Digital Accessibility Coordinator (MA5) - Olympia

State of Washington•Thurston County – Olympia, WA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Digital Accessibility Coordinator serves as the agency’s enterprise expert on digital accessibility and reports directly to the Civil Rights Senior Administrator. The position provides advanced analysis, policy development, and strategic consultation on complex accessibility issues affecting agency-wide programs, digital services, technology systems, and public access. It helps strengthen equitable service delivery for employees, providers, clients, and the public. The Coordinator leads the development of enterprise digital accessibility policy and governance, advises executive leadership on organizational risk and compliance, and establishes standards for accessible digital services. The role supports compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements and promotes inclusive access to information and services across agency programs. This position is flexible/hybrid and may be performed remotely, with in-person attendance in Olympia required when needed for meetings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, information technology, computer science, accessibility studies, communications, or a closely related field, and five years of progressively responsible professional experience in the listed areas; or an equivalent combination of education and experience totaling nine years in those areas.
The required experience areas include enterprise digital accessibility, accessibility program implementation, accessibility training or adult education, UX or human-centered design, web accessibility, software development lifecycle integration, technology governance, digital communications, ADA/504 compliance, and enterprise policy development.
Knowledge of digital accessibility principles and best practices, WCAG standards, and federal and state accessibility laws and policies.
Knowledge of accessibility testing methodologies, enterprise governance and policy development, project coordination, stakeholder engagement, communication, facilitation, and training techniques.
Knowledge of continuous process improvement, adult learning principles, instructional design, user-centered design, usability principles, and digital customer experience.
Ability to provide enterprise digital accessibility leadership without direct authority; analyze complex technical and business issues; develop policies and standards; and coordinate multiple stakeholders.
Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences, facilitate collaboration across organizational boundaries, balance competing priorities, and manage multiple projects.
Ability to translate complex technical accessibility requirements into practical requirements for diverse audiences, develop and deliver effective technical training, and influence organizational change without direct supervisory authority.
Ability to take action to learn and grow and to meet the needs of others.
Must successfully complete employee orientation and mandatory annual in-service and other required training within mandated timeframes.
Required degrees must be from an appropriately accredited institution or foreign equivalent; foreign equivalency certification must be attached for degrees obtained outside the United States.

Nice To Haves

Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).
Certified Professional in User Experience (UX).
Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS).
Experience developing enterprise training programs.
Experience applying human-centered design or user experience methodologies.
Experience facilitating large cross-functional workshops.
Trusted Tester Certification.
Experience implementing accessibility programs for a large public-sector organization.
Experience reviewing VPATs and accessibility conformance documentation.
Experience with accessibility testing tools, including screen readers, keyboard testing, automated testing software, and color contrast analyzers.
Experience supporting procurement, software development, lifecycle integration, or enterprise digital governance.
Experience leading cross-functional strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

Serve as the agency’s recognized enterprise expert on digital accessibility.
Provide expert analysis and strategic recommendations to executive leadership on complex accessibility issues affecting agency-wide operations, policy, technology, and customer access.
Establish and continuously improve the enterprise digital accessibility governance framework, including priorities, standards, policies, and implementation direction.
Lead enterprise accessibility governance by coordinating agency-wide initiatives, facilitating executive and cross-functional decision-making, and aligning accessibility with organizational objectives.
Develop long-term accessibility strategies, roadmaps, performance measures, and reporting processes.
Research and interpret emerging accessibility laws, standards, technologies, and practices, and recommend enterprise implementation strategies.
Prepare executive briefings, risk assessments, and recommendations regarding accessibility priorities, compliance risks, resource needs, and organizational impacts.
Promote accessibility as a core business practice by integrating user-centered design and accessibility principles into agency operations and digital service delivery.
Develop and oversee the agency’s long-term accessibility education strategy.
Analyze federal and state accessibility laws, regulations, standards, and guidance to assess organizational impacts and recommend compliance strategies.
Develop, implement, and maintain enterprise digital accessibility policies, standards, procedures, and governance frameworks.
Develop enterprise accessibility standards that integrate accessibility, usability, and user experience into business processes, procurement, and technology governance.
Recommend policy, operational, and business process improvements that reduce organizational risk, remove accessibility barriers, and improve equitable access.
Conduct enterprise accessibility assessments and provide expert recommendations on high-risk technology implementations, digital services, and business solutions.
Integrate accessibility requirements throughout planning, procurement, design, development, implementation, maintenance, and modernization.
Lead and evaluate manual and automated accessibility testing, analyze results, establish remediation priorities, and recommend risk-based corrective actions.
Advise executive leadership on organizational readiness, accessibility strategy, and enterprise change initiatives that advance accessibility maturity.