Technical Writer (Contract) Job at Sift in San Francisco

Technical Writer (Contract)

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At Sift, we’re redefining how modern machines are built, tested, and operated. Our platform gives engineers real‑time observability over high‑frequency telemetry, eliminating bottlenecks and enabling faster, more reliable development.

Sift was born from our work at SpaceX on Dragon, Falcon, Starlink, and Starship—where scaling telemetry, debugging flight systems, and ensuring mission reliability demanded new infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Google, and Palantir, Sift is built for mission‑critical systems where precision and scalability are non‑negotiable.

Description Sift is hiring a Technical Writer (contractor) to help communicate clearly and credibly with some of the world’s most advanced engineering teams in aerospace, defense, and manufacturing. In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, and marketers to translate complex systems and workflows into content that’s accurate, clear, and genuinely useful. You’ll create and maintain documentation from API references and tutorials to onboarding guides and release notes that help users understand not just how Sift works, but why it matters.

This position is ideal for someone early in their career who loves both technology and storytelling, and who wants to learn how to craft world‑class documentation for a deeply technical product. You’ll work directly with Sift’s lead technical marketer and work alongside Product and Engineering to support internal and external content needs, gaining hands‑on exposure to advanced telemetry systems, real‑world engineering challenges, and the infrastructure that powers next‑generation hardware development.

Key responsibilities

• Write and maintain user‑facing documentation, including tutorials, API references, and how‑to guides.
• Collaborate with engineers and product managers to ensure accuracy and clarity in all technical content.
• Apply and uphold standards from the Google Documentation Style Guide and Diátaxis framework.
• Use GitHub flow and version control best practices to manage documentation updates.
• Continuously improve structure, navigation, and discoverability across the documentation site.
• Translate technical details into clear explanations that help engineers onboard quickly and use Sift effectively.

Skillset you bring

Location & compensation

This is a contract position with Sift. As a contractor you will have access to the office as needed or work remotely. Sift’s headquarters is in El Segundo, CA. We’re open to considering candidates in the Los Angeles, CA or San Francisco, CA areas. Hourly range : $40 – $50 per hour.

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