Accessibility Specialist

About EOTSS and Massachusetts Digital Service
The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) is the state’s lead office for information technology. We provide enterprise level information technology services including network management and security; computer operations; application hosting; desktop provisioning and management; and modern and responsive digital services to 40,000 internal stakeholders plus the residents, business owners and visitors to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This role will sit within the Massachusetts Digital Service (Mass Digital) within EOTSS and report to the Chief IT Accessibility Officer. Mass Digital helps organizations across state government use the best technology, design, and data to make people’s interactions with state services simpler, faster, and more meaningful.
About Our Work
EOTSS and Mass Digital have a vital mission to ensure that the state’s digital services and information are accessible, reliable, and available to everyone we serve. Massachusetts is a diverse state, and people that access our services have diverse needs. Approximately 26.5% of adults in the state have a disability, which can make it difficult to use state websites, digital content, and other information technologies. Factors such as cultural and linguistic diversity and technology access and literacy also affect people’s ability to meaningfully access state services.
Today, many people interact with state services online. However, state web properties are managed by many different state organizations. The accessibility of these digital tools varies, as does the capacity of each organization to make them more accessible.
To address these challenges, we are developing a statewide Digital Accessibility and Equity Program, under the leadership of the state’s first Chief IT Accessibility Officer and building a team to support the program.
About This Role:
We are seeking a highly collaborative and passionate Accessibility Specialist to join us on the ground floor of bringing this important program to life. As an Accessibility Specialist, you will partner withing EOTSS and across state government on accessibility matters involving the software development lifecycle. The Accessibility Specialist will focus on developing tactical approaches to enhance accessibility processes to create accessible deliverables for EOTSS digital assets, while also supporting accessibility engagement with partners external to EOTSS. The ideal candidate will have proven success in developing and executing accessibility strategies and tactical approaches in a technological environment. This role will report to the Chief IT Accessibility Officer and work in collaboration with stakeholders across EOTSS and the executive offices.
This position is a contract opportunity. The work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, 9:00AM to 5:00PM EST, in a hybrid remote arrangement with 2-4 days per month spent at the primary work location: One Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. Applicants should be located within reasonable commuting distance from the primary work location. Full remote work arrangement considered.

Duties and Responsibilities:
• Partner with design and development teams to coach and train on accessibility principles and requirements
• Collaborate with development, design, content and additional teams throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure that accessibility requirements are imbedded into processes and procedures
• Take the lead on performing accessibility evaluations for digital properties to ensure conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and usability
• Assist teams with implementing accessibility tooling into their design, development and monitoring processes
• Partner with UX research teams to embed accessibility research into team workflows and studies
• Monitor accessibility across the software development process and identify opportunities for improvement
• Analyze and provide accessibility metrics to identify trends and gaps involving the creation of accessible websites for reporting and training purposes
• Collaborate with the Chief IT Accessibility Officer to work on additional projects as assigned
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Knowledge of assistive technologies including screen readers, speech-to-text- software, magnification tools and keyboard and mouse emulator products
• Deep understanding of accessibility automated and manual testing tools and processes
• Experience with design platforms and development staging environments for accessibility testing integration
• Experience with coaching and mentoring teams and development vendor partners to create accessible websites
• Experience with demonstrating accessible remediation best practices for coding, content and design components
• Experience with accessibility-testing tools, assistive technology, section 508 standards and and accessibility policies and regulations including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Qualifications:
• 1-3 years of digital accessibility development experience
• 1-3 years of digital accessibility testing experience involving automated and manual tools and assistive technologies
• A minimum of 1 year of accessibility design and UX experience
• Hands-on experience and knowledge of basic Web-development technologies- e.g., HTML, CSS, and JavaScript- and understand how they impact accessibility. Strong developer skills are a plus.
• A minimum of 3 years integrating accessibility requirements and usability into design and development processes
• Enthusiastic about solving problems facing public-sector agencies and promoting equitable access to public digital services.
Certification(s):
• International Association for Accessibility professional’s certifications are a plus but not required.
o IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).
o Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) Certification.