About the job

Job summary

The Opportunity

Put accessibility at the heart of all we do by supporting accessibility initiatives across the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS). Working alongside customer-facing roles in the Digital Service, including our frontline Support Desk, Member Services and constituency engagement teams, you will help to embed accessibility in the way we deliver services to customers. As part of this new team, you’ll be involved in work of national importance, helping UK democracy function more efficiently and more transparently. Supporting the development and delivery of a Parliament-wide accessibility strategy and roadmap, you can expect to:

• act as a subject matter expert for digital accessibility, providing expert consultancy to customer teams
• support a culture of responsibility for accessibility, complementing existing accessibility initiatives and providing input and guidance
• contribute to the review processes, helping to embed accessibility into the full lifecycle of customer interactions with the Digital Service
• analyse insight to understand performance, maturity and impact in relation to digital accessibility, and delivering activities to improve and strengthen this
• support the upskilling of customer-facing teams, in particular our support desk and member-facing teams, and provide input to training and coaching
• contribute to accessibility networks within and outside Parliament

What You Need

We’re looking for people who are passionate about creating accessible and inclusive services and who have the interpersonal skills to build relationships and bring people together. You’ll be aware of best practice and accessibility standards and be equipped to advocate for those affected by accessibility barriers. You will also:

• be aware of technical solutions to a range of accessibility issues, including assistive technologies
• have a strong user focus and be able to engage with customers and stakeholders together evidence to support decision-making
• have experience of shaping communications relevant to the audience, including the ability to train and coach others
• be ready to influence and challenge others and to resolve disputes

Job description

• Support the creation and implementation of a digital accessibility strategy and roadmap for Digital Customer Services, PDS and Parliament.
• Act as a subject matter expert for digital accessibility and provide expert consultancy to customer teams, using your knowledge of accessibility guidelines, assistive technologies and end-user platforms.
• Support a culture of responsibility for accessibility, complementing existing accessibility initiatives and providing input and guidance.
• Support teams to review processes, considering and embedding accessibility into the full lifecycle of customer interactions with the Digital Service.
• Analyse insight to understand performance, maturity and impact in relation to digital accessibility, and deliver activities to improve and strengthen this.
• Support and upskill customer-facing teams, in particular our support desk and member-facing teams, to deliver digital services and support which are accessible to everyone. 
• Provide content and input to our training and coaching functions to embed an accessibility focus into these teams and the content they deliver.
• Support the implementation of best practice in accessibility across our customer facing services.
• Work closely with user research, design, training, HR, and customer insight functions to drive a deeper understanding of customer needs and embedding this understanding across the organisation.
• Engage with and contribute to accessibility networks within and outside Parliament, including the cross-government accessibility community.

The above list of key responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and banding of the post.

Person specification

Criterion 1 – Communicating information
Experience of shaping communications relevant to the audience. Ability to train and coach others and identify appropriate tooling to support in their tasks.

Criterion 2 – Consultancy
Ability to listen to the needs of teams and stakeholders and interpret information. Experience advocating for accessibility outside your team and managing differing perspectives.

Criterion 3 – Governance and assurance 
Experience contributing to best practice guidelines. Awareness of accessibility standards and the ability to communicate these to mitigate risk.

Criterion 4 – Teamwork
Challenging teams and resolving disputes between wider peers and indirect stakeholders, considering all views and opinions.

Criterion 5 – Technical understanding 
Advocating for appropriate technical solutions to a range of accessibility issues, demonstrating knowledge of assistive technologies. Provision of awareness and training about accessibility.

Criterion 6 – User focus
Experience advocating for those affected by accessibility barriers. Ability to engage with customers or stakeholders to collate evidence to support decision-making.

Benefits

Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include:

• up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay
• great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory)
• on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP
• flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. To apply, you will need to provide a CV anonymised and a Supporting Statement related to the question in the Criterion. Our application process is anonymous to prevent bias.

Apply By: 7th January 2024 at 23:55

Interviews: W/C 15th January

Format: Remote (Microsoft teams)

Our Culture

For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success.

We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.