Manager, Technical Writing - Zoox

Job Title: Manager, Technical Writing
Job Location: Foster City, CA
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/zoox/a95a4ce0-0f4c-4b70-bb94-658ce3dedf97
Job Description: We are seeking a Manager, Technical Writing to lead a team of Technical Writers within Manufacturing Operations, including responsibility for documentation supporting both production processes and diagnostic/maintenance workflows. This role will ensure that Zoox’s technical content—ranging from manufacturing and maintenance work instructions to fleet diagnostics procedures—is accurate, scalable, and technician-friendly.

As the leader of the Technical Writing team, you will manage documentation priorities, mentor writers, and partner closely with engineering, quality, and operations teams. You will play a key role in developing frameworks, tools, and processes that improve the clarity, consistency, and efficiency of Zoox’s technical publications, enabling technicians and operators to execute their tasks safely, accurately, and on time.

In this role, you will
Lead and mentor Technical Writers by providing coaching, feedback, and guidance on best practices to drive performance and growth.
Enhance standards, templates, and style guides while building a robust framework for document creation, review, storage, and maintenance across manufacturing, maintenance, and diagnostics.
Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Tiger teams, Rework Review Board, Base Operations, and other cross functional stakeholders to gather inputs and ensure documentation supports production readiness, training, troubleshooting, and technician effectiveness.
Oversee the review and approval process to ensure compliance with ISO, APQP, SAE, and other industry standards, while also supporting both hardware and software tools that affect documentation creation, alignment, or the development of new content, such as functional diagrams and guided diagnostics.
Establish and manage dashboards, workflows, and platforms (e.g., Dozuki, Oxygen XML, Confluence, Jira) to streamline creation, tracking, and updates, and also explore external partnership and AI tools to optimize documentation effort.
Provide clear weekly and monthly updates, proactively seek stakeholder feedback, and ensure team administration and logistics, enabling on-time delivery of critical documentation.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Technical Communication, Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in technical writing, with at least 3–5 years in a leadership or management role.
Strong experience in building and maintaining documentation frameworks, including standards, templates, and workflows.
Hands-on expertise with documentation tools such as Dozuki, Oxygen, FrameMaker, Confluence, and Jira, with proven ability to streamline documentation processes using dashboards and tracking systems.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional collaboration with engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams to ensure documentation supports production readiness and compliance (ISO, APQP, SAE, or similar frameworks).
Excellent project management and organizational skills, with a track record of delivering complex documentation programs on time and reporting progress effectively to stakeholders.
Bonus Qualifications
Hands-on experience with diagnostic or automotive documentation, including familiarity with CAN, UDS, and SAE diagnostic standards.
Experience with instructional design, training content creation, or technician enablement programs.
Familiarity with CAD visualization tools (3DX, CATIA) or integration of multimedia (photos, video, animations) into technical documentation.