Category-defining tech. Career-defining work.
Lots of tech companies disrupt. But, many fail when they try to scale. We're different. CockroachDB makes it easier for companies to build and scale apps. This is how and why we're helping some of the most innovative companies on the planet. We tackle problems head-on and focus on solutions that create lasting impact.
Because when our customers win, we all win.
The Role
We're seeking a highly experienced Technical Writer to join our world-class Documentation team. You will drive the documentation strategy for CockroachDB self-hosted deployment management, with a primary focus on the Kubernetes operator and other proprietary tooling under active development. You’ll collaborate with an engineering team in Bangalore and writers in Bangalore and New York, creating outstanding content that is essential to the success of our customers and teams.
Your experience with Linux systems, networking, security, cloud providers, and general system administration positions you to deeply understand our users' needs, regardless of the topology of their deployments. You'll use this understanding to develop comprehensive documentation that spans how-to guides, tutorials, and reference materials.
As a senior member of the team, you'll share technical knowledge and drive documentation initiatives, working closely with engineers, product managers, enterprise architects, and others to align our content with user needs and company goals.
You will:
- Take ownership of key deployment and operations documentation for self-hosted deployments, planning and prioritizing improvements that serve our users' evolving needs.
- Partner closely with engineering teams and product managers to develop deep product expertise and translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable guidance.
- Create content that enables enterprise architects, operators, and admins to effectively evaluate, implement, and maintain CockroachDB.
- Guide users in integrating CockroachDB with their existing infrastructure and operations practices.
- Help define and evolve the team's processes and style conventions.
- Share your knowledge and expertise with other writers, contributing to the team's growth and success.
The Expectations
In your first 30 days, you’ll follow a custom onboarding plan authored by your manager, which includes Cockroach University course material, review of internal documentation, information sessions about our product and company, hands-on time with the product, and discussions with your manager and colleagues. We believe that it's important to take this first month to become familiar with our technology and our company, so you will use CockroachDB throughout this period and beyond.
During this initial onboarding, you will develop enough expertise to begin your first documentation project. You will also start to review and edit documentation written by other technical writers on the team. You’ll also get to know the product managers and engineering teams with whom you’ll work most closely, gaining an understanding of their focus and roadmaps.
Within about three months, you'll be fully integrated into the team, owning the docs roadmap for your area. You will also begin contributing to efforts related to documentation conventions, processes, and tools to help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the team.
You Have
- 8+ recent years of experience producing documentation for technical audiences
- Extensive experience producing documentation for technical audiences.
- Experience with computer systems across layers (compute, OS, networking, distributed systems).
- Extensive experience with Kubernetes.
- Experience with Unix/Linux, public cloud services, databases, APIs, and infrastructure as code.
- Experience with Git and docs-as-code workflows.
- A demonstrated ability to learn complex technical concepts quickly and independently.
- A track record of successful collaboration with cross-functional teams.
The Team
- Management: This role reports to Mike Lewis, a manager on the Documentation team. Mike has worked as a tech writer across various industries and products. He enjoys supporting writers as they develop their skills and address challenges they encounter as they work to improve customer experiences. Outside work, Mike enjoys spending time with family and hobbies related to music and technical learning.
- Org structure: Cockroach Labs has a centralized Docs Team in the Education Department, which is part of the Product Division. In addition to its technical writers, the team is supported by documentation infrastructure engineers, whose work on tooling and automation improves the team’s efficiency as well as the end-user experience.
- Collaboration: Technical writers are embedded with product engineering teams, working closely with product managers and engineering leads to plan and deliver docs content for their product areas. The Docs Team meets weekly to discuss matters of shared interest. Engineers and product managers provide subject-matter expertise and technical reviews. Writers provide peer reviews for each other.
- Growth: Team management maintains an internal competencies table to provide a shared basis for team member levelling and to enable managers to focus on growth opportunities with each writer.
- Culture: Cockroach Labs continually works to foster an environment of respect among team members, with open communication, high achievement, and work-life balance. Within the company, the Docs team is valued for the support our content and expertise provides to the business.
Cockroach Labs is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please email us at accessibility@cockroachlabs.com.
Cockroach Labs has a hybrid work model, with Roachers that are local to one of our offices coming in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and working flexibly the rest of the week. While we’ve learned valuable lessons working remotely, nothing can replace the connection, creativity, and fun that occurs when Roachers get together and we are committed to fostering a workplace that encourages collaboration and allows us all to do our best work.
Benefits
- Paid parental leave with baby bucks
- Flexible PTO
- Competitive health insurance coverage (for you and your dependents!)