Director, Documentation - New York, NY

Databases are the beating heart of every business in the world

Cockroach Labs is the team behind CockroachDB, the most highly evolved cloud-native, distributed SQL database on the planet. We created CockroachDB and CockroachDB Cloud to deliver the ability to build and scale apps with fewer obstacles, more freedom, and greater efficiency. Today, Cockroach Labs helps companies of all sizes—and the apps they develop—scale fast, survive disaster, and thrive everywhere. Join us on our mission to make data easy.

About the Role

We're seeking an experienced leader and outstanding people manager to join our world-class Documentation team as the Director of Documentation.

As the Director of Documentation, you will oversee the technical documentation strategy for Cockroach Labs, encompassing all product areas of CockroachDB. You will lead a talented team of technical writers, building on a long-standing track record of documentation that is comprehensive, up-to-date, and user-centric. You will identify new and important areas of focus for improvement, mentor team members, and foster collaboration with engineering teams and product management.

Your extensive experience and strategic vision will enable you to guide the team in delivering high-quality reference documentation, instructive tutorials, and best practices guidance. You will play a key role in shaping the documentation practices and processes at Cockroach Labs, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with our overall product strategy.

You Will

• Lead and manage the Documentation team, providing strategic direction and ensuring alignment with company goals. Inspire your team with your vision and passion for exceptional documentation.
• Develop a deep understanding of CockroachDB and related technologies and guide the team in producing high-quality documentation.
• Oversee the creation of documentation for all CockroachDB product areas, ensuring coverage of features, best practices, and user guidance.
• Mentor team members and help enable professional development opportunities for technical writers to foster a collaborative and growth-oriented team culture.
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, Training, Support, and Professional Services teams to ensure documentation is accurate, effective, and user-focused.
• Lead the evolution of team processes and style conventions to enhance documentation quality and team efficiency.
• Represent the Documentation team in cross-functional meetings, contributing to strategic planning and decision-making.

The Expectations

First 30 days:

• Follow a comprehensive onboarding plan designed by your manager. This will help you ramp on CockroachDB as a technology and Cockroach Labs as an organization.
• Gain a thorough understanding of CockroachDB, the company culture, and the existing documentation processes.
• Begin building relationships with key stakeholders across Engineering, Product, Training, Support, and Professional Services teams.

First 3 months:

• Fully integrate into the Documentation team and start taking the lead on strategic planning for documentation projects.
• Assess the docs, our workflows, and in-progress improvements. In collaboration with the team, identify further areas for improvement, and begin to refine the roadmap of enhancements.
• Start leading and mentoring the team, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented team culture.
• Establish your own cadence of regular collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure documentation accuracy, relevance, and user-focus.

Ongoing:

• Provide continuous leadership and mentoring to the Documentation team, driving high standards and ensuring alignment with company goals.
• Foster a culture of respect, open communication, and high achievement within the team.
• Continuously evaluate and refine documentation strategies to ensure they meet the evolving needs of CockroachDB users.
• Represent the Documentation team in high-level strategic meetings, contributing to company-wide decision-making and planning.
• Champion the value of high-quality documentation across the organization and advocate for necessary resources and support.
• Monitor industry trends and best practices in documentation to keep Cockroach Labs at the forefront of technical communication.

You Have

• 10+ years of experience in technical writing or documentation, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience managing and developing high-performing documentation teams.
• Deep knowledge of Unix/Linux systems, public cloud services, contai