Databases are the beating heart of every business in the world.
Cockroach Labs is the creator of CockroachDB, the most highly evolved cloud-native, distributed SQL database on the planet that scales fast, survives anything, and thrives anywhere. We created CockroachDB to unshackle teams from the constraints of their database. Join us on our mission to enable every developer to build world-changing applications!
About the Role
We're seeking a highly experienced technical writer to join our world-class Documentation team. You will own and drive the documentation strategy for CockroachDB deployment and operations across self-hosted and cloud environments, 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 – whether they're running self-hosted CockroachDB or provisioning and managing Cloud clusters. 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 deployment and operations documentation, 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 in both self-hosted and Cloud environments.
- 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:
- Experience with computer systems across layers (compute, OS, networking, distributed systems) and container orchestration.
- Experience with Unix/Linux, public cloud services, databases, APIs, and infrastructure as code.
- Experience with Git and docs-as-code workflows.
- 8+ recent years of experience producing documentation for technical audiences.
- 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. The team is supported by Documentation Engineers, whose work on tooling and automation improves the team’s efficiency as well as the end-user experience.
- Collaboration: Docs team members 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 leveling 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.
Our Benefits
- Competitive Health Insurance Coverage (for you & your dependents!)
- Paid parental leave (with baby bucks)
- Flexible time off & flexible hours
- Education reimbursement
- Relocation support
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 [email protected].
The annual anticipated base salary range for U.S. candidates for this role is USD $149,000 to $196,000, plus commission if a sales role. We set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Actual salaries may vary and fall outside of this range depending on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, geographic location, skills, experience, and competencies. In addition, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. Salary is one component of the Cockroach Labs’ total rewards package, which includes stock options, health insurance, life and disability insurance, funds towards professional development resources, flexible PTO, paid holidays, and parental leave, to name a few! Salaries for candidates outside the U.S. will vary based on local compensation structures.
Top Skills
What We Do
Named after resilience and continuity, Cockroach Labs is the creator of CockroachDB, the planet's most highly evolved cloud-native, distributed SQL database. The goal is simple: to enable companies of all sizes across the world to build mission-critical apps and scale fast, survive anything, and thrive anywhere. Currently, CockroachDB is deployed at some of the world's top enterprises including Bose, Comcast, Netflix, and some of the largest names in banking, retail, and media.
Cockroach Labs was founded by a dedicated team of engineers and is backed by seasoned investors including Altimeter, Benchmark, GV, Firstmark, Index Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Capital, and Workbench.
Why Work With Us
Maintaining a human-centered culture has been a top priority at Cockroach Labs since day one. Even as we grow, we remain focused on building diverse, inclusive spaces that inspire innovation and creating opportunities to connect while encouraging employees to find their own unique balance of personal & professional commitments.
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