Technical Writer / Content Management / Copy Editor

David Milkes

www.linkedin.com/in/davidmilkestechcomm/

Warren, NJ

*****.*.******@*****.*** 917-***-****

Senior Technical Writer Summary

Gathered and transformed high-tech information into usable content for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Migrated content into single-sourced, topic-based systems for efficient management and production of easy-to-use deliverables.

Clarified functionality of software: at one firm, clients increased engagement by 350% in 3 years.

Mentored 3 writers on documentation processes and domain knowledge, enabling independent work in 2 weeks.

Managed multiple projects delivered on time.

Collected information from design specs, cross-functional teams, and product testing.

Past president of local Toastmasters chapter, which improves members’ public speaking and communication.

Work Experience

VISUAL LEASE, Woodbridge, NJ

Technical Writer 04/2018 – 02/2023

Built and executed plan to maintain documentation in single source (MadCap Flare) to make content easier to maintain and scale. Included updating and converting SaaS user guide to online knowledge base format.

Wrote user guide explaining how to schedule imports and exports and use the API, which aided client developers and IT administrators in integrating the VL platform with their systems.

Wrote external notes for each monthly release that kept customer base up to date with latest product versions. At the same time, I wrote internal release notes for each sprint for various departments to set up expectations.

Wrote and designed over 100 interactive and static interface messages using Pendo, using the same company style guide as the knowledge base, which provided quick and immediate user in-app help.

Mentored three technical writers in company platform knowledge, documentation procedures and practices, and team processes that expanded the productivity and responsiveness of the education team. They were each able to work independently within 2 weeks.

Edited video training scripts and provided design feedback on videos that enabled accurate and effective training.

Tested enhancements and defect fixes in Agile environment that expedited the testing process.

XBP GLOBAL (Formerly Exela Technologies)

Copy Editor 01/2024 – Present

Moderate two-pass copy editing of introductory college textbooks in MS Word. Checked manuscripts against authors’ and Exela guidelines and checklists, and AP/AMA style guides. Collaborated with project manager, authors, and fellow editors to clarify and resolve issues and meet deadlines.

MOL-IT AMERICA, Woodbridge, NJ

Senior Documentation Specialist 03/2011 – 11/2016

Wrote and delivered biweekly release notes and maintained online help for internal system that enabled 4000+ international shipping employees to process accounts payable data and collect storage charges.

Developed online tutorials using Captivate that demonstrated procedures and gave users feedback on understanding of content, which engaged users on how to perform common software tasks.

Coordinated changes to development, testing, networking, and documentation standards that kept up J-Sox and corporate standards compliance.

Wrote quick reference guides that helped users of new mobile version of vessel tracking and proof of delivery applications.

VERTICAN TECHNOLOGIES (formerly YGC Solutions), Pine Brook, NJ

Technical Communicator / IT Support Specialist 01/2007 – 03/2011

Produced comprehensive single-sourced online help from scratch. Initial roll-out of help expanded customer awareness of reporting tools to increase collection rates.

Attracted leads and kept clients abreast of new services with monthly newsletters, resulting in 350% increase in debt accounts uploaded over 3 years.

Replaced clumsy, proprietary CRM system with open-source web-based solution, migrated data, customized interface and trained employees on usage, improving efficiency of customer support team and data analysis.

Maintained content of marketing web site, documentation library and legacy online help, including screen shots of applications.

Evaluated enhancements / additions to web-based applications and suggested changes to user interface, which improved customer experience and reduced development time.

Education / Training

Master of Science (MS), Applied Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Bachelor of Science (BS), Mathematics, University at Albany, SUNY

Scrum: The Basics, Git Essentials and SEO Foundations, Lynda.com

Learn API Technical Writing Series, Udemy

Writing Standard Operating Procedures Manuals, Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ

Technical Skills

Web / Online Help / CMS: MadCap Flare, Adobe RoboHelp, Markdown, Confluence, HTML, CSS, XML, DITA, JavaScript

Word Processing: MS Word, Adobe FrameMaker + SGML, Adobe Acrobat Pro

Graphics / Presentation: Canva, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, PowerPoint, Visio, SnagIt, Inkscape

Document Version Control: Git / GitHub, SharePoint, Team Foundation Server

Application Management/Development: Jira, Agile, RESTful API

Database/Spreadsheets: SQL Server, Oracle, Excel

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