Chief Building Official - Jefferson County (Development Services)

Personnel Board of Jefferson County; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 93,000 - 144,000; Full time

Job summary

Jefferson County Development Services Department is seeking a well-qualified Chief Building Official to manage the Building Division, overseeing permit coordination, plan reviews, and inspections related to land development.

Responsibilities include interpreting, revising, enforcing, and administering state and county-adopted building codes; maintaining official records and preparing evidence for court cases; and supervising subordinate staff by assigning and reviewing work, establishing

Qualifications

• Driver's license.
• Certified Building Official certification from the ICC.
• Experience conducting building inspections for residential and commercial buildings.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the County’s Building Official.
• Serves as the County’s Fire Code Official.
• Acts as the primary signatory for Certificates of Occupancy (COs) issued by Jefferson County.
• Engages in activities designed to ensure professional development, awareness of developments in the field, and knowledge of relevant practices, rules, laws, policies, and/or guidelines.
• Interprets codes and ordinances by comparing plans to code requirements and ordinances to clarify information for construction professionals and the general public.
• Oversees and participates in enforcement of codes and ordinances by conducting and monitoring inspections (e.g., communicating required modifications to appropriate parties, issuing stop-work notices) to ensure compliance and safety.
• Oversees and participates in plan reviews by comparing plans to pertinent codes to ensure compliance with applicable codes and ordinances.
• Oversees and participates in the maintenance of inspection records by filing, researching, documenting records, calculating fees and preparing for court cases so records are up-to-date and fees charged are appropriate.
• Performs administrative duties including writing various reports, maintaining records, and responding to concerns from the public.
• Research and reviews codes, ordinances, notices, and permitting by reading code books and amendments, and researching new materials to ensure knowledge is current or to provide information to others.
• Supervises staff by assigning and distributing work, directing staff in their job duties, monitoring progress of work, providing feedback and/or training to ensure work is properly performed in a timely manner.

Skills

CBO certification

Building inspections

Code enforcement

Plan review

Education

ICC Certified Building Official

Job description

Job Summary

Jefferson County Development Services Department is seeking a well-qualified, motivated Chief Building Official to manage the Building Division, overseeing permit coordination, plan reviews, and inspections related to land development. Responsibilities include interpreting, revising, enforcing, and administering state and county-adopted building codes; maintaining official records and preparing evidence for court cases; and supervising subordinate staff by assigning and reviewing work, establishing performance goals, and providing direction and training.

Compensation & Benefits

Jefferson County provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is presented below:

Target Close Date

10/23/2026

Pay Grade

Grade 32

Type

Full time

Job Summary

Jefferson County Development Services Department is seeking a well-qualified, motivated Chief Building Official to manage the Building Division, overseeing permit coordination, plan reviews, and inspections related to land development. Responsibilities include interpreting, revising, enforcing, and administering state and county-adopted building codes; maintaining official records and preparing evidence for court cases; and supervising subordinate staff by assigning and reviewing work, establishing performance goals, and providing direction and training.

Compensation & Benefits

Jefferson County provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is presented below:

$92,955 - $144,206

Minimum Qualifications

• Driver's license.
• Certified Building Official certification from the International Code Council.
• Experience conducting building inspections for residential and commercial buildings.

Typical Job Duties

• Serves as the County’s Building Official.
• Serves as the County’s Fire Code Official.
• Acts as the primary signatory for Certificates of Occupancy (COs) issued by Jefferson County.
• Engages in activities designed to ensure professional development, awareness of developments in the field, and knowledge of relevant practices, rules, laws, policies, and/or guidelines.
• Interprets codes and ordinances by comparing plans to code requirements and ordinances to clarify information for construction professionals and the general public.
• Oversees and participates in enforcement of codes and ordinances by conducting and monitoring inspections (e.g., communicating required modifications to appropriate parties, issuing stop-work notices) to ensure compliance and safety.
• Oversees and participates in plan reviews by comparing plans to pertinent codes to ensure compliance with applicable codes and ordinances.
• Oversees and participates in the maintenance of inspection records by filing, researching, documenting records, calculating fees and preparing for court cases so records are up-to-date and fees charged are appropriate.
• Performs administrative duties including writing various reports, maintaining records, and responding to concerns from the public.
• Research and reviews codes, ordinances, notices, and permitting by reading code books and amendments, and researching new materials to ensure knowledge is current or to provide information to others.
• Supervises staff by assigning and distributing work, directing staff in their job duties, monitoring progress of work, providing feedback and/or training to ensure work is properly performed in a timely manner.

Physical Demands

Job involves moderate physical exertion required for occasional prolonged periods of lifting, carrying, balancing, climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, or running. Work may involve occasional lifting of items or objects weighing up to 50 lbs.

Work Environment

Work is conducted both indoors in an office setting, as well during occasional field visits. Work involves use of standard office equipment, such as a computer, digital camera, phone, copier, etc.

Eeo Statement

The Personnel Board of Jefferson County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Each Merit System member city/agency operates its own equal employment opportunity policies available on the individual city/agency website.

Accommodation

To request an accommodation in the application or hiring process due to your own ongoing medical condition or disability, please contact our Accommodations Coordinator at [e-mail] or phone at 205-279-3500 (select option 1) Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. The accommodation process is reserved solely for job seekers with disabilities requesting accessibility assistance or accommodation in the job application process.

Disclaimer

This job posting is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required for this position and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.