Building Inspector I

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Telework

Salary advancement after 1,040 hours

Career advancement to Building ic

Paid Time Off

County Paid Health Premium Contrib.

Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement

Retirement

Paid Parental Leave

Dental, vision, disability, life ins.

Student Loan Debt Relief

Job summary

County of Sonoma is seeking a Building Inspector I to join Permit Sonoma. The role involves inspecting building, plumbing, electrical, and fire and life safety systems, reviewing plans, and ensuring compliance with codes.

Starting salary up to $46.23/hour ($96,487/year) with a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities to advance to Building Inspector II.

A four-year, journey-level background and certification within one year are required; a California driver’s license is also needed.

Qualifications

• Four years of full-time journey-level experience in building/construction.
• Knowledge of California building, housing, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical codes.
• Ability to interpret building plans and specifications.
• Strong communication of complex regulations to customers.
• Proficient with computers and electronic devices.

Responsibilities

• Perform a variety of inspections across building, plumbing, electrical, and fire and life safety.
• Review building plans for conformance with codes and ordinances.
• Drive to remote offsite locations.
• Maintain effective working relationships with customers and agencies.
• Interpret and enforce state and county codes.

Skills

Code knowledge

Plan interpretation

Communication

Multitasking

Teamwork

Field work

Education

High school diploma and related coursework

Job description

Join Permit Sonoma as a Building Inspector I!

Starting salary up to $46.23/hour ($96,487/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

Permit Sonoma is currently recruiting to fill a Building Inspector position at either the I or II levels. If you are interested in being considered at the different levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for each level.

About the Position

Building Inspectors work within an assigned geographical area performing a variety of building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, floodplain, and fire and life safety visual inspections. They also review building plans and layouts for conformance with building codes, County ordinances, and departmental policies and procedures. This position works in indoor and outdoor environments in all weather conditions, and requires driving to remote, offsite locations.

The ideal candidate for this role will have at least four years of full-time paid experience as an accredited journey-level trades person, contractor, or inspector in the building or construction trade and will possess many of the following:

• Applied knowledge and understanding of the California building, housing, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical codes, fire safety standards, and/or related State and County codes and ordinances
• Experience with interpreting building plans and specifications
• The ability to clearly communicate complex regulations, requirements, and procedures to customers
• Proficiency in multi-tasking and working with various computer programs and electronic devices
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The ability to shift gears quickly in a fast-paced environment

Please note: Possession of certification as a Building Inspector in one or more disciplines is required within one year of employment.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Building Inspector II ($48.19 - $58.58/hour)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals and 12 paid holidays holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

Permit Sonoma is currently recruiting to fill one Building Inspector position at either the I or II levels. This Building Inspector I employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Experience: At least four years of full-time paid experience as an accredited Journey-level trades person, contractor or inspector in the building or construction trade.

Education: Graduation from high school and recent academic course work relating to the knowledge and abilities is required.

Licenses: Possession of certification as a Building Inspector in one or more disciplines is required within one year of employment. Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including necessary special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position. The position advertised in this announcement does require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Working knowledge of: the provisions of the California Building, Housing, Plumbing, Electrical and Mechanical codes, Fire Safe Standards, and related State and County codes and ordinances; modern building and construction materials, and their quality as it relates to industry standards, State and County codes and ordinances, and of tools, practices and techniques used in the various building and construction trades, energy conservation and access for the disabled, earthquake safety, and flood plain regulations; the use of electronic information equipment and specific systems as used within the department.

Ability to: effectively and accurately interpret building plans, blueprints, layouts and specifications; write and speak clearly and concisely for the purpose of instructions and reports; make visual inspections, detect deviations from approved plans, specifications and to insure compliance and enforce State and County codes and ordinances; visually detect substandard building and construction materials and work; understand and verbally or visually interpret and clarify specific State and County codes and ordinance requirements; establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, contractors, the public and other agencies; work effectively with a minimum of direction; exercise initiative to complete work within a prescribed time limit; effectively evaluate situations and identify problems in the field and independently arrive at a reasonable and effective course of action; utilize electronic information systems and analyze and interpret such information.

• 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.

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 which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated 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 is 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