About me

I am a seasoned Technical Writer who enjoys exploring software technology and helping IT and non-IT audiences use it effectively.

My work experience

Belkasoft, Tbilisi (Software development, Digital forensics and cyber incident response)

Technical Content Writer, Hybrid, 2023-now

• Researching iOS, Android, masOS, and Windows applications and components with a focus on potential digital evidence they can provide in criminal, corporate, and cybersecurity investigations.
• Writing technical content for the company's blog based on research findings and other industry-related topics.
• Assisting the testing team with product improvement and quality assurance by offering enhancement suggestions and submitting bug reports.
• Writing copy for the company's social media platforms and email newsletters.

Epicor Software, Moscow (Software development, Enterprise resource planning)

Principal Content Specialist, Remote, 2018-2022

• Developed XML-based content for ERP and e-commerce software. The types of documentation deliverables and related audiences included:
  • application help articles, user guides, tutorials, and certification tests for end users;
  • installation and upgrade guides used by application administrators to deploy the application on premises and handle cloud SaaS environment upgrades;
  • integration guides including API reference and explaining system administrators how to configure the application and external solutions to work together;
  • technical reference guides aimed at application developers working on product customization.
• Worked in cooperation with the release management team consolidating, proofreading, and publishing release notes for multiple concurrent software releases.
• Managed the company's SharePoint-based product documentation center and coordinated documentation uploads for major and update releases.

Senior Content Specialist, Remote, 2016-2018

• Maintained documentation and education materials for the ERP software framework and tools.
• Working with 3+ remote engineering teams, created and updated supporting documents for localization features.
• Created and updated implementation notes and release documents for e-commerce software.

Senior University Release Specialist, On-site/Remote, 2011-2016

• Maintained release documentation (installation guides, release notes, feature summary) for the company's flagship ERP product.
• Created and updated integration guides for companion products.
• Desktop published user guides and newsletters.

Technical Writer, On-site, 2011-2016

• Created and updated online help and education courses for an ERP product.
• Working with a team of subject matter experts, revised the outdated product user guide and revamped it for a new release.

SCA Hygiene Products Russia (Essity), Sovetsk,Tula region (Cellulose and Paper Products)

Secretary, On-site, 2010-2010

• Managed mail, email, paperwork, and business correspondence, received office visitors.
• Translated legal and technical documents and interpreted at business meetings.
• Handled visa invitations for foreign partners, booked tickets and hotels.
• Purchased office goods.

Translator, On-site, 2009-2010

Performed oral and written technical translation for the paper machine commissioning:

• equipment installation and configuration,
• training for machine operators,
• status update and business meetings,
• software interface and documentation.

Education

The Art of API Documentation. Udemy - 2022.

Learn API Technical Writing 2: REST for Writers. Udemy - 2022.

Learn API Technical Writing: JSON and XML for Writers. Udemy - 2022.

Project Management in a company. Standard PMI PMBOK Guide. PM Expert, Moscow, Russia - 2012.

Technical Writing and DocBook Technology Course. Philosoft, Moscow, Russia - 2010.

Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University - English Teacher and Translator. Tula, Russia — 2004-2009.

Achievements

• At Belkasoft, I improved the quality and quantity of the website and educational content, receiving positive feedback from the product users and the company's followers on social media.
• As the principal content specialist, I single-handedly maintained release documentation (installation and upgrade guides, release notes, start here cards) for 2 major and 60+ update releases yearly and always delivered the necessary documents on time and with high quality. To accommodate that, I refined the process of managing release notes by consolidating and reviewing them in Jira. The new process reduced the time spent on reviews and proofreading and helped to ensure release notes always had last-minute changes included.
• When working on a content transformation project, I researched the content development software (Madcap Flare) capabilities and created internal documentation on how to use them when importing content from the legacy system to speed up the migration of larger documents.

Documentation stack

The tools used in my daily work included Google Workspace, MadCap Flare, XMetal, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, SnagIt, Draw.io, QuarkXpress. I also have a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS that helped me make this website.

Other tools

Jira, Git, SharePoint. I also have hands-on experience with Windows Server administration, MS SQL Server Management Studio, Microsoft Azure, Adobe Commerce (formerly known as Magento), VSphere Client.

Hard skills

Fast learner. I am a tech-savvy, curious, and detail-oriented person, which helps me quickly get to grips with various technologies. I also easily adapt to using new writing styles and tools.

Customer-oriented. Extensive research of related industries and hands-on experience with software functionality let me put myself in my reader's shoes to make sure the content I provide is genuinely helpful. I am dedicated to delivering content that is structured, concise, and easily understandable.

Smart worker. Single source, conditional text, templates, and variables are my best friends when it comes to optimizing content management.

Soft skills

Self-organized. Working on multiple concurrent releases taught me to plan my work in accordance with the development cycle, be proactive, and always on time.

Team player. When writing for a few products at the same time, I learnt to be flexible as different teams had different timelines and approaches to delivering documentation. We could always agree on how to handle our work together.

Problem solver. My resourcefulness helps me a lot when there is a need to track down the right subject matter experts and suitable testing environments.

Languages