James Aindow — Senior Technical Writer
Documentation Status: Production Ready | Last Updated: April 2026 | Version: 2.2
Meta Notice: Yes, this is a portfolio site disguised as documentation. Because the best way to demonstrate technical writing expertise is to document yourself. Everything here follows standard documentation practices—structure, clarity, component usage—just with the subject being me instead of an API.
Overview
Senior technical writer specialising in payments infrastructure, tokenisation, and ZK cryptography. Most recently at Mastercard, leading documentation and UX content for MDES Manager — the global card tokenisation platform enabling Apple Pay, Google Pay, and digital wallets across the Mastercard network. The engagement spanned a 379-page user guide rewrite in DITA XML, UX microcopy across 100+ product screens, and an AI-optimised delivery guide system informed by analysis of 949 support tickets.
Before moving into technical writing, spent 15 years as a developer, lead engineer, and CTO — managing teams of up to 20, holding CTO roles at two agencies, and shipping enterprise ecommerce infrastructure for major UK and European retail brands. Previously led documentation for Starknet (Ethereum Layer 2, ZK-rollup built on STARK proofs) during its critical testnet-to-mainnet transition.
What makes this profile unusual: I don't just document systems — I understand them. The architecture is readable, the gaps are visible, and the output is accurate from the first draft.
Quick Links
Key Capabilities
- Payments infrastructure & tokenisation: Deep domain experience in card tokenisation, digital wallet enablement, issuer/processor documentation, and payments API documentation — including enterprise DITA XML structured authoring at Mastercard scale
- ZK cryptography & blockchain: Sole technical writer for Starknet during mainnet launch, writing for audiences ranging from ZK researchers to application developers
- Engineering-native: 15 years as a developer and CTO before moving into documentation. I read the architecture, work directly with engineers, and don't need systems explained from first principles
- AI-optimised content: Content structured for both human readers and LLM/RAG retrieval — an emerging requirement in enterprise documentation that most technical writers aren't building for
- Available for contract: Remote. £600+/day. Fintech, payments infrastructure, crypto, developer tooling.