508 Tester

UNAVAILABLE; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UNAVAILABLE is seeking a 508 Test Engineer to ensure web and software accessibility compliance with Section 508 and WCAG 2.1. You will work with developers, designers, and product teams to identify issues early and drive compliant solutions.

The role requires 5+ years in accessibility testing, QA, and test automation within Agile or DevSecOps environments. Proficiency with assistive tech and modern testing tools is essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of accessibility and usability testing for web or enterprise apps.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. government Security Clearance.
• Working knowledge of Section 508 & WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
• Experience with assistive tech: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver.
• Familiarity with Axe, WAVE, ANDI, Lighthouse tools.
• 3 years in Agile/DevSecOps pipelines with CI/CD tools.
• Experience scripting in JavaScript, Python, or Java.
• Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and test interfaces for Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 compliance.
• Develop and execute accessibility test plans, cases, and reports.
• Document issues with reproduction steps and track defect resolution.
• Use manual and automated tools to verify accessibility compliance.
• Collaborate with developers, UX, and analysts on accessible designs.
• Participate in Agile sprint planning and retrospectives for coverage.
• Contribute to automation strategies using Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright.
• Support CI/CD by integrating accessibility testing into pipelines.
• Provide guidance and best practices to engineering teams.
• Conduct audits and generate VPAT/ACR documents.
• Stay current with evolving accessibility standards and tools.
• Engineer improvements and recommendations for accessibility services.

Skills

Accessibility testing

Quality assurance

Test automation

Agile/DevSecOps

Documentation skills

Collaboration

Education

BS Degree in IT or related field

Tools

Axe

JAWS

NVDA

WAVE

ANDI

Lighthouse

Selenium

Cypress

Playwright

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Job description

Overview

As a 508 Test Engineer, you will provide quality assurance services focused on accessibility compliance to ensure web, software, and digital platforms meet Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 standards. You will collaborate closely with developers, designers, and product teams to identify accessibility issues early in the development lifecycle and guide teams toward compliant solutions. We are seeking candidates with 5 years of experience in accessibility testing, quality assurance, and test automation within Agile or DevSecOps environments.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and test web and application interfaces for Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 compliance.
• Develop and execute accessibility test plans, test cases, and reports.
• Document accessibility issues, provide detailed reproduction steps, and follow through on defect resolution.
• Use manual and automated testing tools (e.g., Axe, JAWS, NVDA, WAVE, ANDI, Deque tools) to verify compliance.
• Collaborate with developers, UX designers, and business analysts to build accessible‑by‑design solutions.
• Participate in Agile sprint planning, refinement, and retrospectives to ensure accessibility testing coverage.
• Contribute to automation strategies for accessibility testing using frameworks such as Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright.
• Support continuous integration pipelines by integrating accessibility testing into CI/CD processes.
• Provide technical guidance and accessibility best practices to engineering teams.
• Conduct accessibility audits and generate compliance documentation, including VPAT/ACR reports.
• Stay current with evolving accessibility standards, tools, and testing methodologies.
• Engineer and implement solutions and provide recommendations for continuous improvement for the services provided

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain a U.S. government Security Clearance
• BS Degree in an IT field OR BS in a non-IT field and 2 years related IT experience
• 5+ years of experience performing accessibility and usability testing for web or enterprise applications.
• Working knowledge of Section 508 standards, WCAG 2.1 guidelines, and related compliance frameworks.
• Experience using assistive technologies such as screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), keyboard-only navigation, and color contrast analyzers.
• Familiarity with common accessibility testing tools such as Axe, WAVE, ANDI, and Lighthouse.
• 3 years of experience working within Agile or DevSecOps pipelines with CI/CD tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI).
• Experience programming or scripting in languages such as JavaScript, Python, or Java to support test automation.
• Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills, including clear reporting of testing outcomes and issues.

Preferred

• Bachelors Degree
• Certifications:
  • DHS Trusted Tester Certification (TTv5)
• Formal accessibility testing certifications (e.g., IAAP CPACC or WAS, Trusted Tester v5).
• Experience conducting accessibility audits and authoring VPAT/ACR documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills
• Experience with documenting an as‑is state of the environment, perform a gap analysis, and produce artifacts that articulate options and recommendations preferred