Irina Pliner

Accomplished technical documentation and training leader with a 15-year track record in developing top-tier, user-centric content for global corporations. Proficient in guiding and mentoring technical writers and instructional designers, with a strong ability to modernize and optimize documentation infrastructure and workflows to drive efficiency. Committed to championing continuous improvement and cross-functional collaboration.

Certification Program Manager, Mechanical & ContROls Engineering

Dematic | Remote | Jan 2022 – Present

• Lead a remote and geographically dispersed team, providing onboarding, guidance, and supervision to ensure the development of high-quality technical training content
• Oversee end-to-end lifecycle and release management workflows for training and certification courses, ensuring seamless development, quality control, and timely delivery
• Drive the development of role-based curriculums and learning paths to enhance the educational experience, aligning training content with the needs of various audiences across the organization
• Provide continuous coaching and mentorship support to both junior and experienced instructional designers on the team, fostering their professional growth and ensuring consistently high-quality content
• Contribute to strategic and long-term growth planning, collaborating with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to define the future direction of the certification program
• Leverage data analytics and key metrics to derive insights and identify opportunities for continuous improvement, enabling data-driven decision-making and optimizing the effectiveness of training initiatives

OpenText Corporation | Richmond Hill, ON | July 2017 – Jan 2022

• Led and oversaw the successful execution of multiple large-scale documentation projects, fostering collaboration with global teams and stakeholders to ensure project success
• Defined and established documentation requirements, implementing effective strategies for a new cloud-based product, aligning with organizational goals and objectives
• Drove the restructuring and enhancement of developer onboarding documentation through comprehensive stakeholder interviews, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and user needs
• Created and published instructional how-to videos, contributing valuable multimedia content to enhance user understanding of assigned products, and provided comprehensive video creation training to colleagues within the Product Information organization and other departments

Rogers Communications | Toronto, ON | Sep 2016 – April 2017

• Played a dual role in designing user experiences and providing business analysis for digital products across various platforms, including web, smartphones, tablets, and TVs
• Collaborated closely with stakeholders, including product development, product management, and IT, to understand requirements and technical considerations
• Gathered user data and derived insights to inform design decisions and enhance user experiences
• Maintained and distributed design documentation and clarifications to project stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and alignment
• Successfully contributed to the UX design and business analysis efforts on multiple projects within the organization.

BlackBerry | Waterloo, ON | July 2013 – May 2015

• Acted as a user advocate and worked with writers to help increase customer satisfaction by delivering clear, useful, and effective documentation, training, and UI copy
• Gathered customer feedback, conducted deep dives into analytics trends, and translated research outcomes into actionable solutions
• Assisted in conducting usability testing sessions to help redesign the online help portal
• Contributed to the development and maintenance of writer and editor resources, such as departmental style sheets and the company style guide
• Provided coaching and support to entry-level and senior writers

BlackBerry | Waterloo, ON | May 2009 – July 2013

• Created documentation and training materials, including user guides, presentations, webinars, instructor guides, student manuals, job aids, web-based training, storyboards, and instructional videos 
• Researched and gathered information to support ongoing projects by consulting with project stakeholders, developers, and subject matter experts 
• Researched and developed strategies to create engaging training materials
• Created UI prototypes for training materials, including interactive tutorials, mobile games, and job aids, which were used as blueprints for the interactive deliverables produced by the Product Information team

Master of Digital Experience Innovation

University of Waterloo

Bachelor of ARTS, English – Rhetoric & Professional Writing 

University of Waterloo