Koena specialises in digital accessibility, a field that is not yet well developed in France. Just like any tech company, we are always on the lookout for the best talent, because the men and women working at Koena make up the value of the services we offer our clients.
Strongly committed to social and solidarity economy, Koena is an ESUS (Solidarity-Based Enterprise of Social Utility) certified company and cultivates a unique approach to the way we view our profession, and our management and collaboration style.
Our beliefs
- The best way to improve digital accessibility has not yet been invented. A young and innovative company, Koena conducts research to facilitate digital accessibility for everyone, to which each member of staff can contribute. We encourage initiative – all ideas are welcome at Koena, and if they are well received by the team, then we will help implement them.
- Excellence is achieved through innovation, and innovation cannot exist without trial and error. Sometimes you succeed, other times you learn. Whatever your experience or professional background, there are always new fields to explore, new things to learn and new techniques to experiment with. At Koena, we attach great importance to monitoring and staying informed, training and experimentation. We set aside time for this, to allow everyone to progress.
- Don’t talk the talk, walk the walk… Working on digital accessibility forces humility. Complexity often comes from where you least expect and implementing your own ideas sometimes gives rise to unforeseen issues. Rather than self-proclaimed “experts”, we recruit professionals with passion, perseverance and high standards, who are also curious, humble and eager to help our clients who trust us, whilst respecting their requirements.
- Inclusion is cultivated on a daily basis; we all have biases and prejudices to overcome. Being aware of this is the first step. Working to accept and respect others, in a spirit of solidarity and teamwork, is one of Koena’s core values.
- Interns are here… to learn! There are no hidden job offers at Koena. We love welcoming interns and introducing them to digital accessibility, a subject they are unlikely to come across in their studies. We see them as the future ambassadors for inclusion. We set time aside for onboarding and depending on the length of the internship and the student’s skills, we can offer more or less ambitious assignments.
Trades of Koena
There are three different profiles at Koena:
- Cross-functional roles essential to the running of Koena, such as can be found in most other companies;
- More technical digital accessibility jobs;
- Specific skillsets that can be useful depending on each project.
Cross-functional roles
Whether a speculative application, an offer of collaboration on a freelance basis, or an internship request, here are some of the positions of interest to us:
- versatile assistant working for a small organisation has the advantage of versatility and rapid progression. You would work alongside Rachel, our Koena fairy godmother. You can read more about the tasks and profiles we look for on our blog under one of our internship postings.
- communications officer/community manager: this is Emilie’s domain, but we are always open to events or communication ideas to raise awareness about digital accessibility!
- motion designer/videographer: yet more useful skills that we implement to make digital content and services accessible to everyone. Our video channel koena.tv is starting to take form, but we are always open to new ideas.
- sales rep/development officer: small company, big ambitions! We take a rather atypical approach to business development… The perfect opportunity to discover an ethical approach to business using original methods, centred around educating and listening to people.
- educational engineer/training officer: Koena has its very own training centre that is rapidly developing. We primarily offer face-to-face training, but also online or blended learning. Skills in this area are very welcome
- ergonomists/UX and design experts ergonomics and digital accessibility are sister disciplines. We often work on client projects with ergonomics labs. You will find plenty to learn about and contribute to a number of different subjects.
Trades of digital accessibility
All of our digital accessibility jobs require a basic command of front-end web development, in other words HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The digital accessibility guidelines make up our main working tools, starting with the international 2.1 standards and the French 3.2017 variation. We also monitor the European EN 301 549 standards and any other recognised benchmarks in our constantly evolving field.
2 kinds of profiles sought :
- very technical profile, an auditor who enjoys playing with code. Do you enjoy pushing the boundaries of script? Do you get excited about toying with all the output modes for different versions of screen readers? Then this job is made for you!
- a profile geared more towards teaching, a consultant-trainer in digital accessibility. Is explaining the same concept over and over again, in a million different ways, so that people understand, love and act on it, a source of motivation for you? Do you relish the challenge of making all the technical jargon around digital accessibility easier to understand, no matter who you are talking to? Then this job may well be for you. Solid knowledge of the guidelines are of course a must, and a close collaboration alongside the auditors should be expected.
Applying to Koena
Take a look at our blog for all our job offers and internship opportunities
You can also send a speculative application to job [at] koena.net.
We recruit on a regular basis and hold on to any CVs we receive even if no position is available at that time. We respond to all applications, whether for a job, internship or freelance collaboration.
Try your luck!