Climate Vault

Role	Contract Technical Writer
Type	Contract
Period	Apr 2023 – Present

Background

I found Climate Vault through UpWork, which is a sentence that undersells the actual interview process. They needed someone with API documentation experience, and during the interview they asked me to evaluate their existing docs on the spot. So I did. I described what they were doing well (structured enough that a new writer could orient quickly) and then walked through what I'd change if they brought me on. They hired me immediately.

The product was a carbon emissions credit vault application. No GUI. The API was the entire interface for managing organizations, users, and credits. If you wanted to do anything at all, you were writing API calls. That made the documentation not just helpful but essential: without it, the product was effectively unusable.

I started by auditing every API endpoint that needed documentation beyond what existed, then built a template system so each one would follow a consistent structure. Code examples in curl and JSON, documented HTTP response codes and their implications, identified unique parameter requirements. The kind of work where precision matters because a wrong example means a failed integration, and a failed integration in an emissions credit system has regulatory consequences nobody wants to explain.

After finishing the API reference, they asked me to stay on and build user guides for several applications under development. The scope has fluctuated since then, with hours varying week to week, but the work itself sits at the intersection I like best: highly technical subject matter that requires both research depth and clear communication.

Coming from Dremio, where I'd been the sole writer on a database platform, the pattern was familiar. One writer, a product that lives or dies by its documentation, and a development team that needed someone who could translate API behavior into language that made sense to integrators. The subject matter changed. The job didn't.

What I Did

• Managed developer and education material needs with OpenAPI, XML, DITA, and Markdown spanning API documentation, patch notes, and online help as the development team's sole technical writer. Authored and collaborated on documentation drafts in Google Docs.
• Researched and tested API requests, responses, and workflow solutions using Postman to determine required parameters and unique HTTP response codes.
• Wrote code examples using curl and JSON to illustrate API request and response formats for various APIs, documented numerous HTTP response codes and their implications, and identified unique parameter requirements.
• Worked with subject matter experts in product, development, and support via Git/GitHub, Atlassian Jira/Confluence, SCRUM (daily stand-ups, sprint retrospectives/planning), and agile methodologies to ensure documentation requirements and niche topics are properly addressed.
• Reviewed and provided feedback regarding UI/UX research, help tooltips and hover content, and other data analytics to create and refine user personas and key insights for personalization in technical content.

Key Skills

API Documentation · API Reference Documentation · Technical Writing · Documentation · Code Samples · curl · JSON · HTTP Response Codes · OpenAPI · Postman · SME Interview · Workflow Processes · Research · Editing · Style Guides · Task Management · Managing Deadlines · Collaboration · Deliverables · Carbon Emission Credits · Software Integrations · Test Automation · Software Deployment · Developer Relations · Document Templates · Peer Review · Backlog Management · Atlassian Jira · Atlassian Confluence · SCRUM · Agile · Sprint Planning · Sprint Retrospective · Daily Stand-up · Git · GitHub · Google Docs · macOS · Google Chrome · Parallels Desktop · Virtual Machines (VMs) · JavaScript · Enterprise Applications · SDLC · UI/UX · Microcopy · Tooltips · Reference Guides · User Guides · Screenshots · Meeting Notes · Engineering Documentation · Documentation Reviews · Programming · Software Development · Sample Code