Chief IT Accessibility Officer

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 and infrastructure, 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 residents, business owners and visitors to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

EOTSS is seeking a to hire a Chief IT Accessibility Officer. This role will sit within the Massachusetts Digital Service (Mass Digital) within EOTSS, which 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 wherever and whenever needed.

Massachusetts is a diverse state, and people that access state 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. Additionally, 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, EOTSS is building a Digital Accessibility and Equity Program. This program will work proactively to improve accessibility and equity, and to provide a single, comprehensive framework across state government for ensuring that everyone can access state services. The program is authorized by Governor Healey through Executive Order No. 614. The executive order empowers the Chief IT Accessibility Officer and a new governance board to advance the program.

About this role

As Chief IT Accessibility Officer, you are charged with making Commonwealth digital services more accessible and equitable and are empowered through the executive order to manage related initiatives across state government.

To advance this mission, you will build a new Digital Accessibility and Equity Program. You will collaborate with a complex network of stakeholders, including secretariat chiefs of staff, department directors, agency CIOs, IT application managers, legal and procurement experts, and external state contractors and vendors. Your work will make state digital services more accessible and equitable. You will continuously evaluate our progress towards our goals and adapt.

You will report to the Commonwealth’s Chief Digital Officer and work alongside Mass Digital’s cross functional team of content strategists, researchers, designers, engineers, architects, and product managers.

This role might be for you if you are passionate about helping large organizations create accessible digital products that they can use to serve their constituents.

Responsibilities

Objective #1: Build, launch, and manage a program to make Commonwealth digital services more accessible and equitable

Develop a program to advance the state’s digital accessibility and equity goals, with a clear vision, priorities, milestones and success measures.

Act on opportunities to improve how accessibility and equity are incorporated into software development, how statewide standards are communicated and enforced, how we receive and resolve feedback about issues, and how existing applications are evaluated and remediated.

Assist Secretariats in developing Secretariat-specific roadmaps related to their executive offices and agencies.

Objective #2: Build capacity within EOTSS and across other agencies

Build and manage a small team within EOTSS and Mass Digital to advance the program. The composition of the team will be determined as the program is developed.

Participate in hiring IT Accessibility Officers for each Secretariat (SIAOs) who will collaborate with you and coordinate all work related to digital accessibility and equity within their respective Secretariat.

Assess and close capacity gaps through training, hiring, vendor support, etc.

Objective #3: Establish governance and manage relationships with key stakeholders

Establish and chair a Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board with representation from across the state and members of the public.

Build strong relationships with accessibility stakeholders, including the Massachusetts Office on Disability, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Build buy-in with stakeholders that have direct influence over promoting accessibility and equity in our digital services, including Secretariat and agency CIOs, application developers, procurement and contracting, human resources, and the vendor ecosystem.

Work across this complex stakeholder landscape to understand their goals, align on strategic direction, and execute the program.

Objective #4: Assess the impact of the program and continuously improve

Define success metrics for the program and state services, proactively track progress against those metrics, and implement a public reporting mechanism.

Pay attention to how emerging policy and technology trends in accessibility and equity may apply in our context.

Objective #5: Develop, enable, and contribute to the team

Contribute to EOTSS and Mass Digital’s positive, collaborative, and inclusive team culture. Motivate your colleagues. Recognize their successes and help them learn from failures.

Communicate regularly with your team members. Provide mentorship and guidance and help remove obstacles to their success.

Help team members grow and succeed through regular feedback and evaluation.

This position would be expected to follow a hybrid model of reporting to work that combines in-office workdays and work from home days. This position is currently mostly remote, with in-office days approximately once every 2 weeks at our Boston office location: One Ashburton Place in Boston, Massachusetts 02108.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, so we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible for consideration.

Preferred Qualifications:

Deep commitment to making services and products more accessible, equitable and inclusive.

Direct, personal experience with the challenges we are working to address and the services and systems we are working to improve.

5+ years of experience enabling the development of accessible and user-centered digital products using modern technology, design, and research practices.

Experience with inclusive, user-centered design and evidence that you have advocated for users’ needs in service and product design.

Extensive experience with WCAG and Section 508 standards.

Experience with assistive technologies and accessibility testing.

5+ years of leadership experience, with an adaptive, empathetic, and collaborative leadership style.

Experience leading and supervising a team and providing mentorship, support and professional development opportunities.

Proven ability to build, scale, and coordinate the delivery of complex programs and policies.

Proven ability to solve complex problems involving multiple organizations, processes, cultures, and technologies.

Proven ability to develop excellent relationships, including managing senior stakeholders, business managers, and technical experts and building consensus.

Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting work to executives and large groups and facilitating meetings with cross-functional project teams.

Excellent organization and attention to detail.


Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) seven (7) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in IT administration or IT management, of which (B) at least three (3) years must have been in a managerial capacity.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

Official Title : IT Manager IX
Primary Location : United States-Massachusetts-Boston-1 Ashburton Place
Job : Information Systems and Technology
Agency : Exec Office of Technology Services and Security
Schedule : Full-time
Shift : Day
Job Posting : Jul 26, 2023, 11:37:25 AM
Number of Openings : 1
Salary : 100,000.00 - 175,000.00 Yearly
If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator : Emily Hartmann - 6176608300
Bargaining Unit : M99-Managers (EXE)
Confidential : No
Hybrid Work Eligible : Yes