Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Knowledge Technician Trainee
💰 $45,000 - $65,000 Annually (DOE)
🎯 Role Definition
Are you fascinated by how information flows and passionate about making it easily accessible? Do you enjoy organizing complex data and using technology to solve problems? If so, we invite you to apply for our Knowledge Technician Trainee position.
As a Knowledge Technician Trainee, you will be a vital part of the team responsible for managing our organization's most valuable asset: its knowledge. This is a hands-on, foundational role where you will learn to capture, structure, and disseminate information using cutting-edge tools and methodologies. You'll work collaboratively with subject matter experts, data teams, and end-users to ensure our knowledge base is accurate, comprehensive, and user-friendly. This position is designed for a curious and detail-oriented individual ready to build a career in the dynamic field of information and knowledge management.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Recent College Graduates (Information Systems, Library Science, Computer Science)
- Technical Support / Help Desk Roles
- Data Entry or Administrative Positions with a technical focus
Advancement To:
- Knowledge Technician / Knowledge Management Specialist
- Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst
- Knowledge Engineer or Information Architect
Lateral Moves:
- Technical Writer
- Content Strategist
- Junior Database Administrator
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Assist in the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the company's central knowledge base, ensuring all content is accurate, current, and easily discoverable.
- Collaborate with subject matter experts across various departments to capture, document, and structure both tacit (unwritten) and explicit organizational knowledge.
- Perform regular audits of our knowledge repositories and content management systems to identify outdated, redundant, or trivial information and recommend archiving or updates.
- Utilize data analytics tools to monitor knowledge base usage, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and generate insightful reports on content effectiveness and user engagement patterns.
- Create, edit, and curate a variety of content formats, including detailed FAQs, step-by-step how-to guides, procedural documents, and user training materials, adhering to established style guides.
- Apply consistent metadata, tags, and classifications to digital assets and documents to significantly improve searchability and information retrieval within our enterprise systems.
- Respond to and resolve user inquiries related to knowledge base access, content retrieval, and system functionality, providing excellent first-level technical support and guidance.
- Analyze user feedback, survey results, and support tickets to proactively identify gaps in knowledge content and create new articles to address common questions and emerging issues.
- Support the lifecycle management of all knowledge assets, from initial creation and publication through to regular review, archival, and secure deletion in accordance with company policies.
- Translate complex technical processes and product information into clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language for a broad, non-technical audience.
- Participate in the governance of information, helping to enforce data quality standards, content retention policies, and user access control protocols.
- Assist in mapping critical business processes and workflows to identify key knowledge points and opportunities for improved documentation and efficiency.
- Monitor internal communication channels, such as Slack, Teams, and community forums, to capture emerging knowledge, frequently asked questions, and expert insights.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer specific business questions.
- Contribute to the organization's broader data and knowledge management strategy and roadmap discussions.
- Collaborate with business units and technical teams to translate data and information needs into clear engineering or content requirements.
- Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the data and knowledge team.
- Assist in the migration of content between different platforms and systems, ensuring data integrity and proper formatting are maintained throughout the process.
part in the testing and user training sessions for new knowledge management software and tools. - Engage in continuous professional development to stay current with emerging trends and technologies in knowledge management, AI-powered search, and data analytics.
- Help develop and maintain the information taxonomy and ontology to logically structure and connect information across the enterprise knowledge graph.
- Provide training and support to end-users on how to effectively use knowledge management tools and contribute their own expertise to the knowledge base.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Data Analysis & Querying: Foundational ability to analyze datasets and query databases, with experience in Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP) and a willingness to learn SQL.
- Knowledge & Content Management Systems: Familiarity with concepts of using systems like Confluence, SharePoint, ServiceNow Knowledge Management, or similar platforms.
- Technical Writing & Documentation: Skill in writing clear, concise, and structured technical or procedural content.
- Information Architecture Fundamentals: Basic understanding of tagging, categorizing, and structuring information for optimal retrieval (taxonomy/metadata).
- Data Visualization: Exposure to data visualization tools like Power BI, Tableau, or Google Data Studio is a strong plus.
- Ticketing Systems: Experience with or understanding of help desk software like Jira, Zendesk, or ServiceNow for tracking user issues.
- Office Suite Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or Google Workspace.
Soft Skills
- Analytical & Problem-Solving: A logical mindset with the ability to dissect problems, analyze user feedback, and identify patterns and solutions.
- Meticulous Attention to Detail: A commitment to accuracy and precision, ensuring all information is correct and well-organized.
- Exceptional Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas simply.
- Inherent Curiosity & Proactive Learning: A genuine desire to learn new technologies and processes, and to constantly ask "why" to understand root causes.
- Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work effectively with diverse teams, including technical experts and business stakeholders.
- User Empathy: A customer-centric mindset focused on understanding user needs and improving their experience.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Associate's degree, technical certification, or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field. We value hands-on experience and a passion for learning.
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Information Systems / Management Information Systems (MIS)
- Computer Science
- Library and Information Science
- Data Analytics / Data Science
- Technical Communications or Professional Writing
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 0-2 years of relevant experience. This can include internships, co-op programs, freelance work, or entry-level positions in a related discipline (e.g., IT support, data entry, content moderation).
Preferred:
- Demonstrable experience contributing to or managing a knowledge base, wiki, or website in a professional, academic, or significant personal project is a strong plus.
- Prior exposure to a corporate IT or software development environment is highly beneficial.