Technical Writer / Editor - Applied Research Associates, Inc

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is an employee-owned, progressive research and development company with a 45+ year legacy of providing innovative products and services to the government and private sectors. The Integrated Mission Systems Sector in Raleigh, NC has a unique opportunity for a Technical Writer/Editor to play a vital role in presenting compelling and compliant documents in response to customer requirements. In this role you will produce winning proposals and prepare project documentation and professional communications. This position allows for remote work with travel as needed to support customer and business meetings.

Technical Writer/Editor Responsibilities:

As a Technical Writer/Editor, you will support a mix of proposal- and project-based documentation that fluctuates based on company needs. When assigned to projects, you will work collaboratively with technical and management subject matter experts to write documents and edit content across the entire project lifecycle, from monthly reports to end user documentation. You will ensure your teams’ work products clearly articulate technical attributes (e.g., development approach, requirements, design, testing), program management activities, risks, and schedule.

To be successful, you must engage and collaborate daily with your assigned team to create content for various technologies by writing and editing reports, end user documentation, and whitepapers. Because we continuously seek to improve our processes, you must be able to identify opportunities for improvement and advocate for process changes when appropriate.

When assigned to proposals, you will assist the assigned project or proposal manager to locate, write, track, and integrate content into proposal volumes and marketing material. You will ensure that proposal documents clearly articulate the team’s overall solution and approach, processes, program management activities, risks/mitigations, and accomplishments.

For both project and proposal-based work, you will translate technical concepts into easily understandable text and graphics. You will create consistent document formats and styles by adhering to ARA style sheets and customer specifications. The assigned project or proposal manager will rely on you to maintain consistent use of terminology, voice, style, and grammar. You will help them train the applicable project and proposal documentation processes and enforce a consistent look and feel across document sets.

Because we continuously seek to improve the quality of our documentation, you will assist project teams to review and revise deliverable documents, managing the editing process to complete all work on time. Other tasks include creating and formatting simple charts and diagrams using PowerPoint’s drawing tools and assisting with Corporate and other project needs during slow times.

Our project teams develop hardware and software following Agile development processes. Project deliverables, schedules, and document specifications are specified in the contracts. Experience developing documents to contractual requirements for DoD research and development projects is preferred. Experience should include interpreting Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) documents, ensuring compliance, and quality assurance for final delivery.

Our proposal teams follow a modified Shipley proposal process. Experience developing DoD proposals within a standardized proposal process is preferred. This experience should include interpreting RFPs requirements, preparing documents for proposal reviews, ensuring RFP compliance, and quality assurance for final delivery.

Our teams use a variety of software, including Microsoft SharePoint, Atlassian Confluence and Jira, and Adobe Acrobat DC. The successful candidate will possess advanced Microsoft Word and PowerPoint knowledge, including ability to use and modify Word style sheets. In this role, the successful candidate will teach technical and management team members appropriate tips and tricks to assist in document development and, when necessary, will solve problems in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files. The successful candidate must also be familiar with Microsoft Excel.

Required Technical Writer/Editor Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Better
• 2-4 years’ experience writing technical and management documentation
• Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information requirements include being a U.S. citizen
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
• Expert level Microsoft Word and PowerPoint skills
• Experience developing and/or working with a graphic artist to create visuals (e.g., graphics, charts)
• Expert ability to synthesize and communicate technical information in concise, consistent, understandable language
• Ability to engage with technical staff and subject matter experts; capture key concepts and ideas; write in clear, concise, and persuasive language.
• Ability to work well in a team and independently
• Ability to manage workload effectively and meet deadlines

Preferred Technical Writer/Editor Qualifications:

• Active Department of Defense security clearance
• Local to Raleigh, NC office location
• Experience preparing DoD proposals within a standard proposal process
• Technical writing certification or other formal training

Who is ARA?

Do you want to work for a purpose? Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company. We have been providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences since 1979. ARA has over 2,271 employee-owners and continues to grow rapidly. Together, our offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement.  

ARA also prides itself, on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience. Employee ownership ensures you have a voice in what happens in the company. We are also very proud of our Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), whose purpose is to motivate, support, and encourage professional career development for women to maximize career and professional accomplishments.  

To find out more about the Integrated Mission Systems Sector visit our website at: https://www.ara.com/raleigh/

Experience

• 2 - 4 years: Relevant Work Experience

Education

• Bachelors or better

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)