Desmond L. Jones
Staff Technical Writer - San Francisco, CA
Resume
Core Qualifications
Expertise developing and publishing technical documentation / user help content for diverse products including consumer networking hardware, mobile apps / subscription services, enterprise SaaS products, and industrial machinery
History of reliable documentation delivery within varied project management frameworks including waterfall hardware teams, sprint-based Scaled Agile software teams, and lean industrial manufacturing teams
Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud suite, DITA XML, HTML, Markdown; elementary knowledge of programming concepts in C, Python, and SQL
Passion for learning, experimenting with, and understanding new tools / technologies to share insight with others
Employment History
NETGEAR
Staff Technical Writer
Aug. 2021 - Present
Created 10+ NETGEAR connected home product user manuals in DITA XML by authoring content in Oxygen XML Editor, creating publishing maps in DITAToo CCMS, and partnering with product / engineering teams to ensure content accuracy before release
Produced 50+ in-the-box quick start guides using Adobe InDesign / Illustrator, collaborating with marketing teams to determine visual presentation, create layouts, write document text before packaging files and releasing to operations teams for printing
Created 100+ public-facing knowledge base articles authored in HTML, published via Salesforce Knowledge with use of Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator, and Atlassian Jira
Managed internal NETGEAR style guide published with Atlassian Confluence, working with cross-functional teams including user experience (UX), packaging, localization to ensure consistent usage of language and terminology across various NETGEAR assets
Integrated with product development / technical support teams to strategize future documentation / knowledge needs, provide deliverables concurrent with new product introductions, and address customer pain points with targeted content
Interviewed subject matter experts, research contextual information, test workflows on NETGEAR hardware / software / UX prototypes to gain insight into user experience and validate procedures before publication
Managed NETGEAR documentation vendor relationships / contract technical writers / SEO consultant, leading projects from kickoff to completion, ensuring directives are cascaded down from NETGEAR leadership and facilitating collaboration with internal teams
FIS (Fidelity National Information Services)
Banking Solutions Development - Technical Writer I
Feb. 2020 - July 2021
Collaborated with senior technical writers and Scaled Agile DevOps teams to deliver client-facing release notes, help systems, and related content for three major Modern Banking Platform enterprise SaaS product releases and intermediate monthly maintenance releases
Edited REST API documentation for 100+ Modern Banking Platform APIs on FIS’ Code Connect API marketplace
Used Adobe RoboHelp to create topic-based help content and Microsoft Word to create release notes in collaborative workflows utilizing Microsoft SharePoint and Atlassian Jira / Confluence, with publishing through Sitecore CMS
Systems, LLC (d.b.a. Poweramp, McGuire, DLM)
Technical Writer/Service Representative
May 2017 - Feb. 2020
Coordinated with engineering, manufacturing and marketing teams to maintain all customer-facing technical publications including 80+ product manuals, technical service bulletins, and various other documents
Used Adobe InDesign to create publications, with periodic Illustrator / Photoshop work to edit line art and photos
Ensured consistent presentation through technical publications; brought entire library into ANSI Z535.6 compliance
Education & Professional Development
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Engineering Professional Development - Advanced Products Courses
2017 - 2018
Using Warnings and Instructions to Increase Safety and Reduce Liability (Jun. 2018)
Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings (Oct. 2017)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
B.A. in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies, cum laude
Spring 2014