Senior Communications and Content Strategy Leader

STEVE BIRGE

Senior Content Design and Strategy Leader

Seattle, Wash. 206-***-**** **********.******@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/stevebirge

Seasoned content leader, strategist, editor, and style advocate with 15+ years of experience designing and delivering high-performing customer content for global brands including Amazon and Microsoft.

Specialist in distilling complex information into accessible content, reaching customers within style and branding guidelines. Expertise in driving content quality improvement, scaling editorial processes, and leading cross-functional content development projects. Core competencies: Content Strategy, UX Writing, Technical Documentation, DITA XML, Project Management, and Global Localization.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

AMAZON – Content Developer

Digital, Device and Alexa Support (D2AS) Group

Nov 2019 – Present (6 Years)

Content Strategy & Performance

• Spearheaded content creation and publication for three first-generation devices, launching 50+ localized support topics across 13 global markets.

• Content consistently reduced support contacts by at least 20% above target, driving cost savings.

• Led a major content audit and revision of 30% of all Alexa internal and external support content, aligning documentation with an Alexa companion app UX redesign. Process and Editorial Leadership

• Standardized style and terminology guidelines for new product processes, cutting content revision effort by 40%, and translation costs by 15%.

• Drove content quality as Style Council Chair, establishing style and usage guidelines. Coached D2AS teams through targeted training sessions, to ensure high adoption rates and consistent brand voice.

• Coordinated and guided cross-functional alignment and input from Legal, Localization, Engineering, Marketing, and Design teams for high-priority product launches.

• Led the Content Developers Summit (2022), organizing a three-day program for 40 global writers, driving process refinement and role development.

• Mentored and coached content developers across the D2AS organization, leading quality improvement efforts through team leadership and individual mentorship. MICROSOFT – Content Developer II

Microsoft Office Products: Outlook, PowerPoint, Visio, Sway, OneDrive Jul 2008 – Apr 2016 (8 Years)

Content Impact & UX Focus

• Integrated procedural videos into 100+ customer help topics, significantly increasing customer engagement and achieving higher ratings than text-only versions.

• Designed and launched in-product onboarding content in Visio 2013, providing visual and textual coaching to ease non-technical users into the product.

• Led development of in-product “first-run” video sets for Word, Excel and PowerPoint in their launch on Android platform, contributing to the apps’ 4.4 Google Play rating.

• Partnered with the Lead Product Manager to evaluate and finalize all UX text

(microtext, menu terms, error messages) for the successful launch of Microsoft Sway.

• Won two international Telly Awards (2011, 2012) as Head Writer for Office Show, a scripted live-action video series published on Microsoft's Channel 9.

• Key member of the leadership team that executed and scaled a complete redirection of tone and style for Office customer documentation and video content. SELECT CONTENT DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS

MICROSOFT (Contract roles via Aquent, Entirenet)

• Content Developer, Microsoft Advertising (Oct 2018 – Jul 2019): Managed end-user support content and UI text, aligning content portfolios with product roadmaps.

• UX Content Designer, Skype (Dec 2016 – Jul 2017): Designed and developed content and UX for prototype support chatbot, creating style guidelines for bot personality and workflows.

• Writer/Editor, Windows Community (Jan 2018 – Oct 2018): Wrote and edited customer engagement content, including scripting interviews and refining site UX text. BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION (Contract role via Robert Half) Content Manager, Information Security (June 2016 – Nov 2016)

• Produced IT standards documentation and managed knowledge base content migration on SharePoint intranet.

BIZKIDS LLP – Staff Writer

Mar 2006 – Oct 2012 (Seasonal)

• Scriptwriter for a half-hour educational television series, broadcast weekly for six seasons on over 300 PBS stations nationwide. The series won two Emmy Awards.

• Co-developed production scripts for all thirteen episodes of the entire first season in 1:1 partnership with the Head Writer.

SKILLS

Content Strategy & Tech: DITA XML, Content Management Systems, Technical Documentation, Project Management (Asana), Localization. Editorial & UX: UX Writing, Technical Editing, Acrolinx, Style Guides, Instructional Design.

Multimedia: Video Scripting and Production (Camtasia), Audacity, Snagit.

Contact this candidate