Technical Writer - Spacecraft & Manufacturing

Xona Space Systems • Burlingame, CA

8d • $130,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

As our first Technical Writer, you'll be embedded with the program team and support engineering and manufacturing across the company - from satellite development documentation to work instructions on the production floor. This is a cross-functional role that touches every part of how we build, test, and operate spacecraft.

Requirements

• 4–7 years of technical writing experience in aerospace, defense, hardware manufacturing, or a similarly technical field
• Proven ability to write clear, accurate work instructions and SOPs for manufacturing or assembly environments
• Comfortable working directly with engineers to extract technical content and translate it into clean, usable documentation
• Self-directed and able to manage multiple documentation workstreams simultaneously in a fast-moving environment
• Comfortable asking questions when requirements are unclear - we value clarity over assumptions

Nice To Haves

• Experience documenting spacecraft, satellite, or precision hardware development programs
• Experience supporting program reviews such as Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), or Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR) with documentation packages
• Familiarity with manufacturing execution or quality management systems
• Proficiency with documentation tools such as Confluence, Google Workspace, or similar
• Interest in growing into a documentation lead or program management role as the team scales

Responsibilities

• Support engineering teams across bus, payload, Guidance Navigation & Control (GNC), Flight Software (FSW), and subsystems in producing and maintaining technical documents including Interface Control Documents (ICDs), test procedures, design specs, and review packages. You'll attend design reviews and work directly with engineers to extract technical details and translate them into clear, accurate, and actionable documentation.
• Develop, review, and maintain manufacturing work instructions, assembly procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for spacecraft production - ensuring technicians have clear, accurate, and up-to-date guidance on the floor. You'll spend time on the production floor to understand processes firsthand.
• Work across geographically distributed engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure documentation stays consistent, synchronized, and accessible across sites. Some travel between sites may be required.
• Generate, edit, and maintain contract deliverable documentation - including reports, data packages, and compliance documents -ensuring accuracy and timely delivery against contractual requirements.
• Develop and maintain team Service Level Agreement (SLA) definitions with other teams like Service Operations and satellite subsystems, document escalation paths, and system configurations to support reliable on-orbit operations and ground system management. Maintain documentation supporting regulatory compliance (e.g., FCC/NOAA licensing, Orbital Debris Mitigation plans).
• Help establish and maintain the organization, versioning, and accessibility of technical documentation - making sure the right people can find the right document at the right time. As our first writer, you'll play a key role in selecting and setting up systems that work for our team.
• Develop lightweight documentation standards and templates that scale as the company and program grow.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed