Senior Building Inspector - Promotional

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Sonoma's Permit Sonoma division seeks to fill a Senior Building Inspector position through a department promotional process. Ideal candidate will inspect buildings, review plans for code compliance, and manage complex inspections within a rotating schedule.

Requires association with county codes and state standards and a valid CA driver’s license. The role involves training staff, clarifying code interpretations with architects and engineers, and coordinating field inspections in a

Qualifications

• Two years of experience as a building inspector in a governmental agency.
• Possession of certification as a combination inspector or certificates in Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical inspection are required.
• Possession of a valid California Class C Driver’s License.

Responsibilities

• Perform inspections across building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, floodplain, and life-safety areas.
• Review plans for conformance with California Building Code and related codes.
• Manage complex inspections and specialized programs; coordinate daily routes.

Skills

Building codes

Code interpretation

Customer service

Team collaboration

Education

High school diploma

Job description

This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full- or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

Permit Sonoma has requested a department promotional certification to fill a Senior Building Inspector position.Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Permit Sonoma employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

Senior Building Inspectors work within an assigned geographical area, performing a variety of building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, floodplain, and fire and life safety visual inspections. Building upon their inspection experience, Senior Building Inspectors conduct research and check building plans and layouts for conformance with building codes, County ordinances, and departmental policies and procedures. Senior Building Inspectors also manage special inspection programs and perform the most complex and difficult combinations of large and small, commercial and residential, structural inspections. Additionally, using their advanced knowledge of building codes, County ordinances, and departmental policies and procedures, they analyze code disputes, clarify code interpretations, advise staff on non-routine plans and inspections, and coordinate daily route assignments.

The ideal candidate has extensive, in-depth knowledge of current model codes, a drive to engage others to work together towards a common goal, and experience:

• Assisting and training staff on how to issue permits for construction improvements and effectively apply provisions of the California Building, Housing, Plumbing, Electrical and Mechanical codes; Fire Safe Standards; and related State and County codes and ordinances
• Conducting onsite inspections of existing buildings and structures, ensuring safe occupancy, determining substandard and/or hazardous conditions, fire damage, structural failures, and the need for maintenance or repair
• Clarifying and interpreting code disputes to seek compliance from architects, engineers, and designers during various building stages
• Exercising excellent judgment and a common-sense approach to addressing challenging customer service situations
• Reviewing plans and specifications, identifying any construction that deviated from expectations
• Successfully interacting with a diverse customer base
• Working well in a fast-paced/high-volume work environment

Additionally, possession of certification as a combination inspector or certificates in Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical inspection is required.

Work Environment

This is a year-round position that works indoors and outdoors, during all types of weather conditions. Typically, Senior Building Inspectors work a rotating monthly schedule, starting at 6:30–3:00 when handling scheduling duties and 7:30–4:00 when not. They also participate in a rotating standby schedule, providing coverage on weekends and holidays.

Experience

Experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, a minimum of two years of experience as a building inspector in a governmental agency utilizing the California Building Code.

Education

High school graduation and recent academic course work relating to the knowledge and abilities listed is required.

Licenses & Certifications

Possession of certification as a combination inspector or certificates in Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical inspection are required. 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 requires possession of a valid State of California Class C Driver’s License.

Thorough knowledge of

the general and specific 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 State and County codes and ordinances, and of tools, practices and techniques used in the various building and construction trades; the use of electronic information equipment and specific systems as used within the department.

Knowledge of

the departmental and county procedures in pursuing an orderly building abatement process, the upgrading of potential or existing hazardous building or structural conditions and for providing technical assistance to upgrade substandard conditions under State and County codes and ordinances.

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 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: CG

HR Technician: VH