Accessibility Specialist Ref. 3731

Job Description

Salary: £60,358, with the opportunity to qualify for additional allowances and a skills-related payment, under the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDDPCF) - formerly the (DDaT) Digital, Data and Technology Capability Framework.

Flexible working: We support full time, part time, compressed hours, and other flexible working patterns. We recognise the importance of achieving a positive work-home balance and will work with colleagues to consider flexible working arrangements where possible, taking individual circumstances and business needs into account. Some homeworking opportunities may be available; however, this role is primarily office-based due to the sensitive nature of the work, and home working is not guaranteed.

About us
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing, and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you'll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

The role
As an Accessibility Specialist, you’ll provide expert, practical advice to ensure the organisation’s digital products and services are inclusive, usable and compliant. This includes technologies that directly support mission-critical activity, where reliability, usability, and trust are essential. The role sits within the Digital Accessibility Team in Experience Design and acts as a dedicated subject matter expert for accessibility. Responsibility covers both new and existing digital products, supporting teams to remove barriers and meet accessibility obligations throughout the software development lifecycle.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you’ll work as an internal consultant across multiple products and delivery teams. Ownership of accessibility within assigned projects includes early risk identification, proportionate mitigation advice, and accountability for the quality and impact of recommendations. Sound professional judgement is essential, particularly when operating in complex or sensitive delivery environments. Managing your workload and knowing what to prioritise are important parts of the role, supported by clear governance and professional standards.

Day-to-day work involves close collaboration with designers, engineers, testers, product managers and researchers across the development lifecycle. Activities include manual and automated accessibility testing using assistive technologies, alongside design and code review. You’ll produce clear audit findings, conformance reports, and accessibility statements, and contribute to critiques, reviews, and delivery planning to embed accessibility from the outset.

The scope of the role is broad and influential, within an assigned product group, contributing to wider programmes and organisational priorities. You’ll work closely with a range of stakeholders, providing expert input and constructively challenging decisions where accessibility risks arise. Through knowledge sharing and capability building, you’ll help improve organisational accessibility maturity. This work supports the delivery of accessible internal digital services in critical areas, directly contributing to the organisation’s wider mission.

About you
We’re looking for an experienced accessibility practitioner with a solid grounding in applied digital accessibility. Experience may come from a dedicated Accessibility Specialist role, or from applying accessibility within a broader role such as UI, UX, design, engineering, or testing. In either case, you bring practical experience of embedding accessibility into real digital products and a passion for inclusive, user centred practice.

Well-developed technical and consultancy skills are essential. This includes the ability to scope and deliver accessibility work end to end, manage workload effectively, and engage confidently with stakeholders across design, engineering, testing, and product. Experience of working in environments shaped by competing priorities, delivery pressures, or sensitivity is important, alongside the ability to exercise sound judgement when advising on risk, proportionate mitigations, and trade offs.

Essential skills and knowledge include:

• WCAG 2.2 AA and COGA standards
• Automated and manual accessibility testing using assistive technologies
• Create accurate accessibility reports and statements
• Working knowledge of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR) or the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

Clear communication is a key strength. You can explain accessibility issues, impacts, and recommendations in ways that are accessible to non specialist audiences, using evidence and user needs to support your advice. You’re comfortable producing clear documentation, including audit findings, conformance reports and accessibility statements, and using these to inform decision making.

You value collaboration and professional integrity. You enjoy working as part of a specialist accessibility function, sharing knowledge, supporting others, and contributing to organisational learning, while taking full accountability for the quality and impact of your own work.

Training and development
There is a comprehensive training and development pathway available, aligned to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDDPCF). This includes tailored training, coaching, and mentoring, alongside opportunities to gain qualifications and, where relevant, pursue specialist Agile Delivery pathways.

On joining, you’ll receive a structured induction to the team, delivery context, and ways of working, helping you understand how accessibility expertise fits within Experience Design and the wider organisation.

Ongoing development is aligned with specialist accessibility practice. This includes peer support within the Digital Accessibility Team, opportunities to learn from related disciplines, and time to stay current with evolving standards, legislation, and best practice. Support is available to maintain and strengthen professional credibility, including engagement with external accessibility communities and, where appropriate, recognised qualifications or accreditation.

Development in this role is shaped through applied practice. Experience is built by working across varied and complex services, advising delivery teams and senior stakeholders, and addressing challenging accessibility risks and trade offs. As the accessibility function continues to grow, there will be opportunities to deepen technical specialism, contribute to shared standards and guidance, and help shape how accessibility capability develops across the organisation.

While the role does not currently include line management responsibility, opportunities exist to support others through knowledge sharing, informal mentoring, and collaborative working. Development focuses on sustaining high quality, user centred practice, strengthening professional judgement, and enabling long term impact through accessibility that is embedded, proportionate, and effective.

Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £60,358 plus other benefits including:

• 25 days’ annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• a dedicated development budget
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• interest-free season ticket loan
• an excellent pension scheme
• a cycle to work scheme
• facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities
At MI5, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: people with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including people from groups that are under-represented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.

We’re Disability Confident
MI5 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. This scheme aims to encourage employers to think differently about disability and to take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for this position are offered an interview, where it is practical for us to do so. This is known as the Offer of an Interview (OOI). To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of the application process) are:

1. You’ll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses your ability to problem-solve.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the WCAG 2.2 AA standards.
3. Demonstrate the ability to conduct accessibility audits using automated and manual testing techniques with assistive tools and technologies, and document findings.
4. Demonstrate the ability to use audit outputs to create accessibility statements and roadmap outstanding issues.
5. Demonstrate the ability to communicate key accessibility information to a range of stakeholders and professions, providing training where appropriate and championing accessibility standards.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of inclusive design and user experience principles to identify accessibility barriers and improve services for all users.

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to help you to do your best. Visit our application process page for information on the reasonable adjustments we can offer.

What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Below is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

1. An initial online application form, including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
2. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), rating the appropriateness of your responses to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
3. Online HR interview, focusing on motivation and relevant skills
4. In-person technical interview, examining your responses to situations typical of the role, including technical and competency-based elements
5. Conditional offer of employment, if successful

Please note you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process, including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply
To work at MI5, you must be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Please read about our eligibility criteria.

This role requires the highest level of security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). Everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes this process. Find out more about the vetting process.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy. Once you start your application, you must not take any recreational drugs, and you’ll be required to declare your previous drug use at the relevant stage of the process.

Before applying, we recommend setting up a separate email address for your contact with us to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid using identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you manage your application with us more securely.

The role is based in London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person interviews or assessments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.

Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel using the most economical option and provide original hard-copy receipts for reimbursement.

Please note you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you are visiting the UK to apply. Applying from outside the UK may impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to withdraw statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original advertised date once a certain number of applications have been received. We recommend submitting your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.