Trades Supervisor - Public Works

Job Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The City of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the nation's best managed cities and one of the top ten cities in which to live, work, and do business. Moreover, San José is the center of cultural, government and economic activity for the region. The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect and Celebration. The City's Department of Public Works (DPW) is seeking an individual whose values align with the values of the City's employees.

The Public Works Department is responsible for delivering capital improvement projects for a wide variety of City facilities and infrastructure, maintaining City facilities and fleet assets, and facilitating and regulating development activities. The Department is committed to high-quality service, partnering with the community, and providing an excellent environment in which to work.

Position Duties

Salary range(s) for this classification is $124,029.36 - $151,176.48. This salary range(s) includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Public Works Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time and one (1) full-time temporary (Overstrength) Trades Supervisor vacancies in the Facilities Management Division. The temporary (Overstrength) position is anticipated to be funded through June 30, 2027, subject to further extension as appropriate. If this position is not extended through the budget process, the city may seek to place you in other internal job opportunities based on your previous work experience.

This position reports directly to the Building Management Administrator for various management operations. The Trades Supervisor manages and supervises a staff that provides carpentry, plumbing, painting, HVAC and contractual services to facilities located throughout the City. The core responsibility of this position is to assess and assign trades work, manage vendors, vendor payments, and perform all aspects of supervision. This includes hiring, administering appraisals, training, developing, and motivating staff. In addition to managing trades staff, this position will manage complex projects, involving a blend of City employees and contractors. The Trades Supervisor is expected to scope the project, determine the optimum service delivery method, execute required procurements, and deliver the project per schedule and within budget.

General duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Prepares written reports in a complete and concise manner, builds business cases, and makes recommendations on trades-related issues.
• Analyzes business cases related to the use of City staff or contractors to meet service demand.
• Plans, organizes, trains, and leads a building trades operation.
• Manages complex projects using a variety of project delivery methods that involve the City building trades staff and outside contractors effectively and efficiently.
• Interprets and applies building and safety codes.
• Executes City procurements within Municipal Code requirements.
• Reads and understands construction drawings and specifications.
• Establishes excellent working relationships and promotes teamwork within the work unit, and beyond organizational lines.
• Uses and trains staff on current tools, techniques, and materials of the trades to be supervised.
• Makes recommendations on infrastructure capital needs and develops cost proposals.
• Assigns trades work for the most effective and efficient service delivery.
• Maintains excellent customer service and provides frequent works status.

Trades Supervisor (City Hall) duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Supervises preventive maintenance, diagnostics, and repair of large-scale HVAC equipment, including closed-loop hydronic systems, large chillers, large boilers, and cooling towers, as well as mechanical systems supporting critical operations such as the Network Operations Center (NOC) and the emergency chiller. Develops and monitors preventive maintenance schedules, inspects equipment performance, diagnoses malfunctions, and directs major repairs and emergency repairs to ensure continuous operation and minimize downtime. Provides technical guidance to staff and inspects completed work for quality and compliance.
• Supervises preventive maintenance, repair, and tenant improvement of City buildings and facilities, including refrigeration, plumbing, carpentry, painting, locksmith, and roofing work. Makes periodic inspections, prioritizes work orders, and supervises emergency repairs.
• Plans and supervises construction, renovation, mechanical replacement, and capital improvement projects, including chiller, boiler, and cooling tower replacements. Prepares scopes of work, solicits quotes and bids, and monitors contractors. Estimates costs, prepares budget recommendations, manages service contracts and vendors, and reviews and approves invoices, timesheets, and overtime.

Trades Supervisor (Plumbing -Overstrength) duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Supervises plumbing staff and support personnel to establish work priorities and schedule assignments based on facility needs, operational priorities, available resources, and emergency requirements for plumbing services.
• Provides technical guidance and direction regarding the inspection, maintenance, repair, installation, and modification of plumbing systems.
• Oversees preventive maintenance programs for plumbing systems, including water distribution, sanitary and storm drainage systems, fixtures, pumps, valves, backflows, fire life safety systems, including fire sprinkler systems, and related equipment.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Completion of high school or equivalent.

Experience: Six (6) years of trades experience in facility and equipment maintenance and repair, including two (2) years of journey-level lead experience.

Licenses or Certifications:

• Valid California’s Driver’s License
• Certifications and/or licensing in related trade, depending on designated area of assignment.

Background Investigation Process: Eligible candidates may be required tocomplete a Class C Background packet. Upon successful completion and review of the background investigation, the hiring board will make their employment selections. Those selected will move forward in the hiring process.

Physical requirement: Incumbents may be subjected to moving mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, fumes, odors, dusts, gases, poor ventilation, chemicals, oils, extreme temperatures, inadequate lighting, work space restrictions, intense noises and travel.

Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Form 700 Requirement: This position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an “Assuming Office Form 700” with the City Clerk’s Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Leadership - leads by example; serves as appropriate role model; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment; encourages and rewards risk-taking, allowing others to learn from mistakes.

Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping other accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Customer Service - approaches problem-solving by focusing on customers first; advocates for customer results point of view; demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently in a timely, accurate, respectful and friendly manner.

Communication Skills - communicates and listens effectively and responds in a timely, effective positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form. Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application maybe deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more in-person interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Charmaine Guerrero at charmaine.guerrero@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 11/5/2026 11:59 PM Pacific