Technical Publications Manager

About the role

ECHO Incorporated is hiring a Technical Publications Manager to lead a team of technical writers and oversee technical document development, content management, and web management for all technical publications. This role supports service and consumer-facing literature across ECHO Inc.’s North and South American dealer and distributor network, and partners with ECHO and Yamabiko Japan authoring teams to drive and implement an enterprise-level content strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of technical writers, including hiring, coaching, goal setting, and performance management.
• Establish team objectives, goals, and performance metrics to drive engagement and productivity.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance content quality and efficiency.
• Develop and maintain departmental policies, procedures, SOPs, and process maps.
• Evaluate current authoring tools and research emerging technologies within the publications industry.
• Define and execute strategic plans for content management and authoring tools (e.g., XML/DITA, CMS).
• Partner with Yamabiko Japan and ECHO authoring teams to align best practices, responsibilities, and market requirements.
• Manage and execute cross-functional projects supporting technical publications.
• Participate in product development and product launch meetings.
• Serve as a key stakeholder for technical literature across all new product development and launch initiatives.
• Oversee publication schedules to ensure alignment with product launches, engineering changes, and release timelines.
• Collaborate with outsourced suppliers to review, modify, and standardize (“ECHOize”) CAD drawings and artwork.
• Ensure all publications meet compliance, safety, style, format, and market requirements.
• Manage translation processes, including vendor selection, performance, and cost negotiations.
• Respond to inquiries from distributors, dealers, field teams, and customers regarding technical documentation and parts.
• Oversee translation, printing, and digital publication of materials, including electronic parts catalogs.
• Manage vendor relationships, including purchase orders and invoice approvals.
• Support financial planning by participating in budget reviews and managing departmental expenses.

Requirements

• Experience with desktop publishing, structured content, XML/DITA, and content management systems (CMS).
• Strong project management experience.
• Analytical mindset with solid problem-solving skills.
• Effective leadership and strong organizational skills.

Skills

• Experience with enterprise system integration preferred.
• Ability to operate effectively within a global, matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated ability to influence at the executive level.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a technical field and/or related field or equivalent.

Benefits

This is a hybrid position that offers the flexibility of working from home and on-site at our Lake Zurich facility. ECHO’s benefits include:

• 11 paid holidays
• Extremely affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid PTO
• 5% 401K match
• Tuition Reimbursement

Pay

The salary range for this position is $110,000–$125,000, based on experience and qualifications.

Schedule

This is a hybrid position offering the flexibility of working from home and on-site at our Lake Zurich facility.