SUMMARY

An experienced leader of technical content projects and staff, focused on creating cost-effective solutions to complex issues on deadline and within budget.

• Content Management
• Customer Support
• Vendor Management
• Strategic / Tactical Planner
• Workflow Management
• Journalistic Skills
• In-Product Help Systems
• Resource Planning & Management
• Cross-Functional Team Player

CAREER SUMMARY
Wide range of managerial and technical writing experience – developing, leading and executing on web content, user assistance, and documentation projects for the computer industry. Successful at recruiting, training, mentoring and reviewing the work of writers, editors and vendors while managing the day-to-day activities of team members with different skill sets and working from different locations. Skillful at analyzing the user and business needs for content, then organizing complex project plans and resource assignments. Proven track record of creative solutions for products and services that maximized sales and increased customer satisfaction and retention.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sr. Content Manager (contract)
Confidential,San Jose, CA 8/2010–4/2011
Created online content and global strategy within an Agile environment for various products within the Merchant Solutions business unit. Core duties included copywriting, project management, usability design, and cross-functional communication within an Agile environment.

Sr. Manager, Information Design
Confidential,Mountain View, CA 3/2006–8/2009

• Solved customer problems by creating a variety of user assistance channels for QuickBooks, the company’s flagship desktop product and for its related web applications in the SaaS arena within an Agile environment. These channels included direct-to-customer methods (via Community posts, user groups, support agents), and indirect methods (via UI design and content, usability testing, product testing, in-product Help topics, error messages, search terms, and online and printed manuals.
• Managed daily activities and assignments of nine senior information designers, as well as performed mentoring, training and review of their work and career goals responsibilities. Created and improved processes, and executed on cost-saving strategies.
• Created online and printed customer-facing documentation (install, setup and quick start guides), in-product user assistance (help) topics, UI text, and customer support content within an Agile environment.

Sr. Technical Writer
Confidential,Sunnyvale, CA 5/2004–3/2006
Solely responsible for designing, writing and managing all technical documentation and related processes, procedures, strategies, templates, and schedules for this start-up company in the mainframe marketplace. Documentation included user and system administration guides for the z/OS, Linux, and Windows operating systems.

Confidential,
San Jose, CA 2002–2004
Designed, wrote and edited technical documentation and user help content for various software products, including the web-based applications of Macrovision Corporation.

Sr. Manager, Information Development
Confidential,Foster City, CA 2001–2002

• Established common standards, processes, strategies and tools for the new documentation group that supported this early web app and search engine company.
• A major accomplishment included solving a long-running problem with release deliverables by integrating three separate groups of technical writers and courseware developers (located in different CA cities) into a united group.
• Inktomi - a leading web search company - was acquired by Yahoo! in March, 2003.

Web Content Lead
Confidential,Redwood City, CA 1/2000–12/2001

• Increased company sales and revenue by designing, writing and editing web content (for Confidential,and articles for Oracle, the company’s printed monthly magazine.
• Managed, mentored and trained staff of junior web content writers.
• Created and established publishing processes, templates, style guides and procedures for junior writers, as well as for the international product managers who also created online content.

Confidential,
San Jose, CA 1999–2000
Designed, wrote and edited technical documentation for hardware and software products for Gadzoox Microsystems, Inc. (Storage Area Networks), and for Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. (tablet computers). These documents were imperative for the setup, use and maintenance of these computer products.

Sr. Manager, Technical Publications
Confidential,Menlo Park, CA 1992–1999

• Promoted to Department Manager after two years as a Senior Technical Writer.
• Successfully created and managed a new department consisting of two group managers and 14 technical writers (located in California and Florida).
• Worked cross-functionally with Engineering and the 50-member documentation organization that included editors, illustrators and localization resources, to produce full documentation sets for data storage devices for servers and workstations.

TOOLS SUMMARY:
Proficient with Adobe\'s FrameMaker, Acrobat and Illustrator, HTML, XML,Macromedia Dreamweaver, WebWorks Publisher, RoboHelp, Madcap Flare, and Microsoft\'s Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, and Visio within the Windows XP Professional, UNIX, Linux, and MVS operating systems.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Arts - Journalism
• Bachelor of Arts – Psychology