Section 508 Specialist, Advisor

Peraton•,

3d•$86,000 - $138,000•Remote

About The Position

Peraton is hiring a remote Section 508 Specialist, Advisor to lead documentation strategy, Section 508 compliance, assistive technology testing, and documentation automation for the CMS Medicare Systems Solutions (CMSS) program. The role serves as the program’s subject matter authority on accessibility and documentation, leads and mentors technical writers across CMSS workstreams, and works with CMS stakeholders, enterprise compliance reviewers, and internal program teams. The specialist will develop and maintain documentation standards and plans, oversee documentation deliverables and their alignment with program schedules, and integrate documentation practices into delivery workflows. The role leads accessibility reviews against Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA standards, conducts hands-on testing using assistive technologies, and guides staff in creating accessible content. It also develops testing and remediation processes and tracks compliance issues. The position modernizes documentation processes through automation, AI-assisted drafting, accessibility testing tools, documentation-as-code, and structured content publishing. It establishes quality review and governance practices, maintains a versioned and accessible document repository, and reports documentation delivery and quality metrics to program leadership. U.S. citizenship is required, and the employee must be able to obtain and maintain a federal Public Trust clearance.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience with a BS/BA degree, or 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
At least 8 years of progressive technical writing and documentation experience, including at least 3 years in a lead or senior role on a federal IT program.
Current Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification (DHS/GSA v5.x or later), or equivalent expertise with the ability to certify within 90 days of hire.
Hands-on knowledge of assistive technologies used in federal computing environments, including Dragon NaturallySpeaking, JAWS, NVDA, ZoomText, Fusion, VoiceOver, Narrator, TalkBack, Kurzweil 3000, Read&Write, BrowseAloud, Switch Access, and refreshable Braille displays.
Experience with at least two automated accessibility testing tools, such as Axe DevTools, WAVE, Microsoft Accessibility Checker, Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker, PAC3, or equivalent.
Demonstrated experience producing and managing technical documentation for federal government IT programs; health IT, CMS, or Medicare/Medicaid experience is preferred.
Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including accessibility features; Adobe Acrobat Pro for PDF remediation; and Confluence or SharePoint for repository management.
Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and ability to integrate documentation tasks into sprint planning and delivery.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical content to technical and non-technical audiences.
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a federal Public Trust clearance.

Nice To Haves

Active DHS Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification (v5.x) at time of application.
Formal training or certification in assistive technology, such as ATACP or equivalent.
Experience conducting assistive-technology-based user acceptance testing with individuals with disabilities or coordinating with advocacy groups for usability feedback.
Experience documenting CMS ClaimsCore, FISS, MCS, CWF, or DME systems.
Familiarity with Docs-as-Code practices, including Markdown, AsciiDoc, and Git-based pipelines.
Experience integrating AI-assisted writing tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, or LLM-based drafting assistants, into federal documentation workflows.
Knowledge of Plain Language or Plain Writing Act requirements for federal publications.
Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC) credential from STC.
Experience with API documentation tools such as Swagger/OpenAPI or Postman.
Prior experience as a documentation lead on CMS or HHS contracts.
Familiarity with NIST 800-series documentation requirements and federal System Security Plan documentation.
Knowledge of GSA Assistive Technology Program standards and federal assistive technology procurement frameworks.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the CMSS Documentation Management Plan, including standards, templates, naming conventions, version control, and lifecycle policies.
Lead and mentor technical writers and contributors across CMSS workstreams, including FISS, MCS, CWF, and DMES.
Serve as the primary contact for documentation deliverables submitted to CMS, including systems and methods documents, user guides, release notes, SOPs, and architecture artifacts.
Align the documentation roadmap with sprint cycles, release schedules, and CMS reporting requirements.
Integrate documentation into delivery workflows in collaboration with Program Management, Architecture & Engineering, and Operations teams.
Lead Section 508 compliance and ensure documents, web content, software interfaces, and digital deliverables meet Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Conduct and oversee conformance reviews of PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, and software-interface deliverables before CMS submission.
Develop and maintain 508 testing protocols, checklists, and remediation playbooks.
Train and advise staff on accessible content practices, including heading structures, alt text, color contrast, reading order, and form labeling.
Coordinate with the CMS Section 508 office and enterprise accessibility reviewers.
Maintain a compliance log and issue-tracking process to support timely remediation.
Test deliverables and digital products with assistive technologies and validate usability in real-world scenarios.
Document assistive technology test results, identify failure patterns, and collaborate with development and documentation teams on remediation.
Keep current on assistive technology updates, federal procurement standards, and emerging accessibility technologies; advise staff on compatibility requirements.
Evaluate and implement tools and workflows for documentation automation, including AI-assisted drafting, changelog generation, and CI/CD-linked pipelines.
Integrate automated accessibility testing tools into review workflows.
Pilot documentation-as-code methodologies and structured content authoring for publishing to multiple formats.
Work with Architecture & Engineering and Infrastructure & Platform teams to integrate documentation automation into DevOps and Agile environments.
Establish documentation quality reviews, including peer review, technical accuracy review, and 508 pre-clearance gates.
Ensure deliverables comply with CMS style guides, contract requirements, and federal standards, including Section 508, the Plain Writing Act, and NIST requirements.
Maintain a master deliverables inventory and repository, ensuring versioning, accessibility, and audit readiness.
Track and report documentation delivery metrics, including on-time delivery, 508 defect rate, and rework rate.