Scion Writing Services Writing Services

About

With nearly 20 years of technical writing experience across diverse industries (from ITSM to IoT) and an academic background in Journalism and Anthropology, I love helping people understand how things work in complex and technically challenging environments, so that they can do their jobs skillfully.

I can set up, manage, create and maintain user documentation for hardware and software products. I have mentored others and have extensive training experience.

My core skills are:

  • Excellent, clear and concise written communication.
  • Meticulous approach to proofreading and editing.
  • Quality-focused, adhering to ISO and internal standards.
  • Friendly and approachable, building good relationships with people throughout the organisation.

Software Skills

I've used the following tools to support my role, some more recently than others.

Authoring Madcap Flare; Adobe Framemaker; MS Word; OpenOffice Writer; LibreOffice Writer; Oxygen XML Editor; Camtasia; Confluence; Webworks ePublisher Pro for FrameMaker; RoboHelp Office
Scripting and IoT hardware HTML; XML; CSS; some Python (aided by AI); CLI; Powershell; Tera Term; Device Manager
Graphics and Video Adobe Illustrator; Snagit Editor; GIMP; Paint Shop Pro; OBS Studio; Shotcut (very similar to Camtasia); draw.io (diagrams.net)
APIs YAML; Swagger; JSON; Postman
Cloud AWS S3 bucket (limited permissions); some experience working with AWS IoT
Source Control Gitlab; Sourcetree; TortoiseSVN; Visual SourceSafe
General MS Teams; Sharepoint; Jira; Office365; Adobe Acrobat; VMWare; Bugzilla
Databases and information management Some experience of SQL Server

Résumé resumeRésumé

Here is a summary of my experience. Contact me to receive my full CV and references.

Summary

Jen van den Broek

Excellent and approachable Senior Technical Writer with nearly 20 years' experience designing and developing user-centered technical documentation, from initial concept to final, polished deliverable.

Highlights from working at Eseye Ltd

  • Designed, developed, and implemented the company documentation materials and process.
  • Implemented documentation version control (Gitlab).
  • Worked closely with people across different teams, as well as customers, to ensure that we produced accurate, consistent and comprehensive documentation to support product users.
  • Proactively managed, created and maintained a wide variety of material using single sourcing in MadCap Flare, including datasheets, user guides of various forms, API documentation, hardware labels, and online help content.
  • Created custom batch files to compile the online help and its internal counterpart from the command line, which reduced our administration significantly.
  • Pushed new content up to the cloud (AWS S3 bucket) on a two week cadence.
  • Created helpful and descriptive graphics where necessary.
  • Mentored our new joiner technical writer, providing guidance on writing techniques, tools, and best practices in technical communication.
  • Provided development feedback on all aspects of projects I was involved in, employing a hands-on approach in everything I did.
  • Influenced improvements in Eseye's products and systems, either verbally or using bug tracking tools.

Education

Bachelor of Journalism

1993 - 1996

Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Majored in Journalism (writing and editing), English; Anthropology

Professional Experience

Eseye Ltd, Guildford, UK

2019 - 2024

Eseye provides IoT cellular connectivity solutions, versatile hardware, technical consultancy and round-the-clock support that allows their clients to overcome the complexity of IoT design, development and deployment.

Alemba Ltd, Send, UK

2018 - 2019

Alemba Ltd specialises in IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions, helping businesses streamline their IT service management processes in line with ITIL standards.

3di Information Solutions, Ripley, UK

2015 - 2018

3Di Information Solutions are a technical writing consultancy firm. I was contracted to BridgeHead Software (hospital database backup, archiving, and recovery software) and IndigoVision (security systems - small electronics, hardware and software).

Touchpaper Software Plc / LANDesk Software, Woking, UK

2001 - 2008 full-time; 2010 - 2013 intermittent, as a consultant

Touchpaper Software specialised in IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions, helping businesses streamline their IT service management processes in line with ITIL standards. It has subsequently changed hands and names.

Portfolio

Here are some examples of my work.

  • All
  • Guides
  • Online Help
  • Developer Docs
  • Graphics

Developer Guide

Describes how to use a cellular SIM to connect your IoT device to the cloud

Graphic

Describes how data can move between an IoT device and the customer network

Datasheet

Describes technical specifications, features, and performance details regarding a router

Online Help

Hosts a variety of materials to support customers using company systems, products, and services

AT command

This text-based command enables the user to create and view publish topics for sending data to the cloud

Quick Start Guide

Contains concise instructions for quickly and easily setting up and using a router

Configuration file

Describes settings and parameters, and provides guidance for customising software

API documentation and Postman sandbox

Describes API integration, authentication, endpoints, and includes a Postman collection and environment sandbox

User Guide

Describes how to understand an invoice and pay it, clarifying charges and terminology

Services

What writing services do you need?

Technical writing consultant

Let's collaborate to create documentation that works for you. I can help you understand and plan what you need for clear, effective documentation.

Guides / manuals / online help

Do you need user, developer, or quick start guides for your products and services? I write clear, comprehensive guides for both online and print format, using single-sourced content. I can also provide helpful graphics.

Datasheets

I can write detailed technical information about a product, component, or system, including its specifications, features, performance characteristics, and usage guidelines.

Support articles

I can provide knowledge base and help centre articles for your customers and staff.

Conversions

Looking to update your old content into a new format? I can help.

Developer documentation

I have experience with REST APIs and Postman, AT commands and configuration files. I can simplify and organise complex information so that developers can understand and integrate with your products.

Prices

My technical writing services rates are:

  • Full Day (7 hours) £400 (no VAT). For larger projects, ideal for comprehensive documentation and ongoing consultancy.
  • Half Day (4 hours) £250 (no VAT). For smaller projects, ideal for advice, troubleshooting, or quick fixes.

I'm not VAT registered, as I'm below the threshold.

My pricing reflects my experience and the industry averages based on IT Jobs Watch.

Contact

If you would like to get in touch regarding your project, please use the Google form or message me on LinkedIn.

Address

Woking, UK

LinkedIn

LinkedIn profile