
- Technical Writing
- Documentation
- Content Creation
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Linux
- Git
- Sphinx
- reStructuredText
- Open Source
Skills & topics
- Technical Author
- Technical Writer
- Documentation Specialist
- Content Creator
- Linux
- Ubuntu
- Open Source
- Git
- Sphinx
- reStructuredText
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Software Documentation
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with Linux, Git, Sphinx, and technical writing in software contexts, aligning with Canonical's focus on open source and technical excellence.
- Showcase community involvement: Emphasize any contributions to open-source projects, documentation initiatives, or research to demonstrate your engagement and alignment with Canonical's values.
- Articulate your technical mindset: Clearly present your technical writing skills alongside a programmer's mindset or your programming experience with a strong documentation record.
- Research Canonical's documentation approach: Familiarize yourself with the Diátaxis framework and Canonical's ambition to set industry standards in technical documentation.
- Prepare for technical and collaborative interviews: Be ready to discuss your documentation process, technical curiosity, and how you'd collaborate with engineering and user communities.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- How does Canonical define a Technical Author role differently from a traditional Technical Writer?
- Canonical's Technical Author roles are more leadership-oriented, requiring you to lead documentation efforts within a team, combine technical communication with subject-matter expertise, and influence product development. It's not just about writing, but about driving documentation practice as a critical discipline.
- What is the Diátaxis approach mentioned in the Technical Author job description?
- The Diátaxis framework is a methodology for structuring technical documentation. It categorizes content into four types: tutorials, explanation, reference, and guide, ensuring that documentation serves distinct user needs effectively. Canonical uses this to elevate documentation standards.
- Can I specify my preferred focus (product, customer, or operations) for the Technical Author role at Canonical?
- Yes, the job description explicitly states that you'll have a chance to tell Canonical your preferred focus. They will then work with you to find the right seniority level and team that aligns with your interests and skills.
- What kind of community engagement is Canonical looking for in Technical Author candidates?
- Canonical values candidates with a record of community engagement, particularly in open-source software, documentation, or research. This demonstrates your alignment with their ethos and your ability to connect with and contribute to communities.
- What are the essential technical skills for a Technical Author at Canonical?
- Essential technical skills include familiarity with Linux, working on the command line, Git for version control, and documentation tools like Sphinx and reStructuredText. A programmer's mindset or programming experience is also highly valued.
- What does 'building documentation capacity at scale' mean for the Technical Author role?
- 'Building documentation capacity at scale' implies that Canonical is significantly expanding its documentation efforts across many products and teams. As a Technical Author, you'll be integral to this expansion, helping to establish and maintain high standards for a large volume of documentation.
- Are there opportunities for career growth within Canonical's Technical Author positions?
- Absolutely. Canonical offers roles at all levels, from Graduate to Senior Staff, and emphasizes the opportunity for even junior Technical Authors to develop technical authority and contribute to documentation practice. This suggests a clear path for growth and advancement.
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