Accessibility Specialist (A11Y) – Design Systems

M&T Bank•Buffalo, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Accessibility Specialist to establish and advance accessibility practices for our Enterprise Design System team. This role is responsible for defining accessibility standards, embedding inclusive practices into system components and patterns, and enabling product teams to deliver accessible digital experiences at scale. As a top 20 U.S. bank, accessibility is both a regulatory responsibility and a critical part of delivering clear, usable, and trustworthy experiences. Our Design System is central to this effort, and this role will partner closely with design, engineering, and Enterprise Accessibility to ensure accessibility is built into the foundation of our digital platforms. The specialist will serve as the primary accessibility owner for M&T’s Enterprise Design System, defining and evolving accessibility standards and best practices for system components, patterns, and documentation, and aligning with enterprise and cross-platform accessibility strategy. The role involves embedding accessibility considerations into the design and development lifecycle of UI components and patterns, providing early accessibility guidance and feedback during design exploration, and defining system-level expectations for keyboard navigation, focus management, screen reader behavior, motion, and responsive behavior. This includes ensuring accessibility is addressed consistently across shared and platform-specific implementations. The position also entails conducting accessibility reviews and audits of design system assets, defining and documenting accessibility best practices for design system consumers, and partnering with engineering and Enterprise Accessibility to refine accessibility testing approaches. The specialist will identify accessibility risks and gaps and drive sustainable solutions. Furthermore, the role requires establishing standards for accessible system-level content, emphasizing clear, plain-language writing, semantic structure, and inclusive language practices, while ensuring design system documentation models these practices. Finally, the role involves extensive cross-functional collaboration with content, design, engineering, product, and accessibility partners to support the adoption of accessible system patterns, acting as an accessibility advocate and subject-matter expert within the design system team, and enabling teams through documentation, guidance, and consultation, fostering deep partnership with Content Strategy/Design.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 3 years’ related experience, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 7 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 3 years’ related experience
Demonstrated experience applying WCAG-aligned accessibility principles to digital products or platforms, including native iOS and Android experiences
Working knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) sufficient to review implementations, evaluate accessibility behavior, and define system-level standards
Strong experience writing accessible UX content, including plain language, semantic structure, and inclusive guidance
Familiarity with industry-standard accessibility tools and testing methods, such as screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), automated testing tools (e.g., aXe, WAVE), and manual testing techniques
Experience working with design systems, component libraries, or shared UI platforms at the enterprise level
Ability to translate accessibility standards into practical guidance for designers and engineers
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

CPACC or WAS Certification is strongly preferred
Experience in financial services or other regulated industries
Familiarity with modern design and development practices, including Figma and component-based front-end ecosystems (e.g., React, Angular, Lit)
Experience collaborating with enterprise accessibility or governance teams

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary accessibility owner for M&T’s Enterprise Design System
Define and evolve accessibility standards and best practices as they apply to system components, patterns, and documentation
Partner with Enterprise Accessibility to align our implementation with enterprise and cross-platform accessibility strategy
Advocate for accessibility as a foundational system capability rather than a downstream compliance activity
Embed accessibility considerations into the design and development lifecycle of UI components and patterns
Provide early accessibility guidance and feedback on net-new components and patterns during design exploration (e.g., Figma)
Define system-level expectations for keyboard navigation, focus management, screen reader behavior, motion, and responsive behavior
Ensure accessibility is addressed consistently across shared and platform-specific implementations
Conduct accessibility reviews and audits of design system assets, independently or in partnership with external vendors
Define and document accessibility best practices for design system consumers, including areas that must be handled at the application level
Partner with engineering and Enterprise Accessibility to refine accessibility testing approaches, including keyboard navigation and interaction patterns as part of the definition of done
Identify accessibility risks and gaps and work with partners to drive sustainable solutions
Establish standards for accessible system-level content, emphasizing clear, plain-language writing that supports comprehension for diverse audiences
Define best practices for semantic structure (e.g., headings, hierarchy) to support screen readers and scannability
Provide principles and examples to help teams create appropriate accessible alternatives (such as text equivalents for visual content and media) while allowing flexibility across use cases and platforms
Promote inclusive and culturally sensitive language practices, avoiding visual-dependent, directional, or ambiguous instructions
Ensure design system documentation models accessible content practices for adopting teams
Collaborate with content, design, engineering, product, and accessibility partners to support adoption of accessible system patterns
Act as an accessibility advocate and subject-matter expert within the design system team
Enable teams through documentation, guidance, and consultation
Foster deep partnership with Content Strategy/Design