Position overview / Statement of Work
The Senior Accessibility Specialist will serve as the lead technical and strategic resource for designing, implementing, and institutionalizing the Client's digital accessibility program across Phila.gov and content creation pipelines throughout the Client. During the first six (6) months at 37.5 hours per week, the resource will assess the Client's current digital accessibility posture, develop an enterprise accessibility framework and roadmap, establish testing and remediation workflows, and work to embed digital accessibility practices into procurement, design, and development processes.
During the subsequent six (6) months, the resource will transition to an advisory and sustainment role-providing ongoing guidance, training, quality assurance reviews, and program maturation to ensure the Client can maintain and advance its accessibility efforts independently. The resource will work closely with OIT's Digital Services team, departmental stakeholders, and vendor partners to ensure that accessibility is integrated across the full lifecycle of digital products and services.
Work activities:
- Identify non-compliant digital properties (websites, applications, PDFs, forms, kiosks) in context of WCAG 2.1 AA standards
- Implement the standard operating procedure for digital document creation and publishing
Establish and develop automated and manual accessibility validation workflows, including tooling recommendations, integration with CI/CD pipelines, and quality assurance checkpoints for design, development, and procurement processes.
Skills/experience of the assigned staff:
Required
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in digital accessibility, including hands-on auditing, remediation, and program development.
- Deep expertise in WCAG 2.1 AA / AAA, Section 508, ADA Title II, and assistive technology (screen readers, magnifiers, voice input, switch devices).
- Demonstrated experience designing and implementing enterprise accessibility governance frameworks, policies, and testing processes.
- Proficiency with accessibility testing tools (e.g., axe, JAWS, NVDA) and experience integrating automated accessibility checks into CI/CD pipelines.
Highly Desired/Preferred
- Experience working in or with government agencies, particularly on large-scale digital transformation or accessibility compliance initiatives.
- Experience with Mobile App accessibility testing
- Familiarity with content management systems (e.g. WordPress) and common government technology platforms, with an understanding of how to embed accessibility into CMS workflows.
- IAAP certification (CPAC, CPWA, CPACC, or WAS) or equivalent professional credential.
- Experience with inclusive design methodologies, user research with people with disabilities, and plain-language content strategy.