Lead Accessibility Engineer

Appian Corporation • McLean, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.
We are seeking a highly skilled and passionate Lead Accessibility Engineer to join our team and drive our commitment to an accessible low-code software development platform. This role is a strategic leadership position instrumental in ensuring our products are inclusive and usable by people with disabilities while establishing a sustainable, scalable framework for accessibility at Appian.
The ideal candidate will move beyond tactical firefighting to focus on strategic industry knowledge and the operationalization of accessibility across large-scale software platforms.
This role is based at our Headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian. If you are not already located in the surrounding McLean, VA area, your willingness to relocate will be a contingency for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Web Design and Development, or a related field is preferred.
• Proven experience in accessibility engineering with a strong understanding of WCAG, Section 508, ADA, and other relevant accessibility standards.
• Practical and direct experience with accessibility testing tools and techniques and assistive technologies such as screen readers, speech recognition, screen magnifiers and alternative input devices.
• Practical knowledge of no-code or low-code development platforms and their accessibility implications.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex technical information into clear and understandable terms for non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to drive accessibility initiatives.
• Experience with automated accessibility testing tools and frameworks.
• Certifications in accessibility.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Execution & Governance: Lead the implementation of the Accessibility Operations Strategy, transitioning accessibility from a manual process to a standardized, documented requirement for all platform changes.
• Automation Roadmap: Develop and execute a roadmap to make accessibility "cheap and easy" for delivery teams by investing in AI-driven validations, automated static analysis, and regression protection.
• Team Leadership: Oversee and provide direction for a new support team of accessibility contractors (and future in-house junior engineers), ensuring they are tightly coupled with delivery and support teams.
• Cross-Functional Enablement: Provide expert guidance, tooling and procedures to Product Managers, UX, QE and Developers while maintaining structural independence.
• Standardization & Compliance: Establish enforceable SLAs/SLOs for accessibility resolutions and manage regular, repeatable updates to the platform’s VPAT through both internal processes and 3rd-party audits.
• Customer & Legal Advocacy: Act as the primary subject matter expert to build strong customer relationships and confidently defend Appian's accessibility capabilities during customer audits or legal inquiries.
• Organizational Awareness: Lead organization-crossing initiatives to disseminate consistent guidance and ensure organizational understanding of evolving global accessibility legislation.
• Customer Interaction: Build strong relationships with customers to understand their accessibility needs and challenges. Collaborate with customer-facing teams to resolve accessibility issues and provide guidance on accessibility best practices.

Benefits

• Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees