Quality Assurance Analyst

Quality Assurance AnalystLocation: Hartford, CT (Remote) Duration: 6 Months NOTE: This is a testing-heavy role. Manual testing of digital assets is the primary responsibility of this position.Job Description:Client is seeking a Digital Accessibility Tester who has strong experience in the manual testing of complex digital assets. These assets include websites, applications, documents, enterprise platforms, mobile apps, chatbots, digital forms, authenticated user systems, CMS integrations, and various legacy technologies. You will develop test cases, maintain test libraries, manually test assets and identify accessibility issues, manage issue inventories, document solutions, and guide multiple state and vendor teams in remediating problems to help them reach compliance with state accessibility standards.You will work across several verticals including health, business, education, transportation, employment, judicial, housing, agriculture and many more. This role demands a deep familiarity with the requirements and processes for complying with current and future accessibility standards as documented in WCAG, ADA, and Section 508. You will also support cross-functional teams who have responsibilities in the application of remediation efforts connected to your testing work. These teams include website administrators, content developers, platform engineers, and digital asset managers. You will be responsible for clearly communicating testing results to stakeholders as needed and be able to intelligently answer questions about your testing processes and results.This role requires strong QA practices, proactive problem-solving, and an ability to meet consistent project deadlines. Your work will help open up access to critical state services and change lives.Conduct testing of digital products, services, and technologies, to ensure the State can meet the highest standards of accessibilityMaintain and organize testing data to allow for focused application of remediation effortsAssist with code review and remediation, helping developers and engineers quickly apply best practice solutions for critical usability issuesThis role will support the State's enterprise initiative for accessibility optimization. To better understand the needs, we broke down additional responsibilities into seven main areas.Assessment:Audit current State systems and customer-facing assets to find accessibility issues. Assemble and deliver test data to show commonalities as well as unique areas of needDevelop test cases and improve testing protocols, to allow for the deepest discovery of issuesClearly summarize accessibility findings and provide recommendations for remediation, including code-level and role-based recommendations and solutionsEvaluate new vendor products for compliance with accessibility standards, and help improve the State procurement process for technology and digital servicesDocumentation:Collect and document testing data to allow for clear benchmarking, gap analysis, and risk assessment aligned to platform, service domain, asset type, and customer journeySupport performance scoring, compliance tracking, and analysis reportsAlign with State Accessibility leadership to help support the roadmap, vision, and strategy for enterprise accessibility improvementsTesting/QA:Execute and iterate manual accessibility testing for all state digital assets, before and after remediationIntegrate testing policies and perform quality checks on audit processes to validate results and support best practices for testing, for both state and vendor workCommunication:Clearly communicate testing outcomes and provide expertise to help stakeholders understand resultsKeep Accessibility leadership apprised of progress, challenges, and outcomes related to the enterprise testing effortsEstablish and maintain effective relationships across multiple teams to help support accessibility work at the State.Maintaining:Maintain test libraries, testing standards, tool configurations, data repositories, and reporting frameworks to help support the state's ongoing governance of accessibility standardsMentor internal team members and agency staff on accessibility standards and testing approaches to promote sustainability and skills transferStay on top of the latest changes in WCAG, ADA, and Section 508 standards, and document and apply adjustments to testing practices to accommodate these changesRequired Knowledge, Skills, and Ability:Bachelor's degree is required, preferably in the field of Computer Science, Software Engineering, IT, Web Development, Library or Informational Science, or Human Computer Interaction3+ years of hands-on digital accessibility testing experience, including experience with assistive technologies, WCAG compliance, and manual testing methods2+ years of experience on a digital product team, either working as a project owner or individual contributor, working collaboratively with internal and external teams to improve products and services using digital accessibility technologies, policies, and best practicesStrong proficiency in manual testing with assistive tech: NVDA, JAWS, Dragon, Fusion, Deque, Wave, ZoomText, VoiceOver, TalkBack. Also expertise with built-in device features such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, magnifiers, onscreen keyboards, eye gaze tech, and alternative input devices including keyboardsStrong proficiency in HTML, ARIA, and semantic markup knowledgeExpertise in auditing common and legacy systems and products to find accessibility issues, providing guidance for mitigating issues, and improving accessibility knowledge and practices within internal teamsDemonstrated understanding of user-centered design (UCD) methodologies and how to use testing data to support accessibility design problemsStrong understanding of responsive web design principles, techniques, and frameworksExperience testing and assessing accessibility issues on internal business processes, including case management and data collection systemsCreative out-of-the box thinking to provide solution-oriented guidance for optimizing digital assets using the latest digital accessibility techniques and toolsCan work both independently and collaboratively to help advance a program's accessibility standardsExperience as a mentor or coach for other product and service testers to promote stronger consistency and standardsStrong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to clearly present data and analysis, as well as the ability to receive feedback on your workExpert in facilitating the integration of test data to support analysis and remediation processesStrong ability to create and maintain documentation and best practice testing methodologies across multiple systems and functional areasAbility to explain technical issues to non-technical stakeholders and communicate their implication on systems, processes, projects, and services. Able to facilitate discussions and solutionsPreferred Skills & Qualifications:Experience with software like Axe, WebAIM, SiteImprove, and SitebulbExperience with browser devtools and accessibility extensions: Axe, WAVE, ARC ToolkitStrong written and oral communication skills, and responsiveness to leadership and stakeholder requestsStrong organizational skills and experience with project tracking software, along with experience in agile processes and project development best practicesExperience in balancing a diverse workload of projects, with varying complexities and unique needsExcellent time management skills, with an ability to commit and deliver on project goals, timelines, and target datesAbility to work independently as well as part of a team to reach program goals and meet dynamic business objectivesAbility to engage in rigid practices for accessibility testing, while maintaining flexibility for ad-hoc needsStrong proficiency with MS Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and ZoomOther Desired Skills:Experience in testing complex systems that use standard technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, jQuery)Experience in accessibility compliance for chatbots and other customer communication toolsExperience in accessibility compliance for analog formats like Word, Powerpoint, and print marketing assetsExperience with digital forms and documents remediation to meet accessibility standardsExperience with Sitecore, Salesforce, Adobe XD, and Jira/ConfluenceKnowledge of multiple testing, analysis, data visualization toolsDesired Certifications:One or more of the following:IAAP certification (CPACC, WAS, etc.)PMP certificationClient Trusted Tester certificationDeque UniversitySection 508Skills:CSSHTMLJavaScriptCommunication skills both verbal and writtenProject managementTeam workMicrosoft Office Professional