Accessibility Specialist job posting

Basics

  • Date posted: 8 September 2023
  • Application deadline: 19 September 2023 (may or may not be extended)
  • Eligibility: United States work authorization
  • Location: Remote in the United States, with optional international travel
  • Salary Range: $70,000-$110,000 based on experience and qualifications
  • Position parameters: This position is currently through Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) until September 2024, with the expectation that the position will be extended for multiple years. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check.
  • To apply: Please submit a resume/CV and cover letter to team-wai-jobs@w3.org

Introduction

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is seeking a full-time staff member to work on digital accessibility standards and supporting materials. The Accessibility Specialist will be an integral part of the highly-collaborative international WAI team integrated in W3C.

This is an opportunity for a unique individual to contribute to the vision of an accessible digital future. You will help drive the development of digital accessibility standards that will help millions of people with disabilities around the world. You will work with W3C Member organizations and the public including industry, disability organizations, the research community, government, and other stakeholder groups to ensure accessibility of the web and web-based technologies.

W3C is the recognized leader for the technical development of the World Wide Web, and we seek an individual who is enthusiastic for the mission and spirit of W3C.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting W3C Working Groups, such as the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. You will use excellent organizational, communication, and collaboration skills to help guide groups in the consensus-based W3C Process.

You will also contribute to:

  • developing W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0 and supporting resources
  • developing a technical approach for managing WCAG 3 development
  • revising WCAG support materials
  • promoting W3C accessibility work through presentations and communications
  • supporting accessibility throughout W3C

Requirements

  • Extensive knowledge of digital accessibility, including WCAG and WAI-ARIA; basic knowledge of ATAG and UAAG
  • Extensive knowledge of accessibility requirements across different types of disabilities
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to help build consensus among stakeholders with diverse perspectives
  • Understanding of the policy and business context of accessibility
  • Applied experience using HTML, CSS, and scripting to create accessible digital products
  • Familiarity with GitHub
  • Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English; technical writing and editing experience is a plus
  • Ability to work independently with remote colleagues in an international distributed environment; experience is a plus

Beneficial skills and experience

  • Experience evaluating for WCAG 2.1 conformance
  • In-depth understanding of the technical and educational resources from W3C WAI
  • Experience developing technical standards
  • Experience addressing accessibility standards harmonization issues globally; experience liaising with standards bodies
  • Experience with Git, submodules, symbolic links, workflows, pages, actions; Jekyll; Liquid-c templates; Netlify; Svelte or other frameworks

We value diversity

We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals from all identities and backgrounds.

MIT and W3C are equal employment opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive equitable consideration for employment based on their experience and qualifications, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, or national or ethnic origin.

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