Senior Accessibility Specialist

Manchester Digital; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government digital agency is seeking a Senior Accessibility Specialist to develop and ensure the inclusivity of digital services. You will set standards, manage communities, and collaborate on digital service transformation. Ideal candidates will possess strong experience in accessibility collaboration, guidance writing, and knowledge of WCAG. Benefits include flexible hybrid working and a Civil Service pension.

Benefits

Flexible hybrid working

Civil Service Pension

25 days annual leave

Career progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in collaborating to identify and fix accessibility issues.
• Ability to write guidance and deliver presentations on accessibility.
• Knowledge of accessibility guidelines and standards.

Responsibilities

• Set strategy and standards for inclusive digital services.
• Deliver the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and commitments.
• Manage cross-government accessibility communities.

Skills

Collaboration with teams to fix accessibility barriers

Writing accessibility guidance

Delivery of accessibility training

Evaluating website accessibility

Knowledge of WCAG 2.2

Job description

£70,219 - £73,702 (London) / £61,793 - £65,163 (National) Based on capability. The base salary of this grade is £61,005 for London and £55,403 for other locations.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

As a Senior Accessibility Specialist you will:

• help set the strategy and standards for ensuring digital services are more inclusive and accessible
• help to deliver both the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and Blueprint for Modern Digital Government commitments
• manage cross government and public sector accessibility and digital inclusion communities and associated events
• help to evolve and grow existing capability to deliver these commitments and manage risks inline with regulatory obligations
• be a credible subject matter expert in your profession and apply and develop this in the context of digital service transformation
• help to define and measure success in this space
• work collaboratively with other parts of the Service Transformation directorate, the rest of GDS and across the public sector

We are looking for someone with:

• experience of collaborating with teams to identify and fix accessibility barriers and raise accessibility capability
• the ability to write accessibility guidance and documentation, and deliver accessibility training and presentations
• experience of evaluating the accessibility of digital websites and providing feedback, advice and solutions to help fix identified issues
• knowledge and experience of existing and emerging accessibility guidelines and standards, particularly the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2

We offer a range of benefits, including flexible hybrid working, a Civil Service Pension, 25 days of annual leave, and career progression opportunities.

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of an application screening process, and may include a video interview or additional stages.

Important: We use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. We will assess your technical abilities, skills, experience, and behaviours relevant to this role.