Technical Writer / Technical Documentation Lead - JobID-0335

Innovative Defense Technologies•Arlington, VA

4d•$114,000 - $231,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is seeking a Technical Writer / Technical Documentation Lead for its Advanced Capabilities team, based in Arlington, Virginia. The role develops, organizes, maintains, and standardizes technical engineering and program documentation supporting the design, development, systems engineering, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment of advanced defense technologies. The selected candidate will work with systems engineers, software developers, technical leads, program managers, and other stakeholders to translate complex engineering concepts, system architectures, workflows, and Model Based Systems Engineering artifacts into clear, accurate, accessible documentation. The role manages documentation requirements and lifecycles across multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced engineering environment and coordinates documentation timelines with engineering sprints and software or system release schedules. This is a hybrid position requiring two to three days in the Arlington office. Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance. Travel is approximately 10%.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communication with a technical focus, or a related STEM or technical field, or equivalent full-time professional experience.
At least 5 years of directly relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience developing technical documentation, such as technical reference manuals, ICDs, SOWs, SEMPs, CMPs, or similar governance documents.
Extensive knowledge of writing standards and regulatory compliance practices.
Strong understanding of the Systems Engineering V-model and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
Extensive knowledge of writing CDRLs, such as training guides, PMPs, QASPs, and test plans.
Familiarity with engineering collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Git/GitLab, or equivalent version-control and issue-tracking tools.
Familiarity with project scheduling and management tools such as MS Project, and experience developing POA&Ms.
Strong technical writing and communication skills, including the ability to understand complex system architectures and present them in accessible formats for technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to handle multiple projects and priorities.
Proactive problem-solving approach and exceptional attention to detail.
Ability to coordinate documentation timelines, align deliverables with engineering sprints, and track milestones.
Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills; able to work independently and with cross-functional teams.
Ability to travel approximately 10%.
Must be able to obtain and maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Visio, or other design or modeling tools for creating system diagrams and visual aids.
Working knowledge of MBSE methodologies or tools such as Cameo or Enterprise Architect.
Working knowledge of configuration management practices, including baseline management, version control, and compliance documentation workflows.
Professional Systems Engineering or Program Management certifications, such as INCOSE ASEP/CSEP, Certified Scrum Master, PMP, CAPM, ITIL Foundation, or configuration management credentials.

Responsibilities

Develop, revise, and manage technical engineering deliverables, including technical reference manuals, operational guidelines and SOPs, system diagrams, proposal and business development materials, engineering reports, ICDs, SDDs, test procedures, and procedural workflows.
Maintain and update technical baseline documentation, including CMPs, SEMPs, SOWs, PMPs, QASPs, and IDT policy documentation.
Collaborate with engineers, program managers, project leads, and subject matter experts to gather and consolidate technical information and translate it into structured documentation.
Ensure technical references and governance documents comply with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and established standards; audit documentation for completeness, accuracy, and relevance.
Create and manage POA&Ms and other project documentation, and coordinate engineering documentation workflows.
Manage documentation release cycles, align documentation sprints with software and system release schedules, and maintain documentation trackers such as Jira and Confluence.
Organize documentation repositories and maintain version control, revision histories, source references, traceability, and accessibility.
Identify and address documentation gaps, inconsistencies, and process improvements.