"Contingent Project Manager - Digital Accessibility"

Contingent Project Manager - Digital Accessibility

Posted: 13-Feb-26

Location: Palatine, Illinois

Type: Full-time

Internal Number: 230929

The Project Manager, Digital Accessibility will coordinate and facilitate institution-wide initiatives that enable respective departments to achieve and sustain compliance with ADA Title II, WCAG 2.1 AA, and related standards. This role is designed as a collaboration-first, enablement-focused project manager who ensures that areas responsible for the work maintain ownership while the PM guides planning, alignment, timelines, accountability, and cross-functional communication.

Characteristic Duties:

The Project Manager will not perform most of the technical or remediation tasks directly. Instead, they will:

• Partner with functional areas to clarify roles and responsibilities
• Ensure progress, alignment, and follow-through
• Facilitate planning, prioritization, and governance
• Coordinate with external consultants doing document or instructional content remediation
• Maintain project visibility, reporting, risk management, and executive updates

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program & Project Leadership
   • Manage the overall accessibility program plan, with an emphasis on supporting and coordinating work performed by functional owners (e.g., IT, HR, Marketing, Academy for Teaching Excellence, Access & Disability Services).
   • Maintain timelines, dependencies, risks, and status reporting without assuming direct ownership of remediation or technical tasks.
   • Facilitate taskforce meetings and ensure decisions, roles, and commitments are documented.
2. Web & Intranet Accessibility (Coordinating Role)
   • Coordinate with Information Technology and Marketing to schedule, track, and report on accessibility audits, defect remediation, and monitoring.
   • Ensure website "page" owners remain accountable for corrective actions within their areas (e.g., program pages, departmental pages).
   • Support IT in updating Accessibility Statements and governance assets, rather than completing these directly.
3. HR Onboarding & Enterprise Training
   • Collaborate with Human Resources and Information Technology to integrate accessibility expectations into onboarding.
   • Support departments that create training materials by defining standards, timelines, and review cycles.
   • Coordinate the rollout of trainings while HR, IT, and Academy maintain content ownership.
4. Document Remediation, Content Standards & Procurement Accessibility
   • Partner with IT, Procurement, and departments producing high-impact content to ensure standards, templates, and workflows are implemented.
   • Collaborate with the Procurement department, Digital and Adaptive Technology Coordinator, and IT to help develop and support a process that ensures all newly purchased software and technology tools meet current WCAG accessibility standards.
   • Coordinate with internal and external remediation teams; the PM does not perform remediation work.
   • Track progress and ensure departments, including Procurement, remain accountable for the documents and technology tools they own and implement.
5. Faculty Materials & LMS Support
   • Collaborate with the Academy for Teaching Excellence, Digital Accessibility Coordinator (faculty), Digital and Adaptive Technology Coordinator, and external vendors supporting instructional materials.
   • Ensure faculty-support areas lead and complete remediation, training, and process integration, in collaboration with academic deans as needed.
   • Monitor milestones and provide structured communication and alignment.
6. Sustainability & Governance
   • Lead development of a long-term ownership model where divisions retain responsibility for maintaining accessibility in their respective domains.
   • Facilitate RACI definitions, governance rhythms, and KPIs--without assuming operational ownership.
   • Consolidate inputs from IT, HR, Marketing, and academic units to produce sustainability documentation.
7. Communications & Change Management
   • Coordinate with Marketing & Communications to create and deliver communication plans.
   • Ensure units develop necessary change content while the PM supports timelines and alignment.
8. Reporting & Executive Updates
   • Provide visibility to the Taskforce and Executive Cabinet by synthesizing updates from responsible areas.
   • Maintain decision logs, risk registers, and overall program status.

Reporting & Collaboration:

• Reports to the Digital Accessibility Taskforce Lead or Provost's Office designee.
• Works closely with IT, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, the Academy for Teaching Excellence, Access & Disability Services, and external remediation partners.

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:

Work is primarily indoor and sedentary in nature. Occasional travel may be required.

Equipment/Tools Used:

Utilizes standard office equipment, including computers, in order to perform the duties of the job.

Supervision:

Works under the supervision of the Digital Accessibility Taskforce Lead or Provost's Office designee. Receives oral and written instructions as necessary.

Schedule Information:

This is a temporary, contingent (part-time) position. The term of employment begins Spring 2026; ends no later than May 31, 2027.

Hours Per Week: Part-time (up to 20 hours/week), hours may vary weekly with hybrid/on-campus presence based on project needs (workshops, trainings, audits). Contingent employee hours may not exceed 1,040 per year. Occasional early/late meetings to accommodate faculty and staff.

Hourly Rate: $40-$50 per hour based on academic and professional experience.

About the Team: The Project Manager will work primarily with the Digital Accessibility Taskforce, a cross-functional team led by the Interim Manager of Access and Disability Services.

Minimum Acceptable Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in project management, information systems, communications, instructional design, or a related field--or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of experience leading cross-functional projects in complex organizations.
• Knowledge of ADA Title II, Section 504/508, and WCAG 2.1 AA.
• Strong skills in stakeholder alignment, facilitation, and change management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education or public-sector environments.
• Experience coordinating (not necessarily performing) accessibility testing, training programs, or document remediation initiatives.
• Familiarity with LMS platforms (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard) and accessibility-review tools.
• Certification, such as PMP/CAPM, CSM, or IAAP CPACC/WAS.