The City of San Jose's Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement serves to ensure the orderly and safe development of private properties, compliance with all applicable building, zoning, and quality of life ordinances and regulations, and to promote healthy and safe community standards. This is accomplished by departmental staff in service to customers by:
- Assisting and guiding land use and development to promote long-term goals and objectives that render safe, beneficial, and more sustainable communities
- Providing orderly administration and compliance of building codes, as mandated by the various levels of government, to ensure the construction of buildings, homes, and structures meet intended life safety and structural requirements
- Investigating and resolving citizen complaints of municipal code violations on private property in order to promote, maintain, and improve quality of life issues that better allow for safe and harmonious conditions in all neighborhoods
The Department is seeking applicants who are committed to understanding, executing, and improving the customer experience to best achieve the above goals and objectives. This includes providing excellent service and guidance to residents, property and business owners, developers, and other stakeholders throughout the planning, building, and code enforcement processes. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as the department values building positive relationships and fostering collaboration with other departments, agencies, and the community. Additionally, applicants who possess a strong knowledge of planning principles, building codes, and/or regulatory requirements will be highly valued, as they will play a key role in ensuring compliance and promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable development practices.
This City's Building Division provides oversight and assistance towards the City's growth and development in relation to construction activity on private property within the City . The goal is to en sure the safety of buildings and to support the health and wellbeing of all persons living and working in San Jose through the implementation of the State of California's current building codes and laws .
The Division is seeking applicants for the Division Manager classification within the Building Inspection section. This is a full-time position and is responsible for the supervision and mentorship of a team of Building Inspectors performing field inspections , plan review s , and over-the-counter review s , as well as the Development Services Support Services (call center) team. Division Managers also provide valuable feedback to the development community and project construction teams by leading on-site pre-construction meetings and helping to resolve conflicts during construction.
The Building Division is divided into the following four sections:
- Permit Center: Plan intake and routing to plan review and Development Services Partners , over the counter permit processing, permit issuance, addressing, assistance desk/ public information , ADU Ally, and Small Business Ally .
- Plan Review : Review of private development project plans and calculations for compliance with the California Building Codes and state laws, coordination with Development Services partners, expedited review, and coordinated review .
- Inspection : Inspects active private construction projects for compliance with the approved plans and adopted building codes and state laws .
- Support Services : Development Services call center, document imaging, records requests, and general support for the building division .
What We Do
The Department's Building Division ensures compliance with the all the above-mentioned obligations by annually reviewing, analyzing, conducting, researching, processing, issu ing, inspecting , and providing :
- 4 0 ,000 building permits
- 8,000 plan reviews
- 100,000 inspections
- 35,000 customers assisted
- 65,000 calls answered
The Division is committed to developing, maintaining , and continually improving the quality of services and the customer experience with the goals mentioned above and the successful applicant will recognize and value these goals and qualities while striving to achieve the objectives and tasks of the classification as listed below.
Major Responsibilities
- The Division Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Building Inspection Services as well as the oversight of the section's service delivery, staffing, and budget.
- Oversight of the Development Services Support Services Team
- Develop and implement policies and procedures and streamline existing processes to deliver excellent customer service to the development community.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Monitor the Section's workload and determine the corresponding staffing levels required .
- Make hiring and disciplinary recommendations
- Mentor staff to prepare them for future promotional opportunities .
- Evaluate job performance of subordinate management, supervisory, and professional staff .
- Manage, monitor and analyze revenues and time spent for delivery services to achieve cost-effectiveness and efficiency in the Section's budget.
- Assist the Building Official in facilitating the adoption of state building codes and regulations; develop and implement local amendments to these codes and regulations and the transition of amendments to City Ordinances.
- Forge working relationships with external customers by coordinating public outreach programs and maintaining on-going interaction between the inspection staff and external customers .
- Leads staff in staying current with changing regulatory requirements and implements these as required by the regulatory authorities
- Implement policies and procedures to streamline existing processes to improve results and/or operating costs.
- Develop, direct, and/or implement technical training programs to ensure consistency among the inspection staff
Education: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Architecture, Engineering or a closely related field (e.g., Construction Management). Master's Degree desirable.
Experience: Six (6) years of progressively responsible directly related experience, including three (3) years of supervisory experience.
Acceptable Substitutions:
- Additional years of experience can be substituted for education requirement on a year for year basis including four (4) years of supervisory experience AND
- Candidates who qualify via the acceptable substitution must obtain an Associate's degree from an accredited college or university within three (3) years of employment in the position.
License/Certificate:
- Possession of a valid State of California driver's license is required.
- Possession of a Commercial Inspection Certification (Building, Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing) OR possession of a valid Plan Examiner certification from the International Code Council (ICC) is required. Certifications shall be issued by an agency acceptable to the City.
- Possession of a valid professional registration with the State of California as an Engineer or Architect is highly desirable.
- Possession of a valid Building Official Certification from the International Code Council (ICC) is highly desirable.
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demons
trated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:
- 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.
- Communication Skills - effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
- Decision Making - identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.
- Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.
- Leadership - leads by example; 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; provides motivational supports and direction.
- Management - evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit;
- Project Management - Ensure support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
- Vision/Strategic Thinking - Supports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization's vision and values; understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; builds a shared vision with others and influences others to translate vision to action.
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 may be 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 interviews.
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Taylor Pawlik at Taylor.Pawlik@sanjoseca.gov .
