Hiring Accessibility Engineers: The Complete Guide

# Accessibility Engineer

**Location:** San Francisco, CA (Hybrid) · **Employment Type:** Full-time · **Level:** Mid-Senior

## About [Company]

[Company] is committed to building products that work for everyone. Our platform serves 2M+ users, including thousands who rely on assistive technologies. We're looking for an Accessibility Engineer to ensure our digital experiences are inclusive and meet accessibility standards.

We're a team of 80 engineers, and accessibility is a company priority-not just a compliance checkbox. We believe building for everyone makes better products for everyone.

**Why join [Company]?**

- Make a real impact on users who depend on accessible products
- Leadership support for accessibility (executive-level commitment)
- Modern React codebase with room to improve
- Competitive compensation with meaningful equity
- Collaborative culture where accessibility is valued

## The Role

We're looking for an Accessibility Engineer to join our Frontend team and ensure our products are usable by everyone. You'll implement accessible components, test with assistive technologies, train developers, and advocate for inclusive design across the organization.

The ideal candidate is a frontend engineer who cares deeply about accessibility. You're frustrated by inaccessible websites and want to fix them. You can build accessible components from scratch and explain to others why it matters.

## What You'll Work On

### First 30 Days
- Audit our core user flows for accessibility issues
- Understand our design system and identify quick wins
- Meet with engineering teams and assess accessibility awareness
- Ship your first accessibility improvements

### First 90 Days
- Fix critical accessibility issues in our main product
- Establish accessibility review process for new features
- Create accessibility guidelines for our design system
- Train engineering team on accessible development basics

### First Year
- Achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for core user flows
- Build accessibility into our component library
- Establish accessibility testing in CI/CD
- Develop self-serve accessibility resources for teams

## Responsibilities

**Implementation (50%)**
- Build and improve accessible components in our design system
- Fix accessibility issues identified through audits and user feedback
- Implement keyboard navigation, focus management, and ARIA patterns
- Review PRs for accessibility concerns

**Testing & Advocacy (30%)**
- Test products with screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Conduct accessibility audits and prioritize fixes
- Advocate for accessibility in design reviews and product discussions
- Respond to accessibility-related user feedback

**Enablement (20%)**
- Train developers on accessible development practices
- Create and maintain accessibility documentation
- Collaborate with design on inclusive patterns
- Build accessibility testing into development workflows

## Required Skills and Qualifications

**Technical Skills**
- 3+ years experience in frontend development
- Strong HTML, CSS, and JavaScript fundamentals
- Deep knowledge of WCAG 2.1 guidelines
- Experience testing with screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, or JAWS)
- Understanding of ARIA-including when not to use it
- React experience (our primary framework)

**Soft Skills**
- Passion for inclusive design and accessibility
- Ability to advocate for accessibility across teams
- Clear communication with designers and developers
- Patience-accessibility improvements take time

## Nice to Have

- IAAP certification (CPACC, WAS)
- Experience building accessible design systems
- Training and enablement experience
- Personal experience with assistive technology

## Tech Stack

**Frontend:** React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
**Testing:** axe-core, Lighthouse, screen readers
**Design System:** Radix primitives, custom components
**CI/CD:** GitHub Actions with automated accessibility testing

## Compensation and Benefits

**Salary:** $130,000 - $175,000 (based on experience)
**Equity:** 0.03% - 0.10% (standard 4-year vesting with 1-year cliff)
**Bonus:** 10% annual target

**Benefits:**
- Health, dental, vision (100% covered for employee)
- 401(k) with 4% match
- Unlimited PTO (average taken: 4 weeks)
- $2,000/year learning budget
- Conference attendance for accessibility events

## Interview Process

1. **Recruiter Screen** (30 min) - Background and mutual fit
2. **Technical Screen** (60 min) - Accessibility fundamentals and WCAG knowledge
3. **Practical Exercise** (90 min) - Audit a product for accessibility and build a fix
4. **Onsite** (3.5 hours, can be virtual)
   - Component Building (60 min) - Build an accessible component
   - Accessibility Audit (45 min) - Review a design for accessibility
   - Cross-functional (45 min) - Working with designers and PMs
   - Culture Fit (45 min) - Team fit and values
5. **Offer** - Within 48 hours of final interview

We aim to complete the process in 2 weeks.