Atomic is hiring: Senior Technical Writer in Berkeley

Atomic Machines is ushering in a new era in micromanufacturing with its Matter Compiler (MC) technology. The MC enables new classes of micromachines to be designed and built by offering manufacturing processes and a materials library that is inaccessible to semiconductor manufacturing methods. The MC promises to unlock MEMS manufacturing both for the many device classes that never could be made by semiconductor methods but also to open up entirely new classes. Furthermore, the MC is fully digital in the way 3D printing is digital, but where 3D printing produces parts of a single material using a single process, the MC is a multi-process, multi-material technology: bits and raw materials go in and complete, functional micromachines come out. The Atomic Machines team has also created an exciting first device – one that was only made possible by the existence of the Matter Compiler – that we will be unveiling to the world soon.

Our offices are in Berkeley and Santa Clara, California.

About the role:

At Atomic Machines, we’re completely rethinking how things are built—and we need a Technical Writer with a strong engineering background who can make our revolutionary technology easy to understand. In this role, you’ll use your technical expertise to transform detailed engineering concepts, cutting-edge manufacturing processes, and innovative product specs into clear, concise documentation. Your audience will include everyone from fellow engineers to new hires and future customers. You’ll be part of a small, passionate team shaping the company’s vision and products, and your work will be key in bringing a whole new category of devices to life. If you love the challenge of diving deep into technical details and explaining them in a way that sparks curiosity, we’d love to hear from you!

What You’ll Do:

1. Write clear, concise “Theory of Operations” documents that break down system functionality and design choices.
2. Create Work Instructions (SOPs) so people can easily follow step-by-step processes.
3. Document device operations and characteristics, highlighting performance metrics and technical specs.
4. Work with engineers to capture how devices operate under different conditions.
5. Translate complex engineering data into easy-to-understand explanations and visuals.
6. Create guides, schedules, and templates for new hires so they can hit the ground running.
7. Keep an organized knowledge base of best practices, FAQs, and lessons learned.
8. Partner with engineers, product managers, and designers to gather details and confirm accuracy.
9. Serve as the go-to person for questions about documentation needs.
10. Establish style guides and templates to keep content consistent and user-friendly.
11. Continuously refine our approaches to ensure the highest quality documentation.
12. Learn new tools and trends that can improve our docs and processes.
13. Keep an eye on user feedback and champion documentation improvements whenever needed.
14. The majority of work will be out of our Berkeley office with occasional support in our Santa Clara office.

What you’ll need:

1. Engineering background (BS, MS, or PhD in engineering).
2. 10+ years of experience in a technical writer, product manager, engineering, or field/support engineering background.
3. Strong understanding of Technical Writing principles that you can demonstrate through past writing samples.
4. Able to break down technical concepts so anyone can grasp them.
5. You know how to talk to engineers, product managers, and designers to get the info you need and translate into clear concise documents.
6. Comfortable with shifting priorities, quick changes, and a startup’s ever-evolving needs.
7. You bring a “startup mentality” to the table, proactively tackling challenges and seeking innovative solutions.
8. Strong knowledge of content development cycles, and documentation best practices.
9. Ability to manage competing priorities and convey changes in priorities and expected delivery schedule to partner teams.
10. Grant proposal writing experience (winning proposals, and executing) preferred.