Technical Writer

Location: Warren, Michigan / Milford, Michigan
Employment Type: Full-Time | Hours: 40 hrs/week, Monday–Friday
Work Arrangement: Hybrid – minimum 3 days per week onsite

About the Role

Our client is seeking a Technical Writer to develop and maintain accurate, user-friendly, and compliant technical publications supporting military and commercial vehicle and equipment programs. You will transform engineering, service, logistics, maintenance, and customer information into clear procedures and documentation used by operators, maintainers, technicians, instructors, and field-service personnel.

This position works closely with engineers, technicians, graphic artists, technical illustrators, logistics personnel, program teams, customers, and subject matter experts. Candidates with backgrounds in military or aerospace technical manuals, automotive service information, heavy equipment, industrial equipment, or other structured technical-publication environments are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently plan and execute assigned technical-publication work packages while balancing technical accuracy, quality, schedule, and program priorities.
• Develop, author, edit, update, and maintain operator, maintenance, inspection, servicing, repair, troubleshooting, parts, and training publications.
• Analyze engineering drawings, CAD/3D data, wiring schematics, system diagrams, engineering changes, requirements, parts information, photographs, test results, and other technical source material.
• Translate complex engineering and service information into clear, concise, actionable procedures.
• Organize content using structured and topic-based writing principles to ensure information is consistent, reusable, traceable, and maintainable.
• Create and maintain procedures using service-information authoring systems, structured XML/SGML environments, military technical-publication systems, or comparable platforms.
• Apply applicable terminology, formatting, safety, warning, caution, illustration, cross-reference, and publication requirements, including Simplified Technical English when required.
• Identify and incorporate necessary warnings, cautions, notes, tools, parts, consumables, measurements, torque values, personnel requirements, and expected results into procedures.
• Collaborate with engineers, technicians, and subject matter experts to validate technical content, resolve discrepancies, and confirm technical terminology.
• Coordinate with graphic artists and technical illustrators to develop figures, exploded views, line art, and other graphics that support written procedures.
• Incorporate approved information from engineering and service systems, including MATH, Teamcenter, art folders, Electronic Parts Catalog information, drawings, schematics, and other technical sources.
• Manage revisions, change incorporation, traceability, document configuration, and version control as program requirements and product configurations evolve.
• Participate in technical reviews, peer reviews, quality audits, logistics demonstrations, maintenance evaluations, and validation and verification activities.
• Perform hands-on validation with technicians, vehicles, equipment, test articles, and customers when required.
• Identify and resolve technical-publication issues and escalate matters requiring engineering authority, customer direction, or changes to an approved technical baseline.
• Communicate project status, risks, dependencies, technical concerns, and potential schedule impacts to Technical Publications leadership and project partners.
• Recommend improvements to authoring methods, content reuse, templates, terminology, quality checks, review processes, and publication workflows.
• Follow all applicable customer, facility, equipment, and high-voltage safety requirements.

• Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience developing, authoring, editing, or maintaining technical publications, service information, maintenance documentation, engineering documentation, technical orders, or training documentation.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, CAD/3D data, wiring schematics, parts information, system diagrams, engineering changes, requirements, and other technical source data.
• Demonstrated ability to write clear, accurate, and actionable operator, maintenance, repair, troubleshooting, inspection, servicing, or training procedures.
• Experience working in a structured-authoring, XML/SGML, content-management, PLM, service-information, technical-order, or comparable publication environment, or the ability to learn these systems.
• Ability to independently manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, coordinate dependencies, and follow projects through review and validation.
• Strong technical writing, editing, analytical, organizational, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Ability to learn complex vehicle and equipment systems, including high-voltage, battery, propulsion, controls, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and software-enabled systems.
• Ability to work safely around vehicles, equipment, test articles, maintenance activities, and high-voltage systems.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Common Access Card (CAC) and any customer or program security clearance required for assigned work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience authoring Service Information using Service Information authoring tools, MATH, graphic-art processes, Electronic Parts Catalog information, or related workflows.
• Experience developing military, aerospace, aviation, marine, heavy-equipment, or industrial technical manuals.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-40051, MIL-STD-3031, MIL-STD-38784, MIL-STD-2361, S1000D, or comparable technical-publication standards.
• Experience with Teamcenter, Arbortext, structured XML editors, content-management systems, PLM software, or Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) processes.
• Experience developing publications for complex vehicle systems, propulsion, controls, electrical systems, software-enabled equipment, hydraulics, or pneumatics.
• Ability to read and analyze full-vehicle wiring schematics, system architecture, software requirements, diagnostic information, and engineering-change documentation.
• Experience performing physical validation, verification, logistics demonstrations, maintenance evaluations, technician reviews, or customer acceptance activities.
• Experience with document configuration, revision tracking, change incorporation, traceability, content reuse, or publication archives.
• Experience applying Simplified Technical English or another controlled-language standard.
• Associate's or bachelor's degree in technical writing, English, communications, engineering, computer science, technical communication, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• High-voltage safety training or certification.
• Experience improving technical-publication workflows, templates, quality checks, review methods, traceability, or content-reuse practices.
• Experience training or mentoring others in technical writing, maintenance documentation, or authoring systems.
• Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

• Additional Details

• Hybrid position: Candidates must be able to report to Warren or Milford, Michigan at least three days per week, with additional onsite work required based on assignments, validation activities, and program needs.
• This position supports a U.S. Government contract and requires U.S. citizenship.
• The role may involve hands-on interaction with vehicles, equipment, test articles, and maintenance activities.
• Candidates from military, aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, industrial, and other technical-publication environments are encouraged to apply.

Why Join CPI?

• Exciting, research-driven projects with real-world impact
• Opportunities for ongoing learning and career development
• Competitive perks and incentives tailored to each contract position

About Us

Contract Professionals, Inc. (CPI), founded by an Air Force veteran, is an award-winning talent solutions company connecting top talent with leading employers in defense, aerospace, and mobility industries.