Program Manager, Digital Accessibility and Content

Under the supervision of the Assistant Dean for Academic Administration, the Program Manager, Digital Accessibility and Content partners with students, faculty, and staff to ensure that Southwestern's digital content complies with applicable accessibility standards and laws. This position conducts quality assurance audits based on WCAG 2.1 guidelines and ensures compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the ADA, and related standards for campus websites, applications, documents, videos, and the learning management system. This position leads document remediation efforts, provides digital accessibility training for the Southwestern community, and plays a key role in institutional efforts to create an inclusive digital environment.

This position is remote. The candidate must be available for work during Southwestern’s business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Pacific Time).

Primary Responsibilities

Audit and Compliance Assurance

  • Conduct accessibility audits of campus websites, applications, documents, videos, and the learning management system using various methodologies, including automated testing tools, manual assessments, and usability testing.
  • Provide accessibility quality control of documents, websites, and other digital systems.
  • Create, update, prioritize, and track accessibility issues.
  • Develop and maintain digital accessibility standards, policies, and procedures.
  • Monitor and report to senior administrators on the digital accessibility of campus websites, applications, documents, videos, and the learning management system.

Remediation & Technical Implementation

  • Independently remediate digital documents (e.g., PDFs, Word, PowerPoint) to ensure compliance with accessibility standards, including proper tagging, reading order, alt text, and semantic structure.
  • Coordinate with external remediation vendors to manage large-scale or complex document remediation projects, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to accessibility standards.
  • Develop remediation priorities and conduct remediation on campus websites, applications, documents, videos, and the learning management system by directly making changes to content or web code.

Training & Capacity Building

  • Lead, train, and supervise digital accessibility work-study students, if available, in performing document remediation and accessibility audits, ensuring quality and consistency in all deliverables.
  • Develop structured training materials and hands-on learning opportunities for work-study students, if available, to build their skills in WCAG compliance, document accessibility tools, and assistive technology testing.
  • Provide support, training, and consultation to faculty and staff regarding best practices on digital accessibility and help foster a digitally inclusive campus.
  • Keep abreast of emerging technology, industry accessibility standards, guidelines, best practices, and tools for developing accessible digital and web content.

Governance & Planning

  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all digital accessibility issues and program development.
  • Participate in and potentially serve as Co-Chair of the Digital Accessibility Committee.
  • Develop and present digital accessibility budget recommendations, including resource needs for tools, training, software, and vendor services to support institutional compliance and strategic goals.

Stakeholder Partnership & Outreach

  • Collaborate with the Academic Administration team to ensure the successful delivery of digital accessibility services.
  • Collaborate with the Communications & Marketing Department, the Information Technology Department, the Student Services Office, and the Online Education Department to respond to reported accessibility issues.
  • Maintain positive relationships with vendors and external partners.
  • Provide budget recommendations to the Assistant Dean for Academic Administration.
  • Maintain a positive, helpful, constructive attitude and work relationship with students, faculty, and staff.

In addition to the responsibilities outlined above, the individual is expected to perform assignments as directed by their supervisor and adhere to all Southwestern standards, policies, and procedures.

Minimum Job Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • At least 3 years of experience in:
    • Digital accessibility;
    • Content editing; and
    • Document remediation
  • Expert knowledge of:
    • WCAG 2.1, and successor standards, and Section 508 standards;
    • Web accessibility auditing and web accessibility testing tools;
    • Assistive technologies (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver);
    • Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Acrobat Professional; and
    • HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and by extension, JQuery
  • Experience with:
    • Learning Management Systems (Canvas preferred);
    • Content Management Systems (Drupal preferred); and
    • Video closed captioning.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

  • Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Outstanding oral and written communication.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
  • Strong analytical and technical problem-solving skills.
  • Strong teaching or training skills.

Salary: $95,000-$105,000, depending on experience

Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs1@swlaw.edu to be considered for this position.

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