Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world. JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally. We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives. UX Accessibility Specialist Role overview We’re looking for a passionate and experienced UX Accessibility Specialist to join our growing Product Design and Research team on an initial 6-month fixed-term contract. There is a strong likelihood of this role transitioning into a permanent position, based on performance factors such as effective collaboration, successful establishment of baseline frameworks, and strong team integration with our existing Product Design and Research function. This is a pivotal first hire for Accessibility within our UK team. While you’ll be the first in this role locally, you’ll be supported by an experienced Accessibility specialist based in the US, who has already established strong frameworks for success. You’ll be expected to work closely with them to assess and adapt these frameworks for the UK team, and to help define accessibility standards that are fit for purpose across global territories. You’ll focus exclusively on the JD Sports brand (excluding sub-brands and fascias for now), ensuring accessibility is embedded across our core web platforms and mobile apps. This is a unique opportunity to shape the role and influence the future of accessibility at JD Sports and work within an existing, thriving Product Design and Research team. Accessibility is more than a compliance requirement; it’s part of our commitment to inclusive design. As our Product Design and Research team grows, this is a unique opportunity to help shape the role and influence the future of accessibility at JD. Your work will help ensure our digital experiences and design systems are usable and inclusive for everyone, now and in the future. What you’ll do Your initial focus will be exclusively on the JD Sports brand, collaborating with multi-disciplinary product teams, including designers, developers and product managers, to: Collaborate with our US-based Accessibility Specialist to understand their approach, existing frameworks, and current challenges. Work closely with them to assess which elements can be localised for the UK, ensuring a consistent and collaborative global approach Review UI design with a focus on relevant WCAG 2.2 success criteria, annotating any issues or considerations Review UX design with a focus on usability principles, heuristic evaluation and cognitive walkthroughs Conduct light-touch WCAG 2.2 checks on webpages, mobile app views and design system components to find common errors and barriers Undertake full WCAG 2.2 audits on websites, mobile apps to produce accessibility conformance reports Assess the usability and accessibility of webpages, mobile app views and design system components using assistive technology Help teams to remediate issues by communicating findings and suggesting fixes Provide expert guidance on accessibility best practices and inclusive design principles Longer term, you will collaborate with other areas of the business and other JD brand fascias to: Raise awareness, understanding and buy-in for digital accessibility across the existing Product Design and Research team and wider organisation Work with our US-based Accessibility Specialist to explore the development of shared standards and common practices that enable global success, regardless of territory. Communicate and navigate changes in accessibility standards and legislation Implement policies, processes and frameworks to make accessibility scalable and sustainable Shape our strategies, embed accessibility into ways-of-working and ultimately help “push accessibility left” Required Qualifications: 5 years of experience in accessibility related roles Strong written and verbal communication skills Strong understanding of WCAG 2.2 and how it applies to websites and mobile apps Knowledge of HTML, CSS JavaScript and ARIA and its impact on accessibility Knowledge of accessibility regulations and standards, like the European Accessibility Act, EN 301 549 and Section 508 Proven experience conducting WCAG 2.2 audits Proven experience testing usability using a range of assistive technologies Proven experience collaborating across multi-disciplinary teams Preferred Qualifications: IAAP Certifications (CPWA, CPACC, WAS) Academic or professional background in UX, digital media, design or frontend development Experience in e-commerce or omnichannel retail environment We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work. Thank you for your time JD Other details Job Family Head Office Colleague Pay Type Salary Employment Indicator Fixed Term Contract