Software Release & Product Documentation Specialist

Description

 Job description

MUST BE A US CITIZEN (Please do not apply if you are not)

Company Introduction

At BlackSea Technologies, we don't just innovate; we revolutionize.  

We are a close-knit team of creative and innovative thinkers specializing in full lifecycle development of cutting-edge maritime technology.  At BlackSea, you won't just find a job; you'll find a community of experts who aspire to solve diverse and complex challenges.  Be part of a company where your ideas matter, your expertise is valued, and your contributions make a real impact.  Together, we are not just sailing; we are charting a course to push boundaries of what's possible.

Software Release & Product Documentation Specialist

Salary Range: $75,000 - $90,000 annually

Location: Flexible / Hybrid Baltimore

Company: BlackSea Technologies

At BlackSea Technologies, we don't just innovate; we revolutionize. 

We are a close-knit team of creative and innovative thinkers specializing in full lifecycle development of cutting-edge maritime technology. At BlackSea, you'll find a community of experts who aspire to solve diverse and complex challenges. Your ideas matter, your expertise is valued, and your contributions make a real impact. 

We do not create processes for the sake of process, or documentation for the sake of documentation. We build systems that work, and we establish the practices that allow those systems to evolve reliably. 

From unmanned surface vessels to mission systems and autonomy software, we design, manufacture, and operate mission-ready platforms. Our software doesn't just run in a lab. It operates on real vessels, supporting real missions, in environments where reliability matters. 

At the core of our software ecosystem is Mainstay, our autonomy platform and data pipeline connecting sensors, autonomy stacks, payloads, and command-and-control systems into a unified operational capability. 

About the Role 

We're looking for someone who understands how software gets built, tested, released, and maintained, and who loves making that process better. 

This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, product management, quality assurance, and operations. 

You'll help establish and improve the processes that move software from development through testing, approval, and deployment. You'll ensure releases are organized, documented, traceable, and communicated effectively. 

Equally important, you'll translate technical complexity into clear, practical documentation that engineers, operators, and stakeholders can actually use. 

This is not a traditional technical writing position. While excellent writing skills are essential, we're looking for someone with a working understanding of the software development lifecycle and a passion for creating structure, improving processes, and helping engineering teams deliver reliable software. 

You don't need to be a software developer. But you should be comfortable working alongside developers, understand their workflows, and appreciate the difference between writing about a software release and helping make that release happen. 

What You Will Do 

Support Software Release Management 

• Coordinate the activities required to move software from development through testing, approval, and release. 
• Maintain release schedules, checklists, readiness criteria, and supporting documentation. 
• Work with developers, testers, and product managers to ensure releases meet established requirements and quality standards. 
• Track release dependencies, outstanding defects, known limitations, and readiness status. 
• Organize and maintain release artifacts, including test evidence, approvals, version histories, and configuration records. 
• Help ensure every release is traceable, repeatable, and supported by appropriate documentation. 

Build and Improve Software Development Processes 

• Develop, document, and continuously improve processes supporting the software development lifecycle. 
• Establish practical workflows for requirements management, change control, testing, release approval, and configuration management. 
• Create templates, checklists, and standards that improve consistency without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy. 
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve how engineering teams collaborate. 
• Work with stakeholders to turn informal practices into repeatable, scalable processes. 

Develop Technical and Product Documentation 

• Create and maintain software documentation, including user guides, operator procedures, configuration instructions, and technical references. 
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for varied audiences. 
• Ensure documentation evolves alongside software changes and product releases. 
• Maintain organized, version-controlled documentation that users and engineers can trust. 
• Collaborate directly with developers, operators, and subject matter experts to capture accurate technical information. 

Own Release Documentation and Communication 

• Develop release notes that explain new capabilities, resolved defects, known limitations, and operational impacts. 
• Maintain accurate version histories and records of software changes. 
• Coordinate with engineering and product teams to communicate release readiness and deployment considerations. 
• Ensure stakeholders understand what changed, why it matters, and any actions required. 

Engage with Real Systems and Real Users 

• Collaborate with teams integrating, testing, and deploying software on operational platforms. 
• Understand how changes affect operators, maintainers, and field support personnel. 
• Incorporate lessons learned from testing and field operations into improved processes and documentation. 

What It Takes to Win Here 

• You understand software development. You don't need to write production code, but you understand the lifecycle, terminology, tools, and challenges involved in delivering software. 
• You love a good process. You enjoy turning loosely defined activities into clear, practical, repeatable workflows—and making existing workflows better. 
• You can write. You take complex technical information and make it understandable without sacrificing accuracy. 
• You think beyond documentation. You're interested in how the work gets done, not just how the work gets described. 
• You're comfortable with ambiguity. You ask questions, identify gaps, and help establish structure where it doesn't yet exist. 
• You balance rigor with practicality. You understand that processes should help teams deliver better software, not create unnecessary administrative burdens. 
• You take ownership. You recognize what needs improvement and help make it happen. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications 

• 3+ years of experience in a software engineering environment supporting release management, software lifecycle processes, technical documentation, software quality, or related activities. 
• Demonstrated understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including requirements, development, testing, release, and maintenance. 
• Experience creating or maintaining technical procedures, process documentation, or software release artifacts. 
• Strong technical writing, organizational, and communication skills. 
• Ability to work effectively with software developers, testers, product managers, and other technical stakeholders. 
• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain a security clearance. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Direct experience coordinating software releases or supporting formal release management processes. 
• Experience participating in or supporting Agile software development teams. 
• Experience developing or improving software development, testing, or change management workflows. 
• Familiarity with configuration management, version control, defect tracking, and software release approval processes. 
• Experience with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Git, GitLab, or similar platforms. 
• Familiarity with CI/CD concepts, automated testing, and software deployment practices. 
• Experience working in regulated, safety-critical, defense, or other configuration-controlled engineering environments. 
• Exposure to autonomy, robotics, unmanned systems, or maritime technology. 
• Active security clearance. 

The Person We're Looking For 

Maybe you've worked in software quality assurance, release coordination, technical program support, or engineering process improvement. Maybe you've been the person on a software team who naturally organizes the chaos, writes the procedures everyone actually follows, and notices when a critical step is missing. 

You understand enough about software development to ask the right questions, and you're a strong enough communicator to turn the answers into useful processes and documentation. 

If you enjoy helping great engineering teams work more effectively, and take pride in making software releases predictable, well-documented, and repeatable, we'd love to hear from you.