IT Accessibility Coordinator

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill the Agency Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator role. This is an IT Policy and Planning – Journey position. This position can be located in any of the locations listed below:

Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA.
Central Region Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA.
Eastern Region Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA.
Richland Field Office (RFO) in Richland, WA.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

In this role, you will be responsible to provide agency wide coordination and management of digital accessibility leadership; and serve as the ITSO digital accessibility champion. This will include responsibility for establishing and managing agency best practices, policies and standards, and recommending using various disciplines. You will actively lead and participate in assigned ADA and Accessibility workgroups, reporting to the ADA and Accessibility Steering Committee. You will actively engage with the Application Developers Forum bringing forward best practices and documented standards.

The mission of the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) is to create and support useful technology services that adapt for the future and support Ecology’s mission. ITSO’s mission is realized by focusing on the following strategic objectives and outcomes:

Modeling behavior that demonstrates trust and integrity, accountability, and adherence to Ecology’s Core Competencies.
Engaging in continuous learning, process improvement and proactive communication with our business partners so that we deliver high quality services that leverage modern technical solutions and meet the business needs.
Advancing the Portfolio Management program for transparent decision-making, and mission driven prioritization.
Managing agency systems to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability by evaluating business need, cyber threats, risk, and maintainability, so that agency data is accurate and reliable.
Leading enterprise data management; promote agency defined data standards and industry best practices, architect technical systems integrations, and provide technical support for hardware and software tools allowing the agency to make data driven decisions.

Tele-work options for this position: This position will be eligible for up to a 90% tele-work schedule. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on November 27, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before November 26, 2023. If your application isn’t received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date.

Please Note: We will review all applications received before the date above. Additional reviews after this date typically only occur if we have a small applicant pool, or if a successful Hire was not made.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives(Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information

About the Department of Ecology

Protecting Washington State’s environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan.
Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering:

A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
Continuous growth and development opportunities.
Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.

Duties

What makes this role unique?

In this role, you will be designated as the Agency Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator (a designated agency role per OCIO Policy 188) providing accessibility and digital accessibility expertise agency-wide which includes agency wide planning and leadership, policy and standards development, and leading agency wide and program specific workgroups aligning with the Agency Strategic Plan and goals to advance accessibility.

You will manage compliance with Washington State OCIO Policy 188 and state and federal laws (Section #508, ADA); as well as advises programs and staff on how to best ensure compliance and accuracy of Ecology Administrative Policy 16-14 Requiring Digital Accessibility. The position is the designated role to develop, and maintain the agency’s Accessibility policies and standards, facilitates the ADA and Accessibility steering committee and leads appropriate workgroups; such as the Digital Accessibility Champions.

You will serve as ITSO’s Digital Accessibility Champion and maintains ITSO’s Program Accessibility Compliance Plan and Digital Accessibility Implementation Plan. You will engage and provide input to other Agency Accessibility workgroups such as Document Accessibility.

What you will do:

Serve as the Agency Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator responsible for establishing and coordinating digital accessibility compliance efforts across the Agency.
Act as the key contact and maintains the Agency digital accessibility plan that identifies how the agency will ensure new covered technologies are accessible and the plan for making existing covered technologies accessible.
Act as the agent of change and serve as a key relational influencer to persuade and encourage the agency to provide similar access to agency digital information for people living with disabilities.
Lead and direct the Program Digital Accessibility Champion Team (PDACT). The PDACT consists of a champion per program who is responsible for leading their program’s execution of the Program Digital Accessibility Implementation Plan.
Prepare and provide status briefings to Ecology’s Access Steering Committee highlighting progress and risk; makes improvement recommendations when appropriate.
Develop metrics, critical success factors and key indicators to monitor and assess the agency’s accessibility program progress.
Maintain Ecology’s digital accessibility policies to ensure they align with Washington State OCIO Accessibility Policy 188, state and federal laws (Section #508, ADA).
Serve as technical advisor and issue technical guidance to support agency applications are compliant with Washington State OCIO Accessibility Policy 188, state and federal laws (Section #508, ADA).
Develop and maintain the agency’s Application User Experience standards and best practices that ensures application development teams comply with WA State Minimum Standard, Policy 188.10, and current version of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

Option 1:

Six (6) years of professional experience in policy or business analysis of IT initiatives and/or agency-wide initiatives.

Option 2:

An Associate’s degree in Computer Science, IT, or closely related field; Completion of a two (2) year accredited vocational training program in IT or related program and four (4) years professional experience in policy or business analysis of IT initiatives and/or agency-wide initiatives.

Option 3:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, IT, or closely related field and two (2) years professional experience in policy or business analysis of IT initiatives and/or agency-wide initiatives

Possible Combinations.

College credit hours or degree – as listed above.

Years of required experience – as listed above.

Combination 1

No college credit hours or degree.

6 years of experience.

Combination 2

30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.

5 years of experience.

Combination 3

60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).

4 years of experience.

Combination 4

90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits.

3 years of experience.

Combination 5

A Bachelor’s Degree or higher.

2 years of experience.

Desired Qualifications:
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.

Four years of experience developing, recommending, and maintaining User experience standards, best practices for an organization, including facilitation with diverse stakeholder groups.
Current knowledge of W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG (currently 2.1 Level AA), AA success criteria, and laws (ADA, Section 508).
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Proficiency in writing technical user documentation and presenting to diverse audience.

Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

Supplemental Information

Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not send an email to this address to follow-up on the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile’s main page.
If you are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology.

Application Instructions:

It’s in the applicant’s best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.

A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position.
A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.
Three professional references.

Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.

For Your Privacy:
When attaching documents to your application (such as Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.):

Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc.
Do not attach documents that are password-protected, as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded.

Additional Application Instructions for Current Ecology Employees:

Please make sure to answer the agency-wide questions regarding permanent status as a classified employee within the Washington General Service or Washington Management Service. Do not forget to select Department of Ecology as a response to question 2, and type your personnel ID number for question 3. If you are not sure of your status or do not know your personnel ID number, please contact Human Resources.

Application Attestation:

The act of submitting application materials electronically is considered affirmation that the information is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information and any untruthful or misleading answers are cause for rejection of your application or dismissal if employed.

Other Information:

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Mark Solie at: Mark.Solie@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Mark to inquire about the status of your application.

To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Why work for Ecology?

As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State’s environment. A career in public service allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help
The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

Collective Bargaining: This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Washington State Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application/testing process or this job announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 407-6186. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

Note: This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.