How To Become A Procedure Writer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a procedure writer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.

A procedure writer helps companies develop procedure manuals, be it for the human resources procedures, client policies, specific operational standards, and many more.

That said, their duties involve collaborating with the management or departments involved in the manual to be created, collecting relevant information about the unit's policies and procedures, and translating this information into an easily digestible procedure manual. After they finalize their draft, they seek approval from the unit leader and make changes as necessary.

Most employers require a four-year degree for the position of a procedure writer, usually a degree in English or communications. Aside from that, employers look for candidates that have an in-depth knowledge of industry standards and methods, as well as superior technical writing and editing skills. Furthermore, a procedure writer must be a good listener, highly communicable, great at time management, and able to take constructive criticism well.

In the U.S., the average salary of a procedure writer is around $62,000 a year. This figure can even be higher for procedure writers that specialize in highly complex or technical lines of business.

What general advice would you give to a procedure writer?

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.

Professor of English, University of La Verne

Because of the pandemic, entering the workforce has been hard for many. At the same time, many employers have moved online and are meeting with clients and customers through Zoom and other online platforms. As a result, employers now, more than ever, need employees who have excellent communication skills.

English majors from La Verne graduate with excellent writing and critical thinking skills. As a result, they do have opportunities after they graduate. Many of them are hired in jobs because of their writing and editing skills. A large percentage of students decide to go to graduate school. They want to serve their communities, so they become teachers, librarians, lawyers, and officers in non-profits or the city sector.

The medical field is also starting to welcome students from the humanities because they are looking for well-rounded, articulate, and compassionate people. If students with a humanities degree want to go into the health or medical sector, they can apply to one-year post-baccalaureate programs that lead to medical school.

ScoreProcedure WriterUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,744

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 8.64%

Black or African American 6.72%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 4.99%

White 71.39%

Gender

female 35.27%

male 64.73%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a procedure writer

Explore procedure writer education requirements

Most common procedure writer degrees

Bachelor's

64.3 %

Associate

17.2 %

Master's

12.2 %

Start to develop specific procedure writer skills

Skills	Percentages
Subject Matter Experts	17.12%
SharePoint	7.04%
Technical Procedures	6.04%
Training Materials	5.35%
SMEs	5.33%

Complete relevant procedure writer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New procedure writers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a procedure writer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real procedure writer resumes.

Research procedure writer duties and responsibilities

Lead, coordinate and train off-site team during QA revision.
Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
Pass 10 CFR 50.59 qualification training.
Meet on-line and outage procedure scheduling milestones.

Prepare your procedure writer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your procedure writer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a procedure writer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable procedure writer resume templates

Build a professional procedure writer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your procedure writer resume.