Senior Software Engineer (Accessibility)

Mozilla; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Mental health support

Time away and parental leave

Job summary

Mozilla is seeking a skilled developer to join the Accessibility Team in advancing the Gecko engine for accessibility across platforms. You will craft code, tests, and specifications, build prototypes, and work with design and front-end teams to remediate accessibility issues.

You will engage with Mozilla’s open source community, analyze user feedback, and help shape features and standards to improve the web accessibility experience for a diverse range of abilities.

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field.
• Knowledge of Javascript, the web, and web applications.
• Demonstrated proficiency with C++.
• Knowledge of web accessibility and ARIA.
• Experience writing and debugging multi-process, multi-threaded code.
• Experience working on cross-platform native applications.
• Ability to learn a large and complex multi-language code base.
• Ability to effectively participate as part of a geographically-distributed open development team.

Responsibilities

• Write code, tests, specifications, build prototypes, solve problems, and analyze data.
• Synthesize feedback into bug reports, feature designs, and strategic direction to improve the web platform.
• Improve the architecture, stability, correctness and performance of the core Gecko accessibility engine.
• Debug OS specific issues.
• Collaborate with design and front-end teams to identify and remediate accessibility issues.
• Work in the open as part of the Mozilla open source project and engage with the global Mozilla community.

Skills

C++ proficiency

JavaScript

English communication

Problem-solving

Cross-platform development

Web accessibility

Multilingual code base

Team collaboration

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

• At Mozilla, accessibility (or a11y for short) is an integral part of our mission to ensure the internet is “open and accessible to all,” helping to empower people, regardless of their abilities, to contribute to the common good
• To that end, the Accessibility Team maintains the Firefox accessibility engine used by assistive technology software, as well as other accessibility specific features such as high contrast mode support
• In addition, the team seeks to guide and educate design and product teams in crafting accessible Mozilla products or features
• This supports Mozilla’s ambition of creating a joyful internet for all
• The Mozilla Corporation is looking for a skilled developer to work with our passionate Accessibility Team to make the web fully accessible!
• This is a small, hard-working team that affects the lives of users every day
• Using your C++ and systems programming expertise, you will contribute to the core Gecko web rendering engine across various operating systems, shaping Mozilla’s efforts to take Firefox accessibility to the next level
• Opportunities to collaborate with other browser teams abound, and working in the open is the norm
• You’ll be responsible for writing code, tests, specifications, building prototypes, solving problems, and analyzing data
• You’ll get feedback from real users and synthesize it into bug reports, feature designs, and strategic direction to make the web platform even better over time
• Improve the architecture, stability, correctness and performance of the core Gecko accessibility engine
• Debug and fix problems in our multi-process, multi-threaded codebase
• Debug OS specific issues
• Build excellent working relationships with engineers and organizational leaders on other teams
• Collaborate with design and front-end teams to identify, assess, and remediate accessibility issues
• Influence web standards that provide or improve access to new web technology
• Work in the open as part of the Mozilla open source project and engage with Mozilla’s global community
• Work on infrastructure to expose the web platform to accessibility technology
• Meet standards for gecko’s memory usage and performance
• Implement new web features to enable new kinds of applications and content types

Benefits

• Health and wellness: Mozilla covers medical, dental and vision plan premiums at 100% for U.S. and Canadian employees. Our offerings give you the options you need to manage your health — and your family’s — the way you want.
• Mental health: Mental health is as important as our physical health. That’s why Mozilla’s health benefits include therapy and coaching sessions to make sure our people have access to the care they need.
• Time away: With all of life’s demands, time away from work to disconnect and recharge is essential. In addition to country-specific holidays (12 in the U.S. and Canada), vacation and sick time start accruing right away (specifics vary by country). Everyone also takes a pause together on quarterly all-company wellness days, plus you get to celebrate the most personal holiday of all: your birthday.
• Parental leave: While Mozilla’s parental leave policies vary globally, our U.S. and Canadian-based employees can look forward to 26 weeks of paid leave for childbearing parents and 12 weeks of paid leave for non-childbearing parents.
• Financial: Mozilla is a private company, so our compensation isn’t tied to stock options or equity plans. Instead, we offer generous, performance-based bonus plans to all regular employees to underscore that we share in our success as one team. As for retirement savings for US and Canadian employees, Mozilla contributes a percentage of your eligible base salary each year to the 401(k) Plan/RRSP (regardless of whether you contribute or not), with 100% vesting.
• Learning and development: We’re big believers in learning by doing, and we also want to invest in your education and development beyond your role. Every employee is eligible for an annual professional development budget. Mozillians can put it toward technical or management training, certifications, conferences and more.
• Help when you need it: Life is full of surprises; that’s why it’s important to be prepared. Mozilla provides Life/AD&D and Short and Long Term Disability insurance (offerings may vary by locale) to ensure that you and your family will have a safety net in place should you ever need it.
• Plus a bit more: A few other benefits include a quarterly wellbeing stipend (to use on those things just for you), an employee referral bonus, internet reimbursement if you’re remote, and a budget for office essentials to make working remotely ergonomically comfortable.

Ability to effectively participate as part of a geographically-distributed open development team
Knowledge of Javascript, the web, and web applications
Experience writing and debugging multi-process, multi-threaded code
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
A degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field
Experience working on cross-platform native applications
Creative problem-solving and debugging skills
A passion to empower and improve the web for people with a diverse range of abilities
Demonstrated proficiency with C++
Knowledge of web accessibility and ARIA
Ability to learn a large and complex multi-language code base