Senior Technical Accessibility Specialist

Western Governors University; United States; On-site; USD 89,400 - 134,100; Full time

Job summary

Western Governors University is seeking a Senior Technical Accessibility Specialist to lead accessibility initiatives, ensuring compliance with WCAG and other standards. This role involves providing leadership, conducting audits on platforms, and mentoring teams on accessibility best practices.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree and a minimum of 7 years of experience in the accessibility field, with a strong understanding of assistive technologies and digital accessibility standards.

Qualifications

• 7 years of experience in the accessibility field.
• Equivalent relevant experience may substitute for education requirements.
• Expert knowledge of ADA standards (WCAG), Section 508, and VPATs.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical leadership for digital and web accessibility.
• Leads and performs audits on university platforms.
• Trains and mentors team members on accessibility.

Skills

Expert knowledge of WCAG, Section 508, and ADA

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Experience with accessibility best practices on mobile platforms

Ability to navigate environments with assistive technologies

Ability to collect, analyze, and synthesize data

Ability to research complex topics independently

Self-initiative and self-motivation

Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects

Awareness of Agile principles and Jira

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Assistive Technology, User Experience, Information Technology, or related field

Tools

Accessibility testing tools (WAVE, Axe, Chrome DevTools)

Assistive technologies (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)

Job description

Senior Technical Accessibility Specialist

Salary Range: $89,400.00 - $134,100.00

Job Description

The Senior Technical Accessibility Specialist is a key member of the User Experience team and interfaces with product managers, engineers, business leaders, internal clients, and students to deliver accessible experiences to our public, employee, and student-facing products. Innovation, design, and functionality are key components to the success of this role. This role leads and partners to create solutions that solve problems while advancing accessibility and inclusion that fit into the university’s brand and ultimately result in student success.

Job Duties

• Provides technical leadership, expert guidance, coordination, and support to achieve and maintain digital and web accessibility.
• Provides strategic thought and accessibility expertise on projects and products across the student and staff experiences.
• Leads and performs audits and accessibility tests on university platforms and products to conform to the current version of WCAG.
• Creates and implements remediation plans for university platforms and products.
• Prepares evaluation documentation for communication with university stakeholders and product teams.
• Provides expert accessibility guidance to designers, product managers, developers, and business partners to influence product development.
• Maintains expert knowledge of accessibility industry trends, innovations, solutions, accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies.
• Develops guidelines for architects, designers, and developers to aid in compliance with the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Consults with colleagues to solve challenging accessibility barriers.
• Leads the development, documentation, and implementation team processes and procedures regarding accessibility.
• Performs research, development, and maintenance of the accessibility evaluation methodology.
• Trains and mentors new and current team members, as well as small and large groups throughout Ed Tech and the university, on accessibility on ADA awareness, implementing solutions, and fostering innovation through accessibility.
• Mentors Technical Accessibility Specialists, whether working together on complex projects or helping them with their own accessibility assignments.
• Provides training and mentoring of new team and junior members.
• Manages and prioritizes multiple complex and high-exposure accessibility projects and initiatives.
• Networks with accessibility industry professionals.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Key Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of WCAG, Section 508, and ADA.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present information clearly and accurately.
• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and ability to explain accessibility best practices.
• Experience with accessibility best practices on mobile platforms, both iOS and Android.
• Ability to expertly navigate multiple environments with assistive technologies and accessibility testing tools and understands how tools interact with user agent elements.
• In-depth understanding on how various types of disabilities experience digital environments and how to design accessible digital spaces.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and synthesize data accurately to identify process and performance improvement areas.
• Ability to understand, comprehend, and explain complex technical and user experience issues in simple and concise language.
• Ability to research complex topics and find answers to questions independently.
• Self-initiative and self-motivation.
• Ability to self-manage daily tasks and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently without supervision, and as part of a team.
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects at a time.
• Awareness of Agile principles and Jira project management tool.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Assistive Technology, User Experience, Information Technology, Information Design, or related field.
• 7 years of experience in the accessibility field.
• Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements.
• Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as an accessibility specialist, user experience designer, interaction designer, user interface designer, information architect, user experience researcher, or similar role.
• IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).
• Expert knowledge of ADA standards (WCAG), Section 508, and VPATs.
• Experience using accessibility testing tools (WAVE, Axe, Chrome DevTools) and assistive technologies, such as screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver).
• Experience with ARIA markup, knowledge of JavaScript, semantic HTML.

Travel Requirements

The position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed.

Job Description Disclaimer

This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.

Accommodations

Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.