Headline

Principal Technical Editor and Writer | Structured Authoring (DITA and XML) | Content Governance | Knowledge Management | Instructional Design | AI-Enabled Workflows

About

I am a technical communicator with over 20 years of experience across enterprise software documentation, editorial governance, and learning content design. My work has spanned cloud computing, virtualization, storage, networking, and electronic design automation, with long tenures at organizations including VMware, Synopsys, EMC Corporation, and Macmillan India. I work across the full spectrum of technical content: writing and editing complex product documentation, designing and building structured learning content, governing editorial standards, and architecting content systems that support reuse, consistency, and multi-channel publishing. I am equally comfortable working hands-on with a single document and shaping the frameworks and workflows that govern how a global team produces content. My core technical strengths include DITA-based structured authoring using tools such as XMetaL and Oxygen XML, content management in Documentum and Xyleme LCMS, version control with Perforce and Git, and learning content development in Articulate Rise 360 and Storyline. I have configured and administered Acrolinx at the ruleset level, developed enterprise style guides adopted across global teams, and built editorial quality metrics programs that drive measurable improvement. I am experienced in building and mentoring distributed editorial and learning design teams, working with engineering SMEs to produce accurate and usable content, and representing the content function in cross-functional governance forums. I have contributed to initiatives including enterprise-wide inclusive language standards and AI-assisted content quality programs. What I bring to any role: • 20+ years of technical communication experience across enterprise technology domains • Deep structured authoring expertise covering DITA, Information Mapping, and XML-based content systems • Hands-on experience with the full content lifecycle from authoring and editorial review through CMS management and multi-channel publishing • A track record of building editorial standards and quality frameworks that scale across global, matrixed organizations • Formal training in technical writing, e-learning course design, advanced editing and publishing, DITA, and Information Mapping I am currently open to senior and principal-level roles in technical writing, technical editing, content strategy, and instructional design.

Location

Greater Bengaluru Area

AI stack

claude

gemini

openai

Work experience

Senior Staff/Principal Technical Editor at VMware, Feb 2013 - Apr 2026 · 13 y 2 mo, Bengaluru, In this role, I led editorial quality, content governance, and learning content development for VMware Customer Education Services over a 13-year tenure. My work covered the full range of content types produced by the team: instructor-led course materials, self-paced e-learning modules, lab guides, microlearning assets, quick-reference materials, and performance support resources across 15 or more VMware product lines including NSX, vSphere, Horizon, Tanzu, and VMware Cloud Foundation. I designed and governed the editorial standards framework for the team, led the development of the in-house style guide, configured and administered Acrolinx to automate content quality checks across a large distributed author pool, and delivered post-release quality metrics to development managers. I also helped recruit, train, and mentor a global editorial team spanning India, Ireland, and the US, and contributed to enterprise-wide initiatives including inclusive language governance and AI-assisted content tooling. The role required deep collaboration with engineering SMEs, instructional designers, product managers, and program leads across multiple concurrent product release cycles.

Tech Editor II at Synopsys, Jul 2011 - Jan 2013 · 1 yr 7 mos, Bangalore, I served as a technical communicator for the Analog and Mixed Signal Group business unit, owning editorial quality and documentation development across the product portfolio in the electronic design automation domain. This included editing and writing user guides, installation guides, command reference manuals, and tutorials for products including Galaxy Custom Designer, HSPICE, Proteus, and Yield Manager. I also served as a member of the Editorial Core Team responsible for maintaining the company-wide editorial style guide, and authored bimonthly technical newsletters covering EDA domain concepts and style guidance for the global technical writing team. The role required rapid ramp-up in an unfamiliar and highly technical domain, effective management of SME relationships across time zones, and consistent delivery under publication deadlines.

Technical Editor at EMC, Sep 2007 - May 2011 · 3 y 8 mo, Bengaluru, At EMC I edited a wide range of technical deliverables for enterprise storage and networking products including hardware installation manuals, software user and system administrator guides, online help, white papers, solution guides, and conference presentations. Products covered included EMC Symmetrix, Avamar, Documentum, and Ionix. My work involved multi-level editing across the full publication workflow, development of manuscript-wide style sheets and terminology governance records, management of the content expiration lifecycle for a large white paper library, and mentoring of offshore editorial team members. I worked within the EMC Enterprise Structured Authoring environment, which used DITA-based XML authoring in XMetaL integrated with the Documentum content management system.

Editor - Copy editing, Level G-3 at Macmillan, Jul 2003 - May 2007 · 3 y 10 mo, On-site, I edited scholarly articles for publication in leading medical, scientific, and technology journals on behalf of publishers including Elsevier, John Wiley UK, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins USA, and Palgrave. The work required rigorous application of multiple publisher-specific style standards simultaneously and consistent delivery to tight production schedules. I progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor at the G-3 grade level and took on responsibility for training and evaluating assistant editors, providing structured performance feedback to build team capability and consistency.

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Chemistry, Botany, Microbiology, bangalore university

Master of Science (M.Sc.), Ecology and Environment, Sikkim Manipal University (SMU)

Public links

grass-cow-410.notion.site: https://grass-cow-410.notion.site/Shalini-Pallat-Technical-Editing-and-Documentation-Portfolio-3571fb5704ef80bba486cc4da99530f6