Accessibility Specialist

Westat is an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. Westat's research, technical, and administrative staff of more than 2,000 is located at our headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, near Washington, DC.

Westat is committed to building a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusivity, belonging and equity for all. We believe that our greatest strength draws on the different backgrounds, cultures, perspectives and experiences of our employees.

Job Summary:
Westat is seeking an Accessibility Specialist to support development and maintenance of accessibility resources and materials, and testing web content. Support includes providing information to staff regarding Federal Section 508 standards, WCAG 2.1 guidelines, and ADA Titles II & III. The candidate will be adaptable to quickly learning and understanding new technologies, be detail oriented, self-motivated, and able to work both independently and on a team. The successful candidate will also have current experience coding HTML pages that meet or exceed current Section 508 requirements.

This position has a flexible arrangement to work 2 days onsite at our office in Rockville, Maryland and 3 days from your home office.

Job Responsibilities:
• Code 508-compliant HTML using tools such as Dreamweaver.
• Design and develop accessible email templates using email platforms such as
• MailChimp and Constant Contact.
• Work with Digital Accessibility Manager and other staff to provide resources, training materials, and presentations.
• Write audio/video descriptions, write descriptive text for complex charts, equations, and images, and create table summaries for all digital content, including social media.
• Review ICT for accessibility as needed.

Basic Qualifications:
• A Bachelor's degree.
• 1 -2 years of accessibility experience.
• Demonstrated proficiency with creating and applying accessible templates using Microsoft Office products such as Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel.
• Demonstrated proficiency coding simple HTML that meets current digital accessibility requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Familiarity with WCAG 2.1 success criteria and web accessibility requirements.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software such as
• Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and PhotoShop
• DHS Trusted Tester v5 certification.
• Cross-platform and cross-browser experience.
• JavaScript or ARIA experience.
• Video captioning experience.
• Captivate experience.

Other Required Qualifications:
• Demonstrated communication skills.
• Collaboration with teams, managers and/or clients.
• Organization skills, including time management ability.
• Detail oriented.

Westat offers a well-rounded and comprehensive benefits program focused on wellness and work/life balance. Subject to plan requirements, employees may participate in:
Employee Stock Ownership Plan
401(k) Retirement Plan
Paid Parental Leave
Vacation Leave (15 days per year)
Sick Leave (10 days per year)
Holiday Leave (7 government holidays and 2 Floating holidays)
Professional Development
Health Advocate
Employee Assistance Program
Travel Accident Insurance
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Short Term Disability Insurance
Long Term Disability Insurance
Life and AD&D Insurance
Critical Illness Insurance
Supplemental Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Account
Health Savings Account

Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.