Contract technical authors for documentation projects and temporary cover

In this page

Facts and figures
Find the right contract technical author
Specialist contract technical-author recruitment
Contract role roles we can help you fill

When should you hire a contract technical author?
How our process works
Why use Cherryleaf?
Contract recruitment or a managed documentation project?
FAQs
Contact us

Find an experienced contract technical author who can understand the brief, work with your subject-matter experts and start making progress quickly.

Cherryleaf specialises in technical communication recruitment.

We can help you find contractors for software, API, product, process, and regulated documentation assignments.

Tell us about your contract requirement

Facts and figures

<50

Live vacancies are for contract technical writing roles. This makes specialist recruitment essential (Source: ITJobswatch).

<2,000

Contract technical writers in the entire UK workforce: a genuinely small talent pool. (Source: Cherryleaf)

2002

The year Cherryleaf was founded. We have over two decades of specialist experience and active candidate relationships.

Find the right contract technical author

A contract technical author can give you experienced documentation support without the commitment or delay involved in making a permanent appointment.

You might need someone to:

  • Prepare documentation for a product launch
  • Clear a backlog of outdated or incomplete content
  • Cover maternity leave, sickness, or another extended absence
  • Support a busy documentation or product team
  • Create or improve API and developer documentation
  • Migrate content to a new authoring platform
  • Introduce structured authoring or docs-as-code
  • Document a complex engineering or business process
  • Help you meet a regulatory or contractual deadline

Whatever the reason, the contractor needs more than good writing skills. They must be able to understand unfamiliar subject matter, ask the right questions, and work productively with the people who hold the information.

Cherryleaf helps you find someone whose experience fits the actual assignment.

Discuss your requirement with Cherryleaf

Specialist contract technical author recruitment

Technical author contracts can be difficult to fill through a general recruitment agency. Two people described as technical authors might have very different experience, audiences, and working methods.

We look beyond titles and keywords.

We consider:

  • What the contractor will need to produce
  • Who will use the documentation
  • How technical or specialised the subject matter is
  • Which tools and publishing processes are involved
  • How the contractor will obtain and verify information
  • The stakeholders and review processes they will encounter
  • Whether they need to work remotely, on site, or in a hybrid arrangement
  • How quickly they need to become productive

This helps us focus the search on candidates with relevant, practical experience.

Contract roles we can help you fill

We recruit contractors for roles including:

  • Contract Technical Author
  • Contract Technical Writer
  • Content Engineer
  • Software Documentation Writer
  • API and Developer Documentation Writer
  • Engineering Technical Author
  • Policies and Procedures Writer
  • Documentation Consultant
  • Information Developer
  • Content Designer
  • Technical Editor
  • Documentation Manager
  • Structured-authoring specialist
  • Docs-as-code specialist
  • MadCap Flare, DITA, and XML authoring specialist

Not sure what the role should be called? Describe the work that needs to be completed and we can help you define the requirement.

Contractors for software and business documentation

We can search for technical authors with experience relevant to your sector, products, and audiences.

Software and SaaS documentation

Contractors can create or improve:

  • Online Help
  • User guides
  • Administrator guides
  • Release notes
  • Installation and configuration content
  • Troubleshooting information
  • Knowledge base articles
  • In-product guidance

API and developer documentation

We can look for writers who understand developer audiences and can work with:

  • REST APIs
  • OpenAPI specifications
  • SDKs
  • Code samples
  • Developer portals
  • Git-based workflows
  • Docs-as-code toolchains
  • Engineering and product teams

Policies, procedures, and regulated content

We can also help you find contractors to document:

  • Business processes
  • Standard operating procedures
  • Compliance requirements
  • Internal controls
  • Governance information
  • Quality management processes
  • Operational policies

When should you hire a contract technical author?

A contractor is often a good option when the need is temporary, urgent or tied to a defined project.

You have a documentation deadline

A product launch, customer commitment, audit, or regulatory deadline might require additional expertise for a limited period.

Your team has a documentation backlog

A contractor can concentrate on content that your developers, engineers, or operational staff do not have time to complete.

You need specialist experience

The assignment might require knowledge of a particular industry, documentation type, authoring tool, or development workflow.

You need temporary cover

An experienced contractor can maintain documentation work while a permanent employee is unavailable.

You are changing documentation tools

A specialist can help migrate, restructure, and test content during a move to a new platform or publishing process.

You are not ready to recruit permanently

A contract appointment can address the immediate requirement while you decide what documentation capability you need over the longer term.

How our recruitment process works

1. Clarify the requirement

We discuss what needs to be achieved, the documentation involved, the required experience, the working arrangements, the budget, and the desired start date.

2. Refine the brief

Where necessary, we help you distinguish essential requirements from preferences. This can make the role more attractive and prevent suitable contractors from being excluded unnecessarily.

3. Identify the candidates

Cherryleaf has worked in technical communication since 2002. Our recruitment, writing, training, and consulting activities help us maintain relationships across the profession.

4. Screen for suitability

Every CV is assessed by a person who understands technical communication. We speak to suitable candidates before presenting their details to you.

5. Focused shortlist

You receive a small, credible shortlist: not a large volume of loosely matched CVs to filter through.

6. Support the appointment

We help keep things moving through interviews, offers, and the agreed engagement arrangements.

Why use Cherryleaf?

Technical communication is our specialism

We understand the differences between software documentation, API content, engineering publications, policies and procedures, and regulated information.

We assess relevant experience, not just keywords

Job titles in technical communication are unreliable. We look at what candidates have produced, who they wrote for, and how they worked.

We understand documentation projects

As well as recruitment, Cherryleaf provides documentation, consulting, and training services. This helps us understand what contractors will encounter once the assignment begins.

Candidates are reviewed by people

We do not rely on automated keyword filtering to decide which candidates should reach you.

We can help shape the requirement

You do not need to arrive with a perfect job description. Tell us the outcome you need and we can help you define the assignment and candidate profile.

Contract recruitment or a managed documentation project?

Hiring an individual contractor is not always the best approach.

Choose contract recruitment when:

  • You know what needs to be produced
  • You have someone who can brief and manage the contractor
  • Your team can provide access to subject-matter experts
  • You can review and approve the work
  • You want the contractor to work as part of your team

Cherryleaf finds the contractor; you manage their day-to-day work.

Consider a managed documentation project when:

  • The scope still needs to be defined
  • You need help choosing the documentation approach
  • You do not have someone available to manage the work
  • You want responsibility for agreed deliverables to sit with a specialist supplier
  • The project might require several skills or contributors

Describe the outcome you need and we will help you identify the most appropriate model.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can you find a contract technical author?

The timescale depends on the required experience, location, working arrangements, budget, and current candidate availability. Once we understand the assignment, we can give you a realistic view of the market and likely search timescale.

Can you find someone available immediately?

Sometimes. Contractor availability changes frequently, and the best match might not always be able to start at once. A degree of flexibility around the start date can increase the number and quality of suitable candidates.

Do you recruit remote contract technical authors?

Yes. We can search for remote, hybrid or site-based contractors, subject to your location, security, employment, and project requirements.

Can you find a contractor with experience in our industry?

We can search for candidates with relevant sector, product, audience, and regulatory experience. Very narrow requirements might reduce the available candidate pool, so we will help you decide which experience is genuinely essential.

Can you help us set a realistic day rate?

Yes. We can discuss the factors likely to affect the rate, including the specialist skills required, location, working arrangements, contract duration, and market availability.

What does Cherryleaf charge?

For contract placements, Cherryleaf adds an agreed margin to the contractor’s day rate. We can explain the arrangements and likely costs during the initial discussion.

Can you help write the contract job description?

Yes. We can help you define the deliverables, responsibilities, essential skills, working arrangements, and candidate profile.

Can the contractor become a permanent employee?

This might be possible, subject to the contract arrangements and agreement between the parties. Tell us if a contract-to-permanent appointment is something you are considering.

Do you work with candidates operating through limited companies?

Yes. Engagement options depend on the assignment and relevant legal, tax, and employment-status requirements. We will discuss the available arrangements with you.

Tell us about your contract requirement

Send us an existing brief or tell us:

  • What the contractor needs to produce or improve
  • The intended users of the documentation
  • The technical or industry experience required
  • The tools and working methods involved
  • Where and how the contractor will work
  • The likely duration of the assignment
  • Your target start date
  • Your available budget or day-rate range

We will help you clarify the requirement and identify the most suitable next step.

Email: info@cherryleaf.com
Telephone: 0207 100 4513

Tell us about your contract vacancy