At a Glance
- Tasks: Revamp technical specifications for major infrastructure projects and ensure clarity and consistency.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking consultancy dedicated to inclusivity and professional growth.
- Benefits: Competitive daily rate, hybrid working, and the chance to make a real impact.
- Other info: Opportunity for significant career advancement in a dynamic and supportive environment.
- Why this job: Shape the future of infrastructure with your expertise in technical writing and specification development.
- Qualifications: 10-15 years in utility infrastructure with strong technical writing and stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.
Location: Hybrid working across the East Midlands, West Midlands, South West England and Wales.
Remuneration: Daily rate of £600
Contract Details: Temporary contract until 31st December 2026
Responsibilities
Our client is seeking an experienced Technical Author to play a pivotal role in the redevelopment and standardisation of technical specifications. This role is crucial to the success of future capital works programmes, ensuring specifications are clear, consistent and commercially robust.
The successful candidate will be responsible for reviewing existing documentation, identifying opportunities for improvement, benchmarking against industry best practice and producing a suite of fit-for-purpose specifications that support procurement and tendering activities.
Key responsibilities include:
- Reviewing and assessing existing technical specifications to identify inconsistencies, ambiguities and areas for improvement.
- Evaluating current approaches and considering alternative methods and industry best practice to improve specification quality and usability.
- Engaging with internal stakeholders to gather engineering, operational, commercial and procurement requirements.
- Working collaboratively with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure specifications are practical, robust and aligned with business objectives.
- Translating complex technical requirements into clear, structured and tender-ready documentation.
- Producing a revised suite of specifications that reduce supplier queries and enhance the quality and consistency of tender submissions.
- Ensuring specifications are commercially robust, technically accurate and suitable for long-term use.
- Maintaining document governance, quality assurance and version control throughout the programme.
Essential Experience & Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess significant experience developing technical specifications for major utility, infrastructure or civil engineering projects.
Essential requirements include:
- Proven track record authoring technical specifications for procurement and tendering processes.
- Minimum 10-15 years' relevant experience within electricity distribution, utility infrastructure or related sectors.
- Extensive knowledge of utility construction activities, including excavation, trenching, cable installation, ducting, jointing, backfilling and reinstatement works.
- Strong understanding of utility construction standards, legislation, codes of practice and regulatory requirements.
- Demonstrable experience translating engineering, operational and commercial requirements into clear supplier-facing documentation.
- Excellent technical writing, document management and quality assurance capabilities.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage and influence both internal and external parties.
- Experience working on large-scale infrastructure or utility programmes.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a highly experienced utility infrastructure professional with a strong technical background and proven expertise in specification development.
Suitable profiles may include:
- Technical Standards Manager
- Engineering Assurance Manager
- Specification Manager
- Asset Standards Engineer
- Principal Engineer
- Utility Infrastructure Subject Matter Expert (SME)
- Construction Standards Lead
- Engineering Governance Lead
This assignment requires an individual capable of reviewing and challenging existing specifications, identifying opportunities for improvement, applying industry best practice and delivering a comprehensive, fit-for-purpose specification suite by January 2027.
Key Deliverables
The role will be responsible for producing a revised suite of technical specifications that:
- Improve supplier understanding and reduce clarification requests.
- Eliminate ambiguity, duplication and inconsistency.
- Align with current industry standards and best practice.
- Support efficient procurement and tender evaluation activities.
- Provide clear and practical guidance for suppliers and internal stakeholders alike.
- Create a consistent, commercially robust specification framework to support future capital project delivery.
This is an excellent opportunity for a highly experienced utility infrastructure professional to make a lasting impact on a major specification improvement programme, driving greater clarity, consistency and procurement effectiveness across a significant portfolio of infrastructure works.
Technical Author employer: Pontoon
Pontoon is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters creativity and collaboration in the heart of London. With flexible working arrangements and a strong emphasis on professional development, employees are empowered to grow their skills while contributing to innovative AI-driven solutions in the banking sector. Join us to be part of a team that values your input and encourages meaningful contributions to customer experiences.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Technical Author
✨Get Hands-On with Temporary Projects
Temporary roles are all about flexibility and quick results. Look for short-term engineering projects or gigs that local companies might need help with. You can find these on job boards like Indeed or even niche platforms like PeoplePerHour. Don't be shy to reach out directly to firms—sometimes they have needs that aren't posted yet!
✨Tap into Engineering Meetups
Networking is key in engineering, especially for temporary positions. Check out local engineering meetups or hackathons relevant to your interests. Engaging with peers can lead to leads on temporary roles. Plus, it’s a sweet way to showcase your skills and passion in person—who knows who might be hiring at one of these events?
✨Leverage Your Connections
Let your friends and family know you're on the hunt for a temporary engineering role. Often, personal recommendations can get you in the door faster than any application. Share your goals and what you’re looking for through social media or casual conversations; you’d be surprised how many people might have the right connections!
✨Stay Sharp with Online Courses
While you're searching, keep those skills fresh! Take on some online courses related to your engineering field. Platforms like Coursera or edX can help you stay current and even get some certifications under your belt. This shows potential employers at Pontoon that you’re committed to growth, making you a more appealing candidate for temporary roles.
We think you need these skills to ace Technical Author
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Versatile Engineering Skills:For a temporary engineering role like this one at Pontoon, make sure to showcase a broad range of your engineering skills. Talk about different projects you’ve undertaken, focusing on your problem-solving ability and adaptability—key traits for temporary positions that depend on quick integration into teams.
Be Clear About Your Availability:Since this is a temporary role, clarity is essential. In your cover letter, be upfront about your availability and how soon you can start. Employers like Pontoon want to know that you can hit the ground running, so don’t shy away from mentioning your flexibility!
Tailor Your CV to Showcase Relevant Experience:Make sure your CV is tailored to reflect the specific engineering projects relevant to the job. For instance, if you’ve worked on temporary contracts before or have engaged in diverse engineering processes, highlight these experiences to show how well-rounded you are.
Include References from Past Employers:Temporary positions often require trust and reliability. Adding references from previous employers can significantly boost your application. It shows that you have a strong work ethic and can adapt quickly, which is exactly what Pontoon will be looking for.
How to prepare for a job interview at Pontoon
✨Get to Grips with Your Technical Skills
Engineering roles often involve assessing your technical expertise, so be prepared to delve into your core skills. Brush up on relevant software and tools you’ve used before, as well as any engineering principles that relate to the position at Pontoon. We want you to showcase your hands-on experience and problem-solving capabilities – it could be the difference between you and another candidate!
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Scenarios
Expect to tackle some practical scenarios during the interview. Whether it's a design challenge or a troubleshooting test, Pontoon might want to see how you approach real-world engineering problems. Think of specific examples from your past work where you had to think on your feet and be ready to walk your interviewers through your thought process.
✨Show Your Adaptability in Temporary Roles
Since this is a temporary position, it’s key to demonstrate your flexibility and ability to hit the ground running. Make sure to convey your eagerness to learn and adapt quickly to the team and the specific projects at Pontoon. We all know that temporary roles can be a bit of a whirlwind, so emphasise your quick learning skills and your approach to managing change.
✨Highlight Relevant Portfolio Projects
If you've worked on engineering projects that align with the role at Pontoon, make sure to bring them up! A portfolio can be a great way to illustrate your engineering prowess. Discuss the challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and the results achieved – this will give the interviewers a tangible idea of what you bring to the table.
