Deirdre Rys
Somerville,MA
Summary
Senior Staff-level Technical Writer with 20+ years experience as a technical writer/editor for hardware and software products, and 8+ years of documentation Project Management experience. Excels in writing about complex technology for a global audience.
Deep experience in writing about varied technologies for user guides, API guides, reference manuals, and other document types. Skilled in defining documentation project scope and deliverables, identifying and mitigating risks, and communicating progress with cross-functional stakeholders. Experienced in leading a global team of writers to ensure that deliverables meet SDLC milestones while providing mentorship and training on tools and writing style. Adept at writing DITA for various Content Management Systems, collaborating with engineers using Docs as Code.
Proven ability to enhance documentation quality through stakeholder collaboration, in-person customer visits, user feedback analysis and content strategy. Experienced in creating style guidelines based on customer needs and industry trends.
Overview
2025
2025
years of professional experience
Work History
Technical Writer, Senior Staff
Qualcomm
11.2020 - 09.2024
- Led a global writing team of 6 that documented audio technology software products for multiple chipsets to ensure timely delivery and high quality of documentation deliverables
- Developed and executed documentation project plans that aligned with the product SDLC by working with engineering and product management stakeholders to identify content requirements and prioritize work against resources
- Project managed Qualcomm's Technical Communications department switch from a print-based documentation library to HTML format
- Provided in-person support to a lead customer (Bose) as their documentation improvement point of contact
- Lead the Documentation Program Management steering group, which identified and solved process and tools gaps
- Developed Qualcomm's first enterprise documentation dashboard that provided stakeholders a real-time picture of all documentation projects
- Developed a reporting and dashboard structure that was adopted by the entire Technical Communications department
- Trained engineering stakeholders on how to use a new, collaborative Docs as Code process
- Mentored new writers and project managers within the Technical Communications department
Technical Writer, Staff
Qualcomm
05.2018 - 11.2020
- Independently managed multiple documentation projects for Voice and Music software and printer technology products
- Delivered an average of 35 release notes per year, each with firm deadlines and involving multiple, last-minute changes across a global team of stakeholders
- Developed Qualcomm's first ever software datasheet, which became the template for other teams to follow
- Improved company writing standards and ability to serve a global customer base as part of the department's Style Guide steering group
- Trained engineers on how to edit content directly within the Technical Communications Content Management System (CMS), reducing the turnaround time for documentation delivery
Senior Technical Writer
Qualcomm
10.2016 - 04.2019
- Wrote release notes, user guides, API guides, reference manuals, development guides, and white papers
- Ensured that technical documents were written in Global English and adhered to company branding guidelines
- Asked to mentor new in-house writers, as we were a remote team with an offsite manager
- Published the first customer document that was created using Qualcomm's first-ever Content Management System
Senior Technical Writer
CSR
2011 - 2016
- Created user documentation for printer technology software products, including user guides, release notes, and white papers
- Migrated multiple documents from Word-based source files to DITA, while re-writing to adhere to new corporate style guidelines
- Created training materials for in-person customer training
- Worked with engineering leads to identify gaps in content across documentation
Technical Writer
Zoran Corporation
2006 - 2011
- Wrote and edited user guides, porting guides, reference manuals and other technical documentation for hardware and software products
- Collaborated with engineers to gather content requirements and clarify technical information
- Held review sessions with engineering to identify and address gaps in documentation
- Provided documentation for in-house customer training sessions, and used feedback to improve the provided documents
Education
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Skills
- Agile (Scrum and Kanban)
- Jira
- Confluence
- Project planning
- Resource management
- Risk management
- Content strategy
- DITA authoring
- Adobe Experience Manager
- Perforce
- Illustrator
- Visio
- FrameMaker
- Microsoft Office
Timeline
Technical Writer, Senior Staff
Qualcomm
11.2020 - 09.2024
Technical Writer, Staff
Qualcomm
05.2018 - 11.2020
Senior Technical Writer
Qualcomm
10.2016 - 04.2019
Senior Technical Writer
CSR
2011 - 2016
Technical Writer
Zoran Corporation
2006 - 2011
University of Massachusetts, Amherst