Technical Writer, Photonics
Synopsys IncJobsCloseBy Editorial Insights
Synopsys is seeking a Technical Writer, Photonics in Vancouver to write and maintain user documentation for Lumerical photonics tools, update content for AI features, and collaborate with engineers. You’ll manage multiple docs in Azure DevOps, decide formats for tutorials and guides, and use AI tools to speed up writing while keeping clarity. You don’t need to master photonics on day one, but you should be curious and able to translate dense specs into user-friendly guidance. To apply, highlight relevant technical writing experience and a photonics or technical background, English fluency, and a portfolio of clear writing samples; demonstrate collaboration with engineers and juggling projects. Onsite in Vancouver, BC.
General Information
Descriptions & Requirements
We Are
Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.
You Are
You are someone who reads a dense technical spec and immediately starts thinking about who needs to understand this and what they actually need to do with it. You are organized, detail-oriented, and able to keep track of many moving pieces. Writing clearly matters to you, not as an aesthetic choice but because you have seen what happens when documentation misses the mark. You are curious about how things work, whether that is a photonic simulation solver or an AI tool that can speed up your workflow, and you ask questions until the picture comes together.
You do not need to know everything about photonics on day one, but you are ready to learn it well enough to explain it. You are comfortable working alongside engineers who live in the details and translating what they know into something a user can follow without a PhD. Managing multiple documentation projects at once does not stress you out, it keeps you engaged. You like the idea of working on software that powers real research and real products, and you want your documentation to be part of what makes that software actually usable.
What You'll Be Doing
- Write and maintain user documentation for Lumerical photonic design and simulation products
- Update existing documentation to reflect new product features, workflow changes, and AI-enhanced capabilities as releases ship
- Work directly with product teams and engineers to verify technical accuracy and gather the details you need to write clearly
- Track your documentation projects in Azure DevOps, report progress, and manage multiple deliverables across product cycles
- Use AI-powered tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor to speed up content creation and improve consistency
- Learn Lumerical products hands-on so you can write from understanding, not just from notes
- Decide the right format for each piece of content, whether that is topic-based help, a tutorial, or an interactive guide
The Impact You Will Have
- Enable engineers and researchers worldwide to adopt and use photonic simulation tools faster and with fewer support escalations
- Reduce time to productivity for new users by creating clear, accurate onboarding content that gets them to their first successful simulation
- Improve product adoption by making complex photonic workflows understandable to users across experience levels
- Support faster release cycles by delivering documentation that ships on time and reflects what actually changed
- Contribute to a documentation system that scales across a growing product portfolio without sacrificing quality or consistency
- Help shape how AI tools are integrated into technical writing workflows at Synopsys, influencing how the team works going forward
What You'll Need
- Bachelor's degree in Photonics Engineering, Optical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field, or a degree in Technical Writing, Technical Communication, Computer Science, English, Linguistics, or Journalism with demonstrated interest or coursework in photonics or optics
- Fluency in English with strong written and verbal communication skills that translate across global teams
- Ability to gather technical information from engineers, product specs, and software interfaces and turn it into documentation that users can follow
- Attention to detail when it comes to accuracy, consistency, and clarity across large documentation sets
- Comfort managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously without losing track of what needs to ship when
- Familiarity with photonic simulation concepts, Lumerical, Zemax, Speos products or other photonic simulation software is a strong plus
- Experience with documentation tools like oXygen, DITA, XML, Git, Camtasia, or Azure DevOps is helpful but not required
Who You Are
- You can sit in a product review meeting, take notes on a new feature, and walk out knowing what questions you still need answered before you can write about it
- You are comfortable asking engineers to clarify something until it makes sense, even if it takes a few rounds
- You can look at a workflow and figure out where a user is most likely to get stuck, then write the documentation that prevents that
- You are organized enough to juggle different documentation projects without missing a deadline or letting quality slip
- You are open to feedback on your writing and willing to revise until the content is right, not just done
- You see AI tools as something to learn and use, and you are curious about how they can make documentation better
The Team You'll Be Part Of
You will join the Lumerical Documentation Team, which supports Synopsys' portfolio of photonic simulation tools used by engineers and researchers working on photonic integrated circuits, optical components, and systems for data communications, telecommunications, quantum computing, and sensing. The team values technical accuracy, user-centered design, and continuous improvement in how documentation is created and delivered. You will work in a collaborative environment where learning from engineers and other writers is part of the job, and where AI-powered tools and workflows are actively being integrated into how the team works.
Rewards and Benefits
We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.
Synopsys Canada ULC values the diversity of our workforce. We are committed to provide access & opportunity to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodation to individuals throughout the recruitment and employment process. Should you require an accommodation, please contact [email protected].