Inclusive Design Program Consultant

As the Inclusive Design Program Consultant, you will play a crucial role in guiding teams through our inclusive design program. You will be responsible for setting strategic priorities for the pipeline of teams ready to embark on the inclusive design journey. Your primary focus will be to provide strategy, coordination, and support to ensure the successful integration of accessibility principles and practices across all teams. The ideal candidate has a strong background in accessibility, project management, a passion for driving inclusivity through a focus on user experience, and a proven track record of consulting with teams across the software lifecycle to embed accessibility and inclusivity best practices.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Outreach and advocate
- Strategize and execute on initial outreach opportunities to identified product teams, and evangelize the benefit of the inclusive design program.
- Identify expansion opportunities and maintain a pipeline to broaden the volume of teams engaged in the inclusive design program.

Diagnose and recommend
- Develop strategic plans for teams on inclusive design, ensuring they have a clear path to success to achieve benchmarks on inclusive user experience.
- Perform design reviews and analysis on new and existing products, and serve as an subject matter expert to teams.
- Identify and suggest relevant resources, tools, and activities that can support teams in their accessibility efforts.

Monitor and measure
- Consult with program coordinator and SME team to conduct regular progress assessments to track team's performance, provide feedback, and offer guidance to address any challenges or roadblocks.
- Elevate the program’s profile and celebrate team progress by identifying and publishing success stories, and reporting on KPIs to customer senior management.

Present
- Prepare data driven presentations on the value of services provided to key stakeholders. Present program value and viewpoints in meetings
- Assist marketing team with content creation to highlight the value of inclusive design services.

QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Accessibility Studies) or equivalent practical experience.
- Proven experience as an Program Manager or in a similar role, with a strong focus on integrating inclusive design and accessibility across the software lifecycle.
- In-depth knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines, such as WCAG 2.2, ADA, and Section 508 and familiarity with assistive technologies and their usage patterns.
- Excellent project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders and influence decision-making.
- Experience in providing training or workshops on accessibility topics is highly desirable.
- Interaction Design Background to provide guidance to Product Design teams on Implementing design patterns most appropriate for users of assistive technology
- Experience in consulting with firms such as Accenture, Level Access, Deque, etc.
- Located in Seattle Metro area preferred, or ability up to 20% travel as needed

Base Salary:
$140,000 - $160,000 USD

Salary range for this position is included in accordance with current state/local pay transparency legislation. Please note that salaries may vary for different individuals in the same role based on several factors, including but not limited to location of the role, individual competencies, education/professional certifications, experience, and performance in the role.



Why us?
We work with some of the leading digital companies in the world, helping them to build amazing digital experiences for their customers. The work is exciting, innovative, and entrepreneurial. Our global community and tech platform enables us to provide innovative digital solutions that have a meaningful impact on our clients business.

Applause is a place where everyone belongs and where we believe everyone deserves the exceptional. Since our founding, we have continued to celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment. We have a global workforce that, like our crowd, embraces diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. Our employees bring their true self to Applause. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. If you are qualified to perform the essential functions of this role, but believe you require a reasonable accommodation to do so, please email adaaccommodations@applause.com. Please be sure to include the role you are applying for and the nature of the reasonable accommodation you are seeking in your email.