Assistant Director of Permit Sonoma - Promotional

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Sonoma (CA) seeks an Assistant Director of Permit Sonoma to assist the Director in planning, organizing, and coordinating department operations across building, engineering, planning, permitting, and more. The role oversees staff, guides policy, and represents the department during absences or as assigned.

The ideal candidate has strong experience with governance, budgeting, and HR processes, plus skills in leadership, policy development, and public communication.

Qualifications

• Normally, graduation from an accredited college or university with coursework in city/urban/land use planning, public administration, architecture, engineering, environmental studies, or related field.
• Four years of progressively responsible professional-related experience; additional qualifying experience may substitute for college education on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Direct department operations to align with goals and requirements.
• Develop, review, and implement policies, procedures, and improvements.
• Provide oversight of permitting programs and budget planning.
• Represent the department at meetings and public forums as needed.

Skills

Budget planning

Policy development

Public speaking

Analytical skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Technology tools

Education

Bachelors in city/urban/land use planning or related field

Tools

Budget software

MS Excel

CRM systems

Job description

About the Position

The Assistant Director of Permit Sonoma assists the Director in planning, organizing, and coordinating department operations and services which include building, engineering, planning, permitting, fire services, code enforcement, and environmental planning and review. This position provides administrative oversight and policy guidance to advance the department’s mission and support the development and implementation of its goals and initiatives.

The Assistant Director also supervises management staff and department personnel and represents and acts on behalf of the Director during absences or as assigned. Additional responsibilities include:

• Directing department operations to ensure alignment with department goals and requirements
• Developing, reviewing, and implementing of department policies, procedures, and operational improvements
• Providing oversight of permitting programs and processes to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and requirements
• Overseeing department budget planning, monitoring, and administration
• As needed, represents the department at Board of Supervisors meetings and other meetings or public forums as needed

The ideal candidate for this position will be passionate about serving the community and have thorough knowledge of and experience with County's governance structure, fiscal budgeting processes, and human resources processes. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Experience in budget planning, monitoring, and administration
• Demonstrated skill in presenting information to the public
• Experience developing, reviewing, and implementing policies and procedures to address operational challenges
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiating, and oral and written communication skills
• Ability to adapt quickly and effectively lead, guide, or support a team through changing priorities
• Some experience working with or familiarity with Permit Sonoma’s programs and services
• Applied knowledge and understanding of technology tools and systems relevant to the industry

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Experience and Education

Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, graduation from an accredited college or university with academic coursework in city/urban/land use planning, public administration, architecture, engineering, environmental studies, or a field related to the work, and four years of increasingly responsible professional-related experience would provide such an opportunity. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the college education on a year-for-year basis.

License

Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level, including special endorsements as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised in this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Considerable knowledge of:

principles and practices related to the development and implementation of planning, environmental health, building, fire prevention, permitting, housing, and sustainable construction practices; federal, state, and local laws, regulations, ordinances, codes, and rules relating to building construction, land use, and environmental planning, social, economic, political, legal, and architectural aspects of community planning; effective supervisory and management practices and training and techniques; fiscal management and budget administration; grant management; and personnel management.

Working knowledge of:

principles and practices of effective customer service in a local government environment; principles and practices of modern budget, program, and system management; performance management, conflict resolution, best practices in leadership and communication; modern principles of building and code enforcement programs; methods and techniques of code and regulation development and adoption relating to development service functions; operational administration of building, fire, construction, public health, planning, and related laws, codes, ordinances, and the methods of review and inspection to ensure compliance.

Ability to:

establish and maintain effective working relationships with public officials, County management, employees, boards and commissions, agencies, and other interested parties; understand and accept differences in human behavior, particularly those with diverse ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds; assist in the development and support of strategic objectives; motivate employees and assist in fostering of an inclusive, equitable, and positive work culture; resolve difficult administrative, technical, and/or personnel problems; be decisive and work independently; manage a multi-discipline, fully integrated, customer-oriented service delivery system; assist in planning, organizing, and coordinating the activities of highly specialized and professional employees; delegate, supervise and follow-up on assigned work; organize and direct group discussions, and demonstrate communication skills in gathering, evaluating and transmitting information to a variety of stakeholders including internal staff and community groups; ensure program compliance and fiscal responsibility through subordinate staff and appropriate oversight of programs and services; analyze and review staff reports and recommendations, and give constructive criticism; work under pressure, establish priorities, and meet deadlines; be flexible and willing to work effectively under adverse conditions as needed during emergency disaster response and recovery and stressful situations.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

A background investigation may be required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: SF

HR Technician: VH