Technical Writer II - The Toro Company

The Toro Company • Bloomington, MN

7d • $75,000 - $91,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Technical Writer II - The Toro Company Sponsorship: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a school/employment or any other visa, regardless of expiration date, now or in the future. Who Are We? With roots dating back to 1914, The Toro Company was built on a tradition of quality and caring relationships. Today, the company is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf and landscape maintenance, snow and ice management, underground utility construction, rental and specialty construction, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. Through a strong network of professional distributors, dealers, rental stores and retailers in more than 125 countries, we proudly offer a wide range of products across a family of global brands to help golf courses, professional contractors, underground construction professionals, groundskeepers, agricultural growers, rental companies, government and educational institutions, and homeowners – in addition to many leading sports venues and historic sites around the world. Your Opportunity: The Technical Writer II will c reate topic-based instructional content that enables our customers to operate The Toro Company (TTC) machines safely and effectively. Manage content using the Windchill content management system and the DITA XML architecture while implementing the principles of minimalism. Create graphic line art, graphical procedures, and animations to improve the customer experience in learning how to use Toro products. Support our goal of differentiating TTC from competitors with innovative technical content that improves customer service. Work Location / Other Components: This role will be based at the Bloomington, MN Toro's International Corporate Headquarters. Fully remote is not available at this time. This role will require 5-days on site during training. The current team works 3-days on campus, with optional 2-days remote. Typical office environment as it pertains to lighting, temperature, and noise level when in administrative/operations offices. May require occasional travel to other company sites, distribution centers, or supplier locations. Author instructional documentation that complies with the Toro Style Guide for Technical Content . Create graphics that comply with the Toro Graphics Style Guide. Work closely with the supervisor to ensure that all projects follow the Technical Publications processes and have the proper priorities and support to meet plant production and on-line requirements. Communicate cross functionally with Engineering, Product Evaluation, Legal, Safety, Test, Customer Care, and Marketing.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required from an accredited college in Scientific and Technical Communications, English, or related field or applicable experience as a technical content creator.
• 3 plus years’ experience in the technical communications field.
• Intermediate proficiency with XML.
• Experience with Arbor text Editor or similar application is required.
• Intermediate proficiency with technical illustration.
• Experience with Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or similar application is required.
• Intermediate skills in creating basic animations.
• Advanced proficiency with MS software (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) is required.
• Intermediate knowledge of mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical components of Toro machines, assembly drawings, schematics, and model structure.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of processes and style guides used to create instructional content for machinery.
• Demonstrated ability to independently accomplish the duties and responsibilities as listed.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Creo Illustrate and Creo Parametric CAD software is preferred.
• Experience writing instructions for hardware (machines similar to Toro machines) and software products.
• Demonstrated ability in technical illustration and animation/video creation.
• Mechanical background with the ability to understand and communicate technical and mechanical concepts.
• Familiarity with markup languages, such as XML or HTML.
• Interest in emerging instructional technologies.
• Familiarity with topic-based authoring (DITA architecture).

Responsibilities

• Create accurate instructional content for Toro machines and software using text, line art, graphic storyboards, and basic animations and augmented reality (AR) experiences.
• Manage topic-based content.
• Apply the Toro content guides, topics, bookmaps, and overall structure when authoring content and assisting with the transition to topic-based authoring (DITA).
• Guide others in the use of topic-based authoring.
• Create graphical procedures using your knowledge of user testing and audience needs.
• Create storyboards to help the Multimedia Designers understand the procedures so they can create effective animations.
• Apply the graphics style guide to graphics.
• Provide basic training to writers about products, tools, graphics, processes, and style guides.
• Develop subject matter capabilities.
• Provide significant support to team members leading annual objectives and initiatives.
• Route workflow requests for changes and new content to the editor, supervisor, and product teams (Engineering, Legal, Safety, Test, and Customer Care) for review and approval, and incorporate appropriate changes in the content.
• Manage a multi-project workload and complete all projects on time to meet production schedule requirements.
• Create Operator’s Manuals, Installation Instructions, Getting Started Guides, App-Based Instructions, Knowledge Articles, and Release Notes.

Benefits

• Dress for your day - We know you're more productive when you're comfortable, which is why TTC employees are encouraged to take advantage of our casual, corporate environment.
• Food - Take advantage of our onsite café, which serves both breakfast and lunch. With a Caribou Coffee attached, you can grab a snack and a coffee at any time during your day.
• Wellness - The Toro Company’s HQ offers complimentary use of our onsite fitness facility to employees. In addition to physical well-being, TTC offers a variety of mental health and financial health resources to all employees.
• Volunteerism - The Toro Company is proud to provide employees 20 hours of paid time to volunteer` in the community.
• Summer Hours – Enjoy a flexible schedule during the summer! By working a little more during the first few days of the week, TTC employees at our Bloomington HQ are able to start their weekends early and leave by noon on Friday.
• Competitive Salary – A reasonable salary estimate is $75,000-$91,000 for this opportunity.
• If you need to, you can access your pay early with the One@Work app, formerly the Even app.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level