Lead Software Engineer (Senior) in the Field of Accessibility

About the job

Lead Software Engineer (Senior) in the Field of Accessibility

Responsibilities

• Development of UZH-wide standards and quality assurance for accessible software development
• Creation of standards and best practices for accessible software development
• Embedding standards in design patterns, blueprints, templates, and development processes
• Evaluation of tools, technologies, and AI-supported approaches regarding accessibility
• Integration and automation of accessibility checks during development and in CI/CD pipelines

• You conduct manual, automated, and AI-supported accessibility checks in collaboration with other accessibility specialists
• You assess applications for WCAG compliance and document and prioritise findings and measures
• You accompany approvals and re-examinations

• You advise project and development teams on accessible implementation according to WCAG and contribute to design and architectural decisions
• You support developers, UX designers, and test managers through coaching, knowledge transfer, as well as technical workshops and training sessions

• You participate in the development and further development of applications of Central IT, especially web applications and system-level scripts
• You design and implement functions and technical adjustments, analyse errors, and further develop existing applications
• Testing, code reviews, technical documentation, and handover to operations are also part of your tasks

• You use AI-supported tools to support software development and evaluate their use
• This also includes the critical review of code generated with AI coding assistants as part of your competencies

Profile

• You have a university degree in computer science (FH, university or ETH) or a comparable qualification and proven computer science knowledge
• As a software engineer, you possess in-depth competencies in digital accessibility, especially in WCAG, WAI-ARIA, semantic HTML, and EN 301 549
• You have experience in the design, development, and testing of accessible applications as well as with manual, automated, and AI-supported accessibility testing procedures
• You bring practical experience with accessibility reviews, audits, and screen reader tests as well as with AI-supported tools in software development
• You have expert knowledge of WCAG standards, a higher programming language, relevant accessibility tools, and the use of AI coding assistants
• Experience with search engines such as Elasticsearch is an advantage
• You are characterised by consulting and communication skills, independence, and the ability to communicate with non-technical stakeholders
• You have very good German and English skills (each C1) in spoken and written form

We offer

Our employees benefit from diverse and attractive offers. Learn more at: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/work.html.

Workplace

Central IT

Information on Application

We offer a challenging technical role with a clear focus on digital accessibility. You can improve accessibility not only in individual applications but also anchor it through standards, development processes, automated testing, and advising developer teams in software development.

Further Information

Questions about the Position

Jann Forrer
Team Leader

Working at UZH

As the largest university in Switzerland, the University of Zurich offers a variety of attractive positions in different disciplines and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional profiles for apprentices, the university provides an inspiring working environment in cutting-edge research and education. Put your talent and skills to use with us. Learn more about UZH as an employer!