Senior Aviation Maintenance Technical Writer (Temporary)

Santa Cruz, California, United StatesSenior8+ years

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

The Senior Maintenance Technical Writer takes ownership of planning and authoring ASD S1000D data modules in simplified technical English, editing and obtaining internal and FAA approval of the content of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness including: the Aircraft Maintenance Manual, Illustrated Parts Catalog, Structural Repair Manual, Wiring Diagram Manual, Component Maintenance Manuals, and other documents as needed. Tasks typically range from creation of original content to editorial review and rework of content as required as it evolves. have a deep understanding of technical documentation development principles, such as development traceability and configuration management of documentation throughout a product’s life cycle.

This is a temporary, hybrid position based in Marina, CA. Employees are required to work onsite at least three (3) days per week.

Responsibilities

Gather and analyze source documentation created by subject matter experts (SMEs)

Author end-user documentation in S1000D data modules based on source data

Creation of specifications for illustrations required in all maintenance documents in coordination with illustrators and engineers

Build relationships with fabricators and maintainers of test article aircraft to facilitate documentation of all information and instructions needed to support required maintenance activities and initial type certification of an aircraft

Build and maintain S1000D Data Module Requirements Lists (DMRLs)

Tracking documents during creation, review and approval processes, and throughout their life cycle, using tools such as Jira, SmartSheet, and GPSL Xignal

Facilitate review and approval of publication content

Applying broad aviation and project experience in innovative ways that propel the program toward success

Participate in department hiring processes by interviewing applicants and providing feedback to the group lead

Participate in the development, documentation, and revision of department processes, procedures, and controls

Participate in AI agentic tool development to automate and accelerate team workflows and processes.

Provide mentorship and professional development support to new and less experienced team members

Take ownership of and lead special project activities proactively, as needed

Exercise delegated authority as assigned by the group lead

Travel to locations where technical authoring support is needed, as required

Required

Bachelor's Degree in an engineering, aviation, communication, business or related subject
8+ years of overall technical authoring experience
5+ years structured authoring experience such as ASD S1000D / ATA iSpec 2200 / ASD / STE 100

Excellent English language technical writing skills

Ability to turn complex engineering information into clear, concise, and understandable processes, procedures and guidance

Ability to ask questions that tease out detail and nuance

Meticulous attention to detail

Experience creating specifications for illustrations to clarify, simplify and promote end-user understanding of complex concepts

Previous experience developing maintenance publications for government aviation regulatory authorities, such as the FAA and EASA, in support of aircraft type certification within project deadlines