Technical Accessibility Specialist

Western Governors University; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 74,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Tuition benefits

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Western Governors University is seeking a Technical Accessibility Specialist to deliver accessible experiences across public, employee, and student-facing products. You will audit platforms, coach teams, and partner with designers, PMs, and developers to advance inclusion within the university's brand.

Responsibilities include creating remediation plans, documenting evaluation methods, and staying updated on WCAG/508/ADA standards to drive student success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in the accessibility field.
• Equivalent experience may substitute for education.
• Experience with WCAG/ADA compliance and accessibility testing.

Responsibilities

• Run audits and accessibility tests for conformance to WCAG.
• Advise designers and developers on accessibility best practices.
• Develop remediation plans for platforms and products.
• Train colleagues on ADA awareness and accessibility solutions.
• Document team processes and evaluation methodologies.
• Keep current with accessibility standards and trends.

Skills

WCAG/ADA knowledge

Screen reader proficiency

Data analysis

Technical communication

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Screen reader software

Job description

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals.

The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders.

Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Technical 403 Pay Range: $73,800.00 - $110,700.00

Job Description

The Technical Accessibility Specialist interfaces with UX, designers, product managers, business leaders, internal clients, developers, 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.

The specialist’s role is also to partner to create solutions that solve problems while advancing accessibility and inclusion that fits into the university’s brand and ultimately leads to student success.

Job Duties

• Runs audits and accessibility tests on the university’s platforms and products for conformance with the current version of WCAG.
• Has expertise in using screen readers and other assistive technologies such as JAWS, Dragon, & NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access).
• Creates a remediation plan 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 knowledge of accessibility industry trends, innovations, and solutions, as well as 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).
• Trains/coaches colleagues one-on-one and in small group environments on ADA awareness, implementing solutions and fostering innovation through accessibility.
• Consults with colleagues to solve challenging accessibility barriers.
• Develops and documents team processes and procedures regarding accessibility.
• Assists with the research, development, and maintenance of the accessibility evaluation methodology.
• Assists with the training and mentoring of new team members.
• Networks with accessibility industry professionals.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

KSAs

• Broad knowledge of WCAG, Section 508, and ADA.
• Ability to read and interpret HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and explain accessibility best practices.
• Ability to confidently navigate multiple environments in one screen reader and understand how a screen reader interacts with user agent elements.
• Understands how various types of disabilities experience digital environments and how to design accessible digital spaces.
• Ability to accurately collect data and analyze it to identify areas of process and performance improvement.
• Ability to understand and explain technical and user experience issues in simple and concise language.
• Ability to research complex topics and find answers to questions independently.
• Ability to work on team projects under the direction of senior team members.
• Ability to study and comprehend complex technical documentation (WCAG 2.x AA, Section 508).
• 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.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field
• 3 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.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

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.

About WGU

In 1997, a coalition of 19 U.S. governors founded Western Governors University with a singular vision: to make higher education more accessible by offering full degree programs online. Starting small, we quickly expanded. Today, we’re one of the largest accredited online universities in the U.S.