Automotive Technical Author/Writer

Overview

Expleo is a trusted partner for end-to-end, integrated engineering, quality services and management consulting for digital transformation.  We help businesses harness unrelenting technological change to successfully deliver innovations that will help them gain a competitive advantage and improve the everyday lives of people around the globe.  

As part of our continued support for a leading automotive client, we are seeking an experienced Automotive Technical Author/Writer to support the review, development and maintenance of technical specifications, engineering standards and controlled documentation. Working closely with engineering teams and subject matter experts, you will help ensure technical documentation is accurate, consistent, clearly structured and aligned with relevant engineering and quality requirements. This is an initial six-month Inside IR35 contract, based at a client site in Surrey.

Responsibilities

• Review, remediate and maintain technical specifications, engineering standards and supporting documentation relating to automotive Powertrain Systems.
• Plan and manage the delivery of an agreed portfolio of technical standards, prioritising documents according to programme requirements, complexity and delivery timescales.
• Collaborate with engineering Function Group Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and document owners to validate technical content, resolve discrepancies and coordinate updates.
• Author, rewrite and restructure technical documentation to improve clarity, consistency, usability and alignment with defined engineering standards and guidelines.
• Ensure technical specifications are structured and written to be AI-friendly, following established content, formatting and documentation rules while retaining technical accuracy and engineering intent.
• Identify obsolete, superseded or duplicate standards and coordinate their appropriate withdrawal, archival or replacement.
• Review document registers and metadata, correcting administrative errors, document numbering discrepancies, incomplete records and incorrect storage locations.
• Validate and maintain hyperlinks, document references and cross-references to ensure continued functionality and traceability.
• Manage technical documentation within SharePoint or equivalent document management systems, ensuring correct version control, document locations and access permissions.
• Establish and manage document approval workflows, ensuring relevant engineering owners review and approve updated standards and that final PDF copies are generated and stored appropriately.
• Identify and resolve document library issues, escalating technical access or permission issues to IT support where required.
• Maintain document revision histories, change records and supporting evidence to ensure appropriate governance and auditability.
• Independently manage assigned activities, monitor progress against agreed milestones, identify delivery risks and provide regular status updates through project governance meetings.
• Compile completed deliverables and supporting evidence for stakeholder review and formal acceptance.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Engineering, Technical Communication or a related discipline.
• Relevant technical authoring, engineering documentation or standards-management experience may be considered in place of a formal degree.

Essential skills

• Strong technical writing and editing skills, with the ability to communicate complex engineering requirements clearly, accurately and consistently.
• Ability to interpret technical information and work effectively with engineering SMEs to validate content and resolve technical ambiguities.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly regarding document structure, revision control, numbering, cross-references and technical consistency.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel, and experience using SharePoint or an equivalent document management platform.
• Strong organisational and project coordination skills, with the ability to prioritise multiple documents and manage delivery against agreed milestones.
• Ability to work autonomously, manage stakeholder inputs and report progress, risks and outstanding actions effectively.
• Understanding of document governance, quality assurance, auditability and formal approval processes.

Desired skills

• Familiarity with automotive engineering standards, technical specifications, design requirements and engineering documentation frameworks.
• Understanding of AI-friendly documentation principles, including consistent terminology, logical document structures, clear requirements and unambiguous technical language.
• Knowledge of document lifecycle management, including revision, supersession, withdrawal and archival.
• Familiarity with structured problem-solving and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven ability to manage documentation activities independently, balancing quality, stakeholder feedback and delivery deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to improve the clarity, consistency, accessibility and usability of technical information.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience in technical authoring, specification writing, engineering documentation or standards management.
• Experience reviewing and updating technical documents in collaboration with subject matter experts and document owners.
• Experience managing controlled documents through review, approval, publication and archival.
• Experience maintaining document registers, tracking revisions and resolving documentation inconsistencies.
• Experience reporting progress, managing risks and presenting completed deliverables for stakeholder acceptance.
• Experience within the Automotive industry, particularly Powertrain, vehicle systems or mechanical engineering.
• Experience working with engineering Function Groups, technical authorities, SMEs or standards owners.
• Experience reviewing and remediating large libraries of engineering standards or technical documents.
• Experience administering SharePoint document libraries, approval workflows, permissions and document publishing processes.
• Experience with quality management systems, engineering change processes and document audit requirements.
• Proven experience authoring, reviewing or maintaining technical specifications, engineering standards or controlled technical documentation.
• Experience managing document updates, version control, approvals and archival processes within a controlled documentation environment.

Benefits

• Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges  
• We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects   
• Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses  
• Competitive company benefits
• Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo 

• As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
  • Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
  • Communicating and promoting vacancies
  • Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the j