Accessibility QA Engineer

We are looking for a lead-level accessibility QA Engineer who still tests hands-on. You will guide engineering on accessible implementation, run knowledge sessions for engineering and product, and write an accessibility plan for a platform. The plan states the testing the platform needs and the support and budget it does not yet have. Quality engineering uses that plan to request both.

You will audit against WCAG 2.2, targeting AA, with awareness of AAA where relevant, and you need working knowledge of WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 at A and AA. Audits use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and automated scanners. You will own the accessibility testing process, from test plans, severity, regression, and sign-off through CI gates, remediation guidance, and stakeholder reporting. An accessibility certification is not required.

You will manage and mentor the accessibility QA team and report conformance and regulatory risk in writing that both engineers and legal or compliance staff can use.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct accessibility audits and risk assessments against WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA, with awareness of relevant Level AAA criteria.
• Test semantic HTML, WAI-ARIA, keyboard interaction, screen-reader behavior, native mobile applications, the DOM, and the accessibility tree.
• Create and review test plans, test cases, and automated accessibility tests using axe-core with Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or comparable frameworks.
• Write platform accessibility plans and maintain the testing process, including priorities, definition of done, regression, release-readiness, approved exceptions, risk acceptance, and remediation tracking.
• Shift accessibility left with product, design, and engineering through accessible components, early acceptance criteria, pull-request checks, automated scanners, and CI/CD gates.
• Track conformance, maintain Accessibility Conformance Reports using the appropriate VPAT template, evaluate vendor accessibility claims, and communicate regulatory risk.
• Establish accessibility quality metrics, dashboards, and stakeholder reporting.
• Apply AI-assisted testing and reporting tools with human verification of generated results.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the accessibility QA team through planning, coaching, review, and calibration.
• Train product, design, engineering, and QA teams, and provide actionable remediation guidance through validation.
• Produce technical findings, defect reports, and stakeholder communications for engineering, business, and legal and compliance audiences.

Requirements:

• Lead-level accessibility experience, including hands-on testing and building or operating an accessibility testing process.
• Deep knowledge of WCAG 2.2 testing and conformance, plus US and European requirements, including the ADA, Section 508, EN 301 549, and the EAA.
• Practical fluency in WAI-ARIA 1.2, ARIA Authoring Practices, semantic HTML, CSS, accessible names, and expected keyboard interactions.
• Proficiency with NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack, keyboard-only testing, native mobile accessibility, and DOM and accessibility-tree inspection.
• Experience conducting accessibility audits and risk assessments for web and mobile products.
• Experience creating test assets and automated accessibility tests using axe-core with Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or comparable frameworks.
• Experience selecting automated scanners and integrating accessibility into design reviews, pull requests, and CI/CD.
• Experience writing accessibility plans and defining testing scope, priorities, quality gates, exceptions, and remediation tracking.
• Experience authoring and reviewing Accessibility Conformance Reports, selecting the appropriate VPAT template, and evaluating vendor accessibility claims.
• Experience defining accessibility metrics and using AI-assisted tools with appropriate human verification.
• Experience leading and training QA or accessibility teams and working with product, design, and engineering.
• Ability to explain user impact and provide actionable remediation guidance through implementation and validation.
• Strong written communication for engineering, business, and legal and compliance audiences.

Nice To Have:

• IAAP certification such as CPACC, WAS, or CPWA, or Section 508 Trusted Tester certification.
• PDF and document accessibility experience, including tagged PDF structure and the PAC tool.
• Knowledge of cognitive and low-vision accessibility.
• Experience contributing to or auditing an accessible design system.
• Experience with accessibility maturity models.