Senior v. Princpal Writer Responsibilities/Compensation

[Kasie Snyder <Kasie -dot- Snyder -at- PULSE -dot- COM>]

Fellow Technical Communicators:
I am considering the creation of a Principal Technical Writer position in my
Technical Publications group. I am interested in hearing from managers or
principal technical writers regarding the differences in responsibilities
and
compensation of princiapl-level writers as compared to senior-level writers.

My company is a new start-up who wants to keep overhead costs down by
empowering
workers and grouping various functions under multi-functional managers.
Technical documentation is slated to go under an Engineering Services
Manager.
This manager will not have a technical documentation background. Therefore,
the
most senior writer (Principal Writer) must handle all tasks normally handled
by
a manager that require 7-10 years of direct technical documentation
experience.
They will run the department operations. Meanwhile, they must also continue
writing.

I have drafted a list of responsibilities for each of these positions to
show
the differences, but I would like some feedback from other Technical
Communication professionals. What kind of difference in compensation do you
think there should be between the senior writer and the principal writer
with
these responsibilities? Does this description correspond to the
responsibilities
of other principal writers for comparison of salaries, or does it include
too
many management roles to warrant comparison? Should it be compared to a
manager
salary instead? Any other feedback is welcome. Thanks to all.

Engineering Services Manager (as part of other duties)
Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the technical writing process,
planning
and development, budgets, schedules
Evaluate performance of  Tech Pubs team on an on-going basis
Counsel employees, as needed, related to conduct and performance
Support the objectives and processes of  Technical Publications to the rest
of
the organization when necessary

Principal Technical Writer
Writer
Perform all functions of a Senior Technical Writer
Ensure documentation meets relevant industry standards
Ensure the quality and consistency of the company's documentation effort
Develop and implement system documentation plan for new generation products

Team Leader
Provide career development and advancement guidance (training and
developmental
needs)
Responsible for design and implementation of training program for Tech Pubs
team
Motivate team to produce desired results
Establish performance standards (efficiencies) for Tech Pubs team

Project Manager (Scheduling/Resources)
Oversee project management of entire Technical Pubs team
Work closely with Tech Pubs team to ensure documentation meets expectations
and
scheduled deadlines
Evaluate capabilities of writing team
Allocate resources to support all documentation requirements
Determine staffing requirements
Recruit and select qualified persons for positions

Liaison to External Customers
Work with project managers and engineering team to develop realistic
production
schedules
Work closely with developers and product managers to ensure documentation
meets
expectations and scheduled deadlines
Oversee Technical Document Review Process and intercede to improve process
participation when necessary
Attend product schedule meetings; determine documentation requirements

Innovator
Attain and apply cutting-edge technology to doc process and documents
Design new documentation deliverables
Initiate process improvements
Develop new documentation standards
Establish effective Technical Document Review process
Establish effective Technical Document Production Process
Establish department standards for tools and equipment
Manage the execution of these innovations

Promotor
Demonstrate commitment to the needs of the customer (deadlines, special
projects, flexibility, document usability)
Keep abreast of industry trends and new technologies via research, seminars,
conferences
Market products internally and externally
Publish one company product or technology-related white paper each year
Influence product development and product direction
Maintain and promote positive culture of company through good interpersonal
and
communication skills and positive work attitude

Senior Technical Writer
Attend and contribute to all project meetings from project on-set
Conduct Technical Document Review Meetings
Interact with and support other members of the technical writing group
Design, plan, develop, edit, and maintain documentation (online help, online
doc, hardcopy) for several product lines with minimal supervision
Serve as lead writer for complex projects and ensure that projects are
completed
on schedule
Maintain standard document format and style
Write highly technical, detail-oriented manuals that describe the features
and
functionality of hardware and software products
Interview hardware engineers and software developers to obtain accurate
descriptions of highly-complex features
Take on special projects outside the scope of regular tasks

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=