Digital Accessibility Lead

Job summary
Tasked with establishing a new organisation-wide process and raising the profile of digital accessibility, you will work with internal teams and third-party suppliers to ensure Historic Environment Scotland consistently delivers inclusive and accessible digital content to our audiences. You will be a champion for encouraging best practice and innovation in digital accessibility solutions, raising standards through advice and training, and leading on the development of an internal digital accessibility champions network.
Job description

Digital accessibility audit

Procure and/or liaise with suppliers to arrange an initial accessibility audit, statement, and disproportionate burden statement for a selection of templates from one or two websites/ apps to ensure a professional audit which can be later used as a template for further in-house audits
Produce and maintain a log of remedial work required across the HES digital estate
Work with suppliers and internal HES IT to receive initial cost and time estimates for remedial work required and thereafter work with product owners and content authors to plan, oversee, and test this work to ensure compliance
Compile and publish accessibility and disproportionate burden statements to comply with accessibility regulations, revisiting all existing website and app statements to ensure compliance
Maintain a log of all new developments across the HES Digital estate which will form part of the annual accessibility audit
Set-up and provide regular accessibility checking of our digital estate using Monsido 

Organisational engagement

Provide practical support for colleagues on how to make digital content accessible
Advise staff on appropriate external training opportunities as well as scoping and delivering internal training and advisory sessions
Work with departments throughout HES, including Internal Comms and Equalities, to raise the profile of and standards for Digital Accessibility across the organisation
Recruit and support an internal network of digital accessibility champions
Working with internal stakeholders, lead on the development of a new digital accessibility strategy and policy for HES
Collaborate with colleagues to identify relevant internal workflows for content creation and digital developments and, where required, implement new processes for ensuring digital accessibility standards have been considered

New technology platforms

Provide advice to colleagues when procuring and developing new technology platforms to ensure they can meet accessibility legislation. You may be invited to sit on scoring panels for the tendering of new technology systems.

New standards and guidelines

Play an active role in the accessibility community, keeping up-to-date with standards and demonstrating thought leadership in order to ensure HES remains legally compliant.

Person specification

Essential requirements:

Professional knowledge of accessibility legislation guidelines and standards and their application to Historic Environment Scotland, such as: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA, Equality Act 2010, and Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Application) Accessibility, the Equality Act
Practical and proven experience of auditing websites for accessibility, writing and publishing accessibility statements
Experience of liaising with external suppliers or internal IT teams
Knowledge and practical experience of creating accessible and inclusive content across a range of channels from websites and apps to social media channels, in order to provide guidance, support and training to colleagues producing content for both external and internal audiences
Experience of using a website content management system
Experience of delivering training to in-house teams, enthusing others and upskilling colleagues
Able to inspire and lead a team of internal accessibility champions to deliver significant positive change in the use of accessible digital content
Excellent organisational and planning skills, can work flexibly, think creatively to solve problems, and demonstrate sound judgement
Excellent interpersonal and team-working skills, experience of working in teams with staff at all levels, presenting and influencing
Excellent written communication skills

 Desirable requirements:

Experience of leading or supervising a team
Experience of using Monsido or similar tool
Experience of selecting and appraising suppliers
Experience of conducting user testing and ability to use data to inform decision making

Benefits

We welcome applications from all nationalities, assuming that they have the right to work in the UK: applying for a job with us could open the door to a unique work environment. It will give you job satisfaction and excellent development opportunities, plus a competitive salary, equivalent of 25 days paid holidays (rising to 30 days after 3 years’ service) and 11.5 public holidays a year – pro rata for part time staff.

In addition we offer a great benefits package to our employees which includes:

flexible working hours (where appropriate)
special leave
maternity/paternity leave
adoption leave
reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
support for further education and personal development
study leave for work related courses
access to a learning resource centre

Health and welfare

We offer you access to:

our Employee Assistance Programme – for confidential advice and counselling
an occupational sick pay scheme
discounts at some local authority leisure facilities
access to a free Headspace membership
interest free loans for bicycles and annual travel passes (see ‘season ticket’ below)
reasonable adjustments when needed, as part of our Equalities policy

Staff discounts

You will receive:

free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties
20% off purchases in our retail outlets

Season tickets

You can receive an advance to help with the cost of buying an annual season ticket for travel between home and work. The advance is then repaid from your salary over the life of the season ticket. Available to all permanent and fixed-term staff.
Things you need to know
Selection process details

You can apply on-line by visiting our website at https://applications.historicenvironment.scot/.

Guidance on completing the application can be found in the ‘Guidance notes for applicants’ document, also available at the above website, which we recommend that you read, in conjunction with this Job Description.

Your application must arrive by the advertised closing date. Please note that when applying online, we will only be able to see your application once you fully submit it.

If you are unable to complete an online application form, please email recruit@hes.scot, quoting the job title and recruitment reference, and we will arrange for an application form to be sent to you.

Please note that, as we operate an electronic recruitment system, we will contact you via the email address that you provide in your application to inform you of the outcome of your application.

We welcome all applicants from under-represented groups within HES. We know from our equality monitoring that we need to increase our diversity in terms of ethnicity and disability. We also want to address occupational areas where the ratio is disproportionately in favour of women or men. We ask all applicants to complete the Equality Monitoring section of the recruitment paperwork to help us pursue a diverse and inclusive workforce. In support of our Gaelic language plan we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.


Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.
Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Further information on nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Apply and further information
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

Name : Ruth Quinn, Digital Manager
Email : ruth.quinn@hes.scot

Recruitment team :

Email : recruit@hes.scot