User Guide Designer (EdTech), Short Term Contract

HillCross College of Higher Education is preparing a programme accreditation submission to the Council on Higher Education. We need an experienced technical writer to produce the system user documentation that supports it.

This is a short, intensive engagement with a fixed delivery date. Apply only if you can commit to it.

The work

1. You will produce three complete user guides for our student portal and learning management system, one each for students, lecturers and administrators. Same system, three audiences, three very different levels of access and confidence. A first year student opening the portal for the first time needs something different from a registrar managing enrolments.
2. These guides are not internal onboarding material. They form part of an accreditation submission and will be read by external reviewers assessing whether our systems genuinely support teaching, learning and administration. They have to be accurate, current and defensible.

What you will deliver

1. A student guide covering registration, portal login, timetable access, study material, assignment submission, results, and support channels.
2. Lecturer guide covering course setup, uploading material, attendance, assessment creation, marking, feedback and results submission.
3. Administrator guide covering user management, enrolment, programme and module configuration, reporting, permissions and troubleshooting.
4. Quick reference sheets, one page per audience, for print and portal download.
5. Annotated screenshots throughout, captured from our live environment.
6. Source files handed over in an editable format so we can maintain the guides ourselves after your engagement ends.

You need

1. Documented experience writing end user guides for EdTech platforms, whether a learning management system, a student information system or similar.
2. The ability to learn a system quickly by using it, then explain it to someone who has never seen it.
3. Experience writing for non technical users without talking down to them.
4. Competence with screenshot capture and annotation, and with structuring a document that people navigate rather than read cover to cover.
5. Availability to work at pace and deliver on a fixed date.

Strongly preferred

1. Previous work on documentation forming part of an accreditation, audit or regulatory submission, in South Africa or elsewhere.
2. Familiarity with the South African higher education environment.

Practicalities

1. Platform: our student portal and learning management system. Full access and a test account for each of the three roles are provided on day one, along with a staff member on call to answer questions.
2. Engagement: short term contract, immediate start.
3. Application Deadline: 30th September, 2026
4. Location is Remote

Applications can also be sent to ict@hillcrosscollege.com