Accessibility Manager

The Sustainability & Assurance Division of Expo City Dubai has been tasked to drive a range of sustainable and human-centric initiatives and best practice, promoting collaboration among stakeholders to drive impactful change, create economic opportunities, maximise community engagement, whilst maintaining a safe, healthy and accessible environment for all. The team will continue to play a crucial role in our shared commitment as we transform into a sustainable and inclusive city, with people at the heart of what we do. Our Accessibility, HSE, Sustainability and Worker Welfare strategies, supported by associated policies help develop the blueprint for sustainable and inclusive living. Aligning accessibility with Expo City’s sustainability strategy and contribute to ESG and SDG reporting by tracking progress and demonstrating impact.

The role of the Manager - Accessibility is to lead on initiatives and activities to deliver Expo City’s accessibility strategy, and vision towards wholehearted inclusivity and diversity. The activities will range across a diverse portfolio of strategic and operational initiatives as part of the wider Accessibility objectives. The Vice President Assurance will have had experience in programme management of accessibility projects, with end-to-end responsibilities to drive performance. This also includes practical field experience, actively engaging stakeholders to deliver results.

The main responsibility for this role include:

Core Accountabilities:

• Drive implementation of the Accessibility Strategy and ensure compliance across city operations by embedding accessibility into procurement, design, and operational processes.
• Lead the integration of accessibility and inclusion into ECD’s masterplan, guiding design reviews and planning processes to ensure alignment with the Dubai Universal Design Code
• Provide overall coordination, development, review and assessment of built environment facilities, operational services and tools (including digital & sensory)
• Apply an in depth understanding of accessibility, inclusion and people of determination Governmental laws and international standards to ensure compliance with national and international requirements
• Responsible for interfacing with Expo City Dubai’s internal teams to ensure adherence and alignment to strategic and operational accessibility and inclusion requirements
• Build and support a culture of accessibility and inclusivity in the internal workplace, through awareness, communication, initiatives and training(s)
• Manage direct active participation to accessibility concepts at Expo City Dubai, to ensure company-wide and divisional KPIs are achieved
• Ensure digital accessibility across Expo City by overseeing WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, guiding document remediation, and embedding accessibility into all platforms and tools.
• Lead continuous improvements across the organisation, acting as the voice of the people of determination stakeholder groups.
• Lead staff and professional training to build internal capacity on disability awareness, digital and physical accessibility, and autism inclusion
• Ensure inclusive planning of events and programs by embedding accessibility features, supporting community initiatives, and advising on operational needs such as wayfinding and sensory spaces
• Engage internal teams and external stakeholders to align on accessibility goals, represent Expo City in key forums, and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks and best practice.
• Lead collaboration and integration with other divisions and departments across 4 key pillars: o
• Physical: the provisions of the built environment that ensure equal access and movement of people of determination and those with accessibility needs.
• Digital: the accessibility of the digital environments of onsite content, websites and apps to include accessible needs.
• Social: the authentic social processes and attitudes to make people of determination, and people from all backgrounds, feel welcome as valued members of society.
• Sensory: the communication of and provision for individuals with sensory impairments to include sound, texture, odours, temperature, lighting levels and effects and proximity of others.
• Drive accessibility and inclusivity outcomes throughout ECD and its enabling technologies. This will involve work on defining needs, setting goals and undertaking regular programme evaluation and continuous improvement
• Conduct and manage accessibility audits across physical and digital environments, maintaining the accessibility dashboard and driving improvements through data-led gap analysis and recommendations
• Management of an external accessibility consultant to provide 3rd party support and an ongoing audit programme.
• Lead on the implementation and adherence to accessibility requirements as it relates to tenants occupying space at ECD. This will involve identifying, introducing and presenting new guidelines for ensuring tenant community engagement and assurance
• Develop improvement plans and prepare key presentations required by senior management as required
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and regularly adapt to change, including the plans and celebrations for national accessibility and inclusivity days and ad hoc ECD events · Work with internal teams to ensure the current workplace/Expo Offices is an exemplar for accessibility standards.
• Supporting site tours for people of determination, helping to facilitate events and engaging in troubleshooting for groups accessing the site when challenges arise to enable a seamless and equitable experience
• Provide assurance over the management of accessibility assets by overseeing maintenance, ownership, and documentation processes to ensure compliance and operational effectiveness across departments

Knowledge, Qualifications and Skills required

Essential

6+ years of professional experience in accessibility and inclusion project management as well as:

• A Bachelor's degree
• Structured and analytical with complex problem-solving capabilities
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analysis capabilities
• Superb track record of project leadership and end-to-end project management
• Superior persuasion skills with the ability to diplomatically communicate Accessibility & Inclusion amongst diverse stakeholders (youth, leadership, experts, and business professionals etc.)
• Excellent ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and collaborate with other specialists and teams beyond core practice field
• Practical understanding of international and national accessibility frameworks and standards
• Ability to evaluate technical information and provide concise informed advice
• Strong planning and organisation skills
• Creative, curious, and proactive in driving accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity, across the organisation
• Superior written and spoken English, with attention to detail in required report writing
• Ability to collaboratively work with the internal team, and cross-cultural integration.