Technical Writer- 8 Month Contract

Purpose of the Job:

The incumbent can identify, analyze, and resolve technical and administrative issues related to several areas within Operations and Meridian business.  The Operations Support Representative will assume responsibility for providing a reliable, central point of contact to enable internal Delivery staff, corporate partners and, on occasion, Meridian Members.  This includes supporting all business units with creating professional, user friendly documentation including company policies and procedures, system user guides, on-line help and various other technical documentation.

Application of industry knowledge and research capabilities will be required to remain informed of best practices, industry trends, and changes in legislation/regulations affecting current and future business needs.

The Operations Support Representative will be proactive, forward-thinking, collaborative, resourceful and influential.  They are responsible for maintaining high standards of Member service, contributing to quality control and operational efficiency within Operations Support that contribute to a positive Member experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with Delivery, evaluate, develop and implement service standards that promote continuous improvement.
• Develop and / or update end user documentation and training e.g. P&P, checklists, on-line help, training guides, quick reference materials, diagrams/flow charts and checklists for various Meridian Business units.
• Use industry-standard technical communication authoring tools to write documentation for various Meridian business units. This includes gathering information, organizing content, authoring original content, integrating existing content and publishing to Meridian’s intranet.
• Research emerging trends, extract information and grasp technical concepts by interviewing subject matter experts including developers, system administrators, and key business owners.
• Maintain a high level of communication within Operations and Delivery to deliver quality and meet service standards.
• Liaise extensively with Operations and internal partners e.g. Marketing, Personal Lending, Wealth and IT.
• Support development of all Meridian staff by providing clear and concise training materials that help maximize productivity.
• Develop working knowledge in order to provide branch support for most products and services.
• Provide input on initiatives including business case preparation, project charters, business requirements and user acceptance test plans.
• Maintain status checklists and reports for monitoring performance and progress including compliance with service and operational standards.
• Provide input to various standards and internal controls in areas relating to the administration of transactions working with the Operations team.
• Determine appropriate solution to errors or omissions using established policies, including regulatory requirements.
• Responsible for regulatory processes to ensure risks are mitigated and compliance requirements are met.  Has the ability to waive policy where appropriate.
• Leverage ongoing analysis regarding Operations / key performance indicators / metrics to highlight trends and make recommendations that will enhance existing systems, processes and / or products and services.
• Respond to inquiries on policies and procedures affecting Member transactions and Member Concerns resulting from service issues.
• Increase the awareness and visibility of team process and policies through periodic communications to internal partners.
• Facilitate open communication with stakeholders, team, and management so everyone is kept informed of business activities, performance, opportunities and recommended courses of action while tailoring the communication medium to meet the needs of the intended audience.
• Keep abreast of system changes and/or projects that may have a direct or indirect impact on Operation’s processes, including acting as a Subject Matter Expert on cross-functional teams.
• Maintain and manage productive working relationships with business partners and service providers that can be leveraged to exchange ideas, discuss industry trends, resolve concerns, and drive change.  Understand their products / services / tools for accuracy and compliance and promote to stakeholders as appropriate.  Ensure process is documented with the end user in mind.
• Keep abreast of regulatory changes assessing the need to create or update existing policy and procedures.
• Work with external partners:  provide / receive reporting, process changes are implemented and research additional services available to improve efficiency within the Operations team.  Communicate new and or updates to policy and procedures to appropriate stakeholders.
• Position may require occasional travel throughout the province to meet with Delivery partners.

Skills:

• Member focused.
• Outstanding organizational / planning skills and attention to detail. Ability to prioritize, plan and meet documentation deadlines in a dynamic, fast paced environment while working with established style guide standards.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of explaining complex procedures.
• Good judgment in dealing with complex issues and conflict situations.
• Creative – not bound by the limitations of conventional wisdom; finds inventive, imaginative & resourceful ways to solve problems or create opportunities.
• Forward thinking – capable of assessing impact of decisions on immediate, medium term, and long term outcomes.
• Exceptional relationship and communication skills combined with the ability to make decisions, recommendations and manage difficult situations where influencing and persuasion is required.
• Planning skills – finance, resource, strategy, business.
• Ability to define and meet Member service commitments and deadlines.
• Working knowledge of financial services industry and Meridian products.
• Intermediate understanding of rules and regulations relating to Meridian products.
• Knowledge of relevant legal documents and / or processes relating to area of expertise.

Experience / Knowledge / Education:

• Minimum 2 years technical writing experience, with relevant port-secondary education in professional writing disciplines, such as English and Technical Communication.
• Excellent business and technical writing and verbal communication skills with the ability to express ideas clearly and logically.
• Solid planning and research skills, along with the ability to structure and organize information from diverse sources.
• Experience with industry standard tools: Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Acrobat, MS Visio and MS Office (including advanced MS Word Skills). Single sourcing and HTML experience an asset.
• Working knowledge of corporate IT Systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to interact with all levels of staff and establish a positive working relationship with subject matter experts, business owners, document gatekeepers and project managers.
• Quick independent learner with a proven aptitude for learning new material quickly and ability to follow-up with individuals without guidance.
• Financial industry knowledge and experience an asset.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office:  Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook.
• Expert knowledge of banking products and services, processes, systems, and applications – Such as: ServiceNow, Ovation, ACE, IL.
• Proven track record in implementing creative workflow solutions and optimizing stakeholder satisfaction.
• Experience in providing advice and direction including, but not limited to, branch processes and Meridian products.
• Expert working knowledge of the business unit’s risk and regulatory requirements – Such as: FSCO, CRA, CMHC, OFSI, HRSDC, DICO, Credit Union By-Laws etc.

Competencies

Member Focus - Personally demonstrating that our Members are our highest priority.

Proactive - Seize the initiative by anticipating needs and identifying opportunities to provide a higher level of service.

Open Communication - Engaging in honest and transparent dialogue to develop mutual understanding, trust and cultivate deeper relationships.

Business Savvy - Continuously acquiring the knowledge needed to do one’s job to the fullest, using internal or external resources and applying the knowledge productively.

Partner Orientation - Initiates opportunities for collaboration and maintains productive relationships to achieve shared goals.

Integrity - Doing the right thing by always acting with openness, honesty and respect.