Public Trust Eligibility Required
This is a contingent position, meaning employment is dependent upon the successful award of the associated contract to Aretum and completion of any required background investigation or security clearance verification.
About Aretum
Aretum is a mission-driven organization committed to delivering innovative, technology-enabled solutions to our customers across defense, civilian, and homeland security sectors. Our teams work at the intersection of strategy, technology, and transformation, helping agencies solve their most critical challenges. We believe in investing in our people and creating a culture where collaboration, inclusion, and professional growth are at the forefront.
Job Summary
Aretum is seeking an Accessibility Specialist to join our team supporting a large-scale federal technology modernization program. As an Accessibility Specialist, you will be embedded within a User Experience and Accessibility Services workstream, performing accessibility evaluation throughout the software development lifecycle using both automated and manual techniques. You will evaluate design concepts and coded solutions against Section 508 (36 C.F.R. 1194.1), WCAG 2.1 A and AA, and applicable agency digital accessibility standards, beginning during wireframing and continuing through high-fidelity prototypes and code review. You will document accessibility issues and fixes in the program's tracking systems, author Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) and Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) prior to major releases, and collaborate daily with the program's accessibility leads, product owners, UX designers, and developers to ensure accessibility issues are identified early and remediated within sprint cadence. This is a hands-on role that requires deep, current expertise in digital accessibility evaluation and the ability to work effectively inside a SAFe Agile environment.
Due to the nature of our work as a federal consulting organization, employees may be expected to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must adhere to applicable safeguarding and compliance requirements.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate design concepts for accessibility issues and opportunities in alignment with applicable federal digital accessibility standards, providing expert guidance on how to address gaps in design concepts
- Collaborate with the program's accessibility lead and federal accessibility staff to ensure early identification and resolution of accessibility barriers
- Conduct manual and automated accessibility evaluations on coded solutions, beginning during wireframing and continuing through high-fidelity prototypes and code review
- Document accessibility issues and fixes in the program's project tracking and documentation systems, with WCAG 2.1 success criteria mapping, severity classification, and clear remediation guidance for developers
- Report accessibility test results on coded solutions and ongoing issues per Sprint and on a major release basis for the federal accessibility team's review and validation
- Author Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) and/or Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) prior to major releases, aligned to Section 508 and applicable agency accessibility standards
- Produce accessibility review notes, annotated design files, issue summaries, and full accessibility conformance evaluation reports as program deliverables
- Verify accessible code per the standards defined in the applicable Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan and support remediation of accessibility issues identified in the program backlog
- Ensure designs and patterns support users without vision; with limited vision; without perception of color; without hearing; with limited hearing; without speech; with limited manipulation; with limited reach and strength; and with limited language, cognitive, and learning abilities
- Proactively identify potential accessibility barriers in design and development solutions and raise them for discussion and remediation with the program's accessibility architects and product owners, working closely with the development team to ensure successful remediation
- Review documentation of accessibility considerations included with design handoffs in collaboration with federal accessibility staff
- Participate in the User-Centered Design (UCD) process (Discover, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Validate) ensuring accessibility is considered from the earliest stages of UX work, including information architecture, wireframes, visual design, and content strategy
- Participate fully in SAFe Agile ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standup, Sprint Review, Retrospective, and Backlog Refinement), planning and estimating accessibility work within normal sprint workflows rather than as external dependencies
- Contribute to design system governance by reviewing proposed components, patterns, and tokens against WCAG 2.1 A and AA standards prior to final approval
- Coordinate with product owners, federal subject matter experts, software engineering staff, user experience design staff, accessibility staff, and IT security staff as needed to align accessibility work with program priorities