Technical Writer

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Department of Revenue collects over $5 billion from hundreds of thousands of taxpayers to support the School District of Philadelphia and City services, and collects more than $650 million in water bills. It provides $150 million in tax relief to a quarter million households. In the exercise of its mission, the Department mailed out an estimated 11.8 million letters to Philadelphia residents and business owners last year. This is in addition to thousands of emails and other digital communication the Department exchanges annually with taxpayers and water customers. The Department is currently replacing its existing tax system. It is redesigning and improving interactions with the public as part of this multi-year process.

Position Summary

The Department of Revenue seeks a Technical Writer with a records management background, to catalog, write, edit, organize, and maintain the Department’s correspondence and written records. The Technical Writer is central to Revenue’s plain language writing initiative, converting all Department letters and developing them into the City’s tax system. However, duties extend beyond that project. This position supports the Department’s efforts to more clearly and effectively correspond with the public, identifying opportunities to update and enhance communication, including:

• Language, layout and graphics,
• In print and digital formats.

The Technical Writer will produce content that accurately and clearly informs the pubic, promoting trust in the Department and compliance. The Writer will develop a system to catalog correspondence, and catalog some of the knowledge base that informs the Department’s correspondence.

Essential Functions

Content creation

• Plan and edit accurate, accessible and engaging content for the Department of Revenue. This includes bills, letters, emails, notices, alerts, requests and other digital and print communication, as needed.
• Ensure correspondence is 100% accurate, as well as easily understood by the public.
• Rewrite existing official letters and other communications into plain language, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and accessibility for all audiences.
• Collaborate with technical staff to ensure letters are correctly formatted, built, and uploaded into the tax system, and verify that the system is generating and sending correspondence correctly.
• Quickly update correspondence to reflect policy changes, including new legislation, ordinances, and procedures within the Department.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve communications to meet the needs of both internal and external stakeholders.
• Act as an editor to ensure correspondence meets City’s content style guide (standards.phila.gov), and is consistent across different units within the Department.

Project manager and user experience advocate

• Work closely with Subject Matter Experts within the Department, as well as taxpayers and water customers, when possible, to develop clear and actionable correspondence.
• Work closely with leadership, business operation managers, and other relevant stakeholders to understand the purpose, audience, impact, and workflow of each communication.
• Strategize and effectively coordinate content creation when a project involves two or more units within the Department, or between the Department and other City agencies.
• Collaborate with department staff to store and modernize the knowledge base that informs correspondence with the public.
• Ensure language and design meets or exceeds standards of accessibility and inclusion. Update content based on user feedback and best practices. 
• Support Language Access efforts to improve communication with residents with limited English proficiency.
• As needed, contribute to the development of other communication materials for the Department, applying plain language principles and ensuring consistency in messaging.

Content manager and archivist

• Develop a system to archive current and past correspondence and other materials, so that it is easy to find and reference.
• Conduct a once-a-year audit to account for all Revenue correspondence, making sure it continues to be relevant, accurate and clear.
• Provide recommendations on terminating correspondence when it is determined to be erroneous, redundant, or obsolete.
• Classify correspondence, as well as other documents and materials, and promote these as resources to Department colleagues.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communicator: Able to clearly address a complex subject and break it down into crisp, simple language. Multilingual highly preferred.
• Detail-oriented: Sees and manages the smallest, most complex details so that content is clear, accurate, and consistent with standards.
• Organized: Manages projects, estimates timelines, prioritizes and reworks a project approach based on unforeseen challenges. Works well under pressure and sets reasonable deadlines for self and others.
• Relationship-builder: Works comfortably with a variety of people and personalities, and cultivates strong relationships, to ensure collaboration and continued project support.
• Independent: Can be counted on to autonomously identify needs, gather resources, make recommendations, and produce results.
• Curious: Asks questions to better understand a problem, takes interest in colleagues’ specializations and challenges, receives and gives constructive feedback, learns new skills.
• Compassionate: Uses empathy for others’ experiences to create actionable solutions that address people’s real needs with integrity.
• Scrappy: Has the ingenuity to solve problems and deliver quality results even when working within constraints.

At least two years of full-time, professional experience that includes extensive writing and teamwork, such as:

• Letter or grant writer
• Copy editor or proofreader
• Records/archives manager
• Digital archivist

A Bachelor’s degree is preferred. However, we may consider candidates who demonstrate the necessary experience and skills to fulfill the job.

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a resume.

Salary Range: $60,000 - $70,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx