What UK software employers want from Technical Writers and Technical Authors

We recently reviewed recent UK permanent, contract, and freelance vacancies for software-focused Technical Writers and Technical Authors. Our analysis excluded aerospace, defence, manufacturing, bid-writing, and similar roles.

We were able to identify some common patterns:

• Software companies are looking to hire people who can work inside the product development process, investigate how a product works, and turn that knowledge into maintained documentation.
• Writing is still central, but successful candidates also need to have additional skills and experience.

Documentation is now part of software delivery

In many of the vacancies we reviewed, documentation sits alongside development, testing, product management, support, and customer success.

Technical Writers are expected to work with engineers while a feature is being developed. They need to understand what has changed, identify gaps in the available information, and publish content when the feature is released.

Git, Markdown, and APIs are becoming core skills

The strongest technical signal in the research was the growth of docs-as-code.

This is documentation created and maintained through the same kinds of tools and workflows used by software teams. The Technical Author works in a repository, uses version control, and contributes through review and release processes.

The typical requirements were:

• Markdown or MDX.
• Git, GitHub, GitLab, or Azure DevOps.
• Documentation platforms and static-site tools such as Docusaurus, MkDocs, Sphinx, ReadMe, and GitBook.
• APIs, REST, JSON, authentication, OpenAPI or Swagger.
• Enough code literacy to read, test, and verify examples.
• Familiarity with CI/CD, automated documentation checks, or build pipelines in the more technical roles.

This does not mean traditional tools and structured authoring have disappeared. MadCap Flare, DITA XML, and other help-authoring tools, still matter, particularly in larger enterprise environments. But the centre of gravity in software is shifting.

Technical fluency matters more than a technical degree

Employers want Technical Writers who can understand an API response, follow an authentication flow, run a command, inspect a configuration file, and recognise when an example does not work. They do not necessarily expect a full-time developer who happens to write.

We found “can read code” appeared far more often than “must be a software engineer”.

The technical bar rises further in specialist areas such as cloud platforms, cybersecurity, data products, payments, AI, and developer tools. In those roles, experience with Docker, Kubernetes, cloud services, command-line tools, or a programming language can be a real advantage.

This leads to a question of how does an employer assess the candidates’ skills? Employers are looking towards portfolios as evidence, as it gives them something concrete to assess.

Senior Technical Writers are hired to improve the system

Job descriptions for Senior Technical Author vacancies tended to include ownership of information architecture, documentation standards, templates, contributor guidance, content quality, and the documentation platform itself. They are expected to decide what users need, where it should live, and how it will stay accurate as the product changes.

This resembles the “orchestrator” role discussed in technical writing communities, although the vacancies themselves do not use that term.

The job descriptions mention:

• Restructuring a developer portal or help centre.
• Creating style guides, terminology, and reusable templates.
• Coaching engineers and product specialists to contribute useful source material.
• Improving the flow from development work to published documentation.
• Using support feedback, search data, and customer questions to identify gaps.
• Making documentation fit for AI search and AI-assisted support without lowering editorial standards.

AI is appearing in job descriptions, but the vacancies still place a high value on verification, source checking, user-centred structure, and technical accuracy.

Contractors are often hired to solve a defined problem

Permanent Technical Writers are usually recruited to take long-term ownership of a product’s documentation. Contract and freelance assignments tend to be more sharply defined.

For example, to:

• Document a new API or data product.
• Move content into Markdown and a Git-based workflow.
• Rebuild a help centre or developer portal.
• Audit a documentation set before a launch.
• Create structure, standards, templates, and a glossary where none exists.
• Turn incomplete specifications and specialist interviews into usable documentation.

A contractor needs to become useful quickly, discover gaps without waiting for perfect inputs, and deliver within a fixed period. The emphasis is “speed to productivity”.

Recruiting for the title can miss the skill you need

Employers have to now assess candidates on whether they can work with the production tools (docs-as-code) and whether they can create the outputs needed. This becomes harder when few people in the organisation understand this specialist role.

Cherryleaf provides Technical Writer recruitment and contractor services for organisations that need the right person for a defined documentation challenge or a long-term role. We can help you specify the work, distinguish the skills that matter from the ones that do not, and find a Technical Writer or Technical Author with the right experience.