Technical Writer Job at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s (LBNL) Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) has an opening for a Technical Writer to join the team.

ESnet is a high-performance network built to support large-scale integrated scientific research. ESnet serves more than 50 Department of Energy (DOE) research sites, including the national laboratory system, supercomputing centers, and other user facilities and scientific instruments; it also connects to more than 270 research and commercial networks in five countries. By offering a highly specialized, continuously evolving networking infrastructure and innovative services, ESnet enables scientists to collaborate on some of the world’s most important scientific challenges. ESnet is funded by the DOE and stewarded by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA.

In this exciting role, you will write and edit complex technical and scientific reports, articles, presentations, and other communications related to the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) user facility and Quantum Application Network Testbed for Novel Entanglement Technology (QUANT-NET) project for a variety of audiences. You may also assist with writing and editing nontechnical communications as needed. The person will work as part of a small team that supports the communications needs of the Scientific Networking division of Berkeley Lab’s Computing Sciences Area, comprising approximately 150 employees. You will work under the direction of the ESnet Communications Lead and work closely with the Science Engagement group.

What You Will Do:

• Work with ESnet and QUANT-NET staff at all levels to write and edit technical and scientific reports, feature articles, press releases, website content, video scripts, technical papers, and high-profile presentations.
• Work closely with Science Engagement staff and Office of Scientists to collect, edit, polish, and summarize case studies and narratives for ESnet’s Requirements Review reports for the six Office of Science programs.
• Occasionally assist with writing and editing nontechnical communications such as staff newsletters, important emails, intranet web pages, and social media posts as needed.
• Customize materials for a wide variety of audiences, from ESnet staff, Berkeley Lab staff, the research & education (R&E) networking community, ESnet’s scientific user community, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and federal government committees to the general public.

What is Required for Level 2:

• Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, or a technical field, such as science or engineering, and a minimum of 5 years' related experience in technical and non-technical writing, editing, layout, and production; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated skill in translating highly complex technical/scientific accomplishments and hardware and software innovations into clear, concise, and compelling copy for a range of audiences.
• Familiarity with basic networking and computing principles.
• Experience interacting with high-level internal and external contacts to establish working relationships needed to gather information for communications and work together to finalize it for release.
• Strong interpersonal communication, teamwork, collaboration and client service skills, with demonstrated ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with a diverse group of colleagues.
• Ability to work with authors to edit complex scientific and technical materials accurately and constructively for a variety of audiences.
• Proven ability to be a creative and critical thinker and problem-solver.
• Comfort with both working independently and navigating teams with many cooks and competing interests.
• Proficient with web content management systems and digital communications platforms.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.

In Addition to Above, the Level 3 Requires:

• Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, or a technical field, such as science or engineering, and 8 or more years of experience in technical and non-technical writing and/or editing.
• Experience writing specifically about networking and/or software.
• Familiarity with project management software, such as Asana, Jira, or similar.

Desired Qualifications for Both Levels:

• Competence in basic graphic design software and strong working grasp of good design practices for figures and other visual aids for technical communications.
• Experience with photography and/or photo editing software.
• Experience writing video scripts and overseeing scientific videos.
• Ability to create and/or polish technical presentations for various audiences.

To apply for this job, in addition to a résumé or CV, you must include a cover letter and three writing samples. Please either paste full links at the end of your cover letter (do not embed them) or, if your samples are not online, you may combine the samples with the cover letter into a single PDF.

For full consideration, please apply by January 27, 2025.

Notes:

• This is a full time, 2 year, term appointment with the possibility of extension or conversion to Career appointment based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs.
• This position will be hired at a level commensurate with the business needs and the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate.