About Andrew Cleverly
Senior API Technical Writer and Documentation Systems Architect — a scientist turned documentation strategist.
My background in research and systems analysis means I don't approach problems conventionally. I specialise in learning fast, understanding deeply, and building documentation ecosystems that operate like infrastructure — scalable, measurable, and aligned with business goals.
I design and build API documentation systems that connect engineering, product, and business — unifying OpenAPI governance, CI/CD DocOps, and SDK generation to empower customers from day one. Every implementation aligns documentation delivery with strategic objectives and AI-ready knowledge flows.
If you want the same as everyone else, fine. But if you want to stand out, you need to think differently.
Doc-as-Code Philosophy
I operate within a Doc-as-Code philosophy — documentation is treated as a first-class engineering product. Version control, CI/CD integration, and automated validation bring the same rigor and traceability as software development.
Through custom automation, I extend this model to produce offline deliverables such as PDFs directly from live documentation sources, maintaining complete parity between online portals and distributed assets.
This approach gives organisations auditability, rollback capability, and repeatable quality — ensuring brand consistency, compliance reliability, and global-scale governance. It replaces ad-hoc documentation with a disciplined, traceable process that reflects enterprise maturity.
Doc-as-Code Pipeline
Operating Principles
My work is guided by four core principles:
Learn fast, think differently
Scientific training drives first-principles analysis, experimentation, and creative problem-solving.
Docs as infrastructure
Governance, automation, and analytics woven together for reliability and scale.
Business alignment first
Documentation serves company strategy, not just code output.
Doc-as-Code discipline
Version control, rollback, and governed pipelines ensure reliability and trust.
How I Work
I approach every engagement as a complete system — from technical design to business outcome:
Discover
Analyse current documentation systems, map stakeholders, identify risks and opportunities.
Design
Plan governance models, content architecture, and DocOps automation that align with product strategy.
Implement
Build pipelines, SDK generation, validation workflows, and developer-facing portals.
Operate
Monitor analytics, enforce governance, and evolve content structures to meet changing business needs.
Core Expertise
Documentation Infrastructure
- • Doc-as-Code architecture & governance
- • OpenAPI 3.0/3.1 specification design with version migration strategies
- • Redocly ecosystem expertise (Expert level) with custom element development
- • Multi-environment documentation architecture aligned with dev workflows
- • Source-code co-location strategies and content structure optimization
- • Custom QA pipelines with automated validation and conformance testing
Developer Experience Design
- • Interactive documentation with try-it-out functionality
- • SDK generation and testing automation
- • Developer onboarding optimization with progressive disclosure
- • API testing frameworks and validation workflows
- • Performance analytics and user behavior insights
- • Custom documentation tooling and developer portal extensions
Technical Systems & DevOps
- • GitHub/Git/Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline architecture
- • AWS cloud infrastructure (S3, CloudFront, Route 53, Lambda)
- • Python data processing and automation systems
- • TypeScript/Node.js application development
- • Next.js portfolio platforms with automated deployment
- • Database design and API integration patterns
Governance & Training
- • Custom style guide definition and enforcement strategies
- • Team training programs and documentation best practices
- • Pipeline-enforced standards with automated quality gates
- • Enterprise API strategy and governance frameworks
- • Regulatory compliance and accessibility implementation
- • AI-ready content structuring and semantic markup
Professional Background
I've built documentation systems at every scale — from lightweight Stoplight demos to enterprise-grade Redocly Realm portals and automated CI/CD pipelines.
My experience spans fintech, scientific R&D, analytics, and automation, combining technical accuracy with long-term strategy. I've reduced developer onboarding times by up to 80%, cut support tickets by 40%, and delivered global documentation infrastructures that scale with product growth.
Systems in Production
From enterprise API platforms serving millions of requests to trading systems handling real capital, these implementations demonstrate the full spectrum of documentation-as-infrastructure principles in practice.
Tooling I've Built
Custom automation tools that power documentation workflows and demonstrate technical depth beyond strategy:
DocCraft PDF Generator
Streamlined pipeline using Pandoc and XeLaTeX to convert OpenAPI-aligned markdown into branded PDFs with ToC, styling, and automation-ready structure.
SDK Generator
OpenAPI-based CLI for generating language-specific SDKs with consistent structure and built-in tests.
OpenAPI Validator
Internal tool that validates specs for CI/CD readiness, governance rules, and AI ingestion compliance.
Interactive Changelog Builder
Converts diffed OpenAPI specs into structured changelogs (Markdown + JSON) for release automation.
These tools demonstrate hands-on technical execution alongside strategic consultation
Ready to Transform Your Documentation?
If your organisation treats documentation as an afterthought, I can help you turn it into infrastructure — a governed, measurable, and automated system that scales with your products and your vision.
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