Digital Accessibility Architect

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

1d•$83,000 - $95,000•Remote

About The Position

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is an exciting and dynamic work environment grounded in organizational principles that include family and personal life/work balance; an inclusive, respectful, and supportive work environment; professional development opportunities; innovation; and alignment with the campus's teaching, learning, and research missions. DoIT provides core IT infrastructure services to the university, develops and implements services for the university and in some cases, for the Universities of Wisconsin, plays a major role in managing the state-wide higher education network and regional networks. DoIT’s Center for User Experience is seeking a User Experience and Digital Accessibility Specialist to help create more accessible, usable, and inclusive digital experiences for the UW–Madison community. This position will support user experience and accessibility evaluations, consult with campus partners, contribute to usability and accessibility research, and help teams improve websites, applications, documents, and digital services. This role is part of a collaborative team that works across the university to evaluate digital tools, identify barriers, recommend practical improvements, and support the creation of accessible digital experiences for students, faculty, staff, and the broader university community. We are seeking an individual who has experience or interest in user-centered design, accessibility, usability testing, research, consultation, and clear communication with technical and non-technical partners. This position is eligible for any of the following: 100% remote work; partial remote work; or fully on-site. Remote work requires an approved flexible work arrangement (FWA), which is reviewed and approved annually. An FWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee. This position will initially last one year, with the possibility of extending the position up to a maximum of two years and/or it may turn into an ongoing appointment based on program need and funding availability.

Requirements

Experience applying user experience, usability, accessibility, web design, content design, or user-centered design practices to digital products, services, websites, or applications
Experience evaluating digital interfaces, websites, applications, or content and documenting findings or recommendations
Experience communicating design, usability, accessibility, or technical recommendations to partners with varying levels of technical knowledge
Experience working collaboratively with designers, developers, content creators, product owners, project teams, or other stakeholders
Familiarity with digital accessibility concepts, inclusive design principles, usability principles, or relevant accessibility standards such as WCAG

Nice To Haves

Experience conducting accessibility evaluations using manual testing methods, assistive technologies, automated tools, or a combination of approaches
Experience conducting usability testing, user interviews, heuristic reviews, journey mapping, or other user research methods
Experience creating accessible digital content, websites, applications, design documentation, reports, or training materials
Experience working in higher education, public sector, nonprofit, or other complex service environments
Experience using tools such as Figma, usability testing platforms, accessibility testing tools, content management systems, issue tracking tools, or web analytics tools
Familiarity with assistive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, magnification, speech recognition, or other access technologies

Responsibilities

Assists in advising various stakeholders on user-centered and accessible practices
Performs technical digital accessibility reviews on digital resources and tools
Analyzes and synthesizes research data and metrics to inform policy, service, content, and interaction design
Assists in the design and execution of training, facilitation, and outreach materials, and researches and designs best practices to promote the use of user-centered, accessible practices at the institution
Conducts research with users to understand context and needs, utilizing methods such as ethnographic/field research, interviews, usability testing, and surveys