Principal Accessibility Specialist

Important Notice for Applicants:

At Bixal, we want to ensure a transparent and secure application process for all candidates. Official communication will come from an email address ending in @bixal.com or from [email protected]. Messages from other sources may be fraudulent, and you should exercise care to avoid any links or attachments included. If you experience any challenges with your submission, please contact us at [email protected]. We're here to help!

Bixal will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require any accommodation as part of our recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected]. You can expect a response from a team member within 24 hours during the regular work week and on the next operating day during the weekend or holidays.

About Us:Bixal is a consulting company based in Fairfax, VA, working alongside governments and organizations to help them deliver better services and experiences to the communities they serve. Using evidence-based knowledge and technology, Bixal empowers clients to deliver on their missions more effectively by fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

LocationThis role can work remotely from anywhere in the USA. You must be legally authorized to work in the US. Bixal does not provide visa sponsorship. 

What Will You Do?We are seeking a passionate and experienced Lead Accessibility Engineer to champion accessible design, development, and testing across our digital products. In this role, you will lead the strategy, implementation, and continuous improvement of accessibility standards within our organization. You will work closely with designers, developers, and product managers to ensure compliance with the latest WCAG standards and improve user experiences for individuals with disabilities.

Important noteThis is a full-time proposal position contingent on contract award.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy

• Define and drive the client’s accessibility roadmap, aligning it with product goals and WCAG compliance requirements.
• Provide accessibility expertise and support across scrum teams.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to a team of engineers and other stakeholders across the project.
• Align closely with designers and front-end engineers on accessible best practices.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on accessibility issues and solutions, staying up to date with WCAG guidelines, 508 and OMB initiatives and other relevant standards.

Implementation and Development

• Adhere to modern software development practices, including accessibility, documentation, testing, observability, and monitoring.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure accessibility is incorporated into the design and development process from the start.
• Deep knowledge and experience with design systems and component libraries.
• Guide the development of accessible user interfaces and components, ensuring they meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards or higher.
• Lead code reviews and audits to assess, improve, and maintain accessibility compliance across digital products.
• Strong knowledge of ARIA and how screen readers interact with components.

Testing and Validation

• Establish and lead processes for automated and manual accessibility testing, using tools such as ANDI, Axe, or WAVE.
• Leverage various forms of assistive technology during development, such as VoiceOver, JAWS, and ZoomText.
• Develop and manage a repository of accessibility test cases and documentation to ensure consistent testing and compliance.
• Collaborate with QA teams to embed accessibility testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Ensure accessible outcomes through coordinated development, component testing, and issue remediation.

Education and Advocacy

• Advocate for accessibility best practices and foster a culture of inclusion, ensuring accessibility is a core consideration in product development.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners, including disability advocates, to gather feedback and improve user experience.
• Build relationships and foster open collaboration with partner teams on the VA.gov platform and other stakeholders.

Compliance and Reporting

• Ensure all products meet or exceed legal accessibility requirements and document compliance efforts for stakeholders.
• Lead the development of an accessibility reporting framework to monitor progress, identify gaps, and prioritize improvements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in accessibility engineering, with a deep understanding of WCAG, ADA, Section 508, and other relevant guidelines.
• Proficiency in front-end development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) with an emphasis on accessible coding practices.
• Strong experience with assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, voice input tools).
• Familiarity with accessibility testing tools such as ANDI, Axe, WAVE, or similar.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead, educate, and advocate for accessibility across teams.
• Passion for creating accessible digital experiences and an inclusive user experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

Nice to have

• Experience in a leadership or team lead role within accessibility or software engineering.
• Trusted Tester certification.
• AAP certifications such as CPACC or WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist) are a plus.