People profile : Head of Technical Communications

Name: Rachel Potts

Education: MA English & Philosophy from Glasgow University, MSc Computer Studies from the University of Essex

Position at Red Gate: Head of Technical Communications

Start date: June 2007

First job ever: Waitress at a pizza restaurant

Before you arrived at Red Gate what did you do?

After university, I funded some travelling and then my MSc by doing a combination of teaching English as a foreign language and copy-editing academic text books. Once I'd finished my MSc, the obvious thing for me to do with my combination of technical and editorial skills was technical writing - and luckily that was also something that really interested me. I moved to Cambridge for my first job in software, and then worked as a Technical Author and Documentation Manager in various technology companies.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?

I manage a team of Technical Authors and also do some technical writing myself, so my day-to-day work is very varied. In a single day I can be presenting a new strategy, planning my team's workload, running a meeting to decide how we can improve our help and getting stuck into writing product documentation. The variety makes it really interesting and means I get to work with people in all areas of the business, which I really enjoy.

What do you need to be Head of Technical Communications?

Understanding what's involved in technical authoring is essential, as is keeping up to date with all the latest trends in technical communications. Technical Authors need to be able to understand what people find difficult about using products and find ways to give people information to help them solve problems. It's also really useful to be aware of what's involved in software development, delivery, and support.

Communication is a big part of the job: being able to explain our vision for the future of technical communications at Red Gate and listening to what other people think of what we're doing are both really important.

To get through the day, it definitely helps that I'm happy to juggle several projects at once and I'm always keen to try out new ideas. Red Gate is such a dynamic environment that I never know at the start of the day what I'll be involved in by the end of it.

Why did you choose Red Gate?

I was really impressed with the company culture. There's a real belief that it's worthwhile investing in training and tools for people to enable them to achieve their best.

It's also a very friendly place. Although everyone's very busy, people manage to find time to chat - to talk about the projects they're working on and just to get to know the people they work with. Red Gate goes out of its way to encourage this - with comfortable seating areas, regular team lunches and company-wide social events.

What are your favourite Red Gate perks?

Social events, cereals and smoothies, pension ... the whole package is fabulous. The most unusual perk (and the one that does me most good) is definitely the weekly yoga class.

What's your most memorable Red Gate experience so far?

My first week! It was really hectic and there were lots of new things to get to grips with, but I could tell that a lot of thought had gone into making sure I had a good idea of what I needed to work on first and that I had all the training I needed to get started. I thought that was really refreshing: totally different from anywhere else I've worked.