Technical Writer - Environmental Health and Safety - UTK

The EHS Technical Writer facilitates the development of new program documents and leads the end-to-end overhaul of the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) program document library (100+ documents). The incumbent will evaluate the current inventory, identify redundancies and gaps, and recommend documents for consolidation or retirement. The incumbent classifies each retained document by type, plan, procedure, or guide, and restructures content to align with standardized formatting, language, and organizational conventions.

In partnership with EHS subject matter experts (SMEs) and Instructional Designers, the incumbent translates complex technical content into clear, accurate, and usable documentation that aligns with corresponding training materials with diverse target audiences. The incumbent intentionally crafts tone, language and sentence structure to reinforce a culture of care, wellbeing, collaboration, and partnership across the institution. The incumbent also prepares all content for publishing and public accessibility in compliance with ADA Title II/WCAG 2.1AA requirements.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service. UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state.

The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service. UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset.

With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

The EHS Technical Writer will facilitate and manage program document development and administration.

• Education:
  • Bachelor's Degree in Technical Communication, English, Professional Writing, Communications, Journalism or related field.
  • An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may substitute for the degree requirement. Examples include but are not limited to an associate degree and four years of relevant experience, or six years of progressively responsible experience developing, editing, and maintaining technical documentation in a compliance, regulatory, EHS, or related technical environment.
• Experience:
  
  2+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience as listed above.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Knowledge of technical writing principles, including document structure, style guide development, and plain-language communication standards.
  • Knowledge of document classification frameworks and the distinctions among policies, plans, procedures, and guides.
  • Skill in writing and editing complex technical and regulatory content into clear, accurate, and usable documentation…