We have an exciting opportunity for a full-time Chief Building Official to join our team in Millbrae, San Mateo County.
Reporting to the Community Development Director, you will help lead Millbrae’s growth by directing fieldwork, ensuring compliance with building regulations, facilitating major construction projects, and upholding high safety standards.
In addition to administrative duties, this customer-service-oriented position includes providing education and guidance to residents and contractors, performing hands-on plan checks and building inspections, and overseeing a support team of contracted permit technicians, plan checkers, and inspectors.
Definition: This division head classification is responsible for managing the City’s building inspection activities, enforcing the state building codes and regulations, plan check services and advising builders and homeowners on construction design and standards.
Essential Duties: Depending upon assignment, the duties of the Building Official include:
- Managing and directing the division staff. Through inspections, ensures that all structures comply with applicable state and local laws, codes and ordinances. Ensuring prompt review of plans for proposed building construction or alterations, and the timely inspection of structures.
- Reviewing and recommending revisions of the City codes to comply with federal, state and local requirements.
- Developing policies and procedures designed to improve plan checking and the code enforcement program. Streamlining permit issuance procedures, when applicable, and developing updated forms as needed.
- Effectively monitoring division workloads to ensure adequate and timely plan checks and building inspections.
- Providing technical assistance and advice to architects, engineers, contractors and homeowners on matters pertaining to building plans, zoning regulations, construction methods, materials, procedures and building and related codes.
- Maintaining a competent and motivated work force by training, developing, disciplining and evaluating the performance of subordinates. Objectively and constructively evaluating the performance of subordinates, promptly apprizing subordinates of how well they are performing and/or in what specific areas they should seek improvement.
- Ensuring financial soundness of the division by developing, justifying and effectively managing the division budget.
- Generating monthly reports for the City Manager regarding building activity and workload, and other reports as necessary. Maintaining work records related to the development of such reports.
- Responding to and resolving complaints from the public in a tactful and courteous manner. Investigating problems to determine responsibility and methods for resolution as appropriate.
- Interpreting and making decisions on technical problems related to building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical codes and related federal, state and local laws and ordinances.
- Ensuring that checks and analysis of new construction and building alteration plans for residential, commercial, industrial buildings are done in a timely manner to ensure compliance with codes and policies. Ensuring plan checks accurately identify corrections, corrections notices are prepared and forwarded to applicant, maintaining plan check log for up to date information and current status of the plan check. Approving plans and issuing permits when appropriate.
- Maintaining and developing the electronic permitting and inspection system.
- Maintaining and developing the City street file system.
Special Requirements: Physical agility adequate to inspect construction sites. Requires physical flexibility and dexterity, including the ability to continually stand, bend, stoop, reach and crouch. Must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, hear voices and operate telephones. Must have the ability to quickly and accurately see, review, and interpret plans and diagrams and make inspections.
Minimum Qualifications:
Knowledge of: Building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical codes and ordinances enforced by the City; principals, practices and techniques of combination inspection, building materials, accepted safety standards; State laws regulating building construction and zoning; precautionary safety and fire prevention methods in occupancy of buildings; building construction and materials, particularly structural construction materials and specialized terminology used in connection therewith; general knowledge of accepted methods of training; and knowledge of the construction industry and of modern supervisory principals and practices.
Ability and skills: To direct the work of others; provide technical supervision and training to division staff; read and
quality control building plans, diagrams, specification and building codes; enforce laws, codes and regulations with tact;
maintain records and prepare clear and concise reports and correspondence; supervise plan checking; analyze facts and exercise good independent judgement; read, interpret and perform analysis of plans for various structures; formulate and apply uniform policies and standards for the building inspection program; deal tactfully and effectively with contractors and the public; learn, retain, interpret and use technical knowledge related to federal, state and local laws related to building codes. Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Establish, maintain and foster cooperative teamwork within the division, within various departments and other agencies that are associated with building construction.
Education and Training Guidelines: Sufficient education and experience to satisfactorily perform the duties of this classification. A typical qualifying background would be four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in combination inspections, including two (2) years at a supervisory level. An Associate of Arts or Science Degree in Building Inspection Technology or a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field is desirable.
Experience: Four (4) years of progressively responsible full-time experience as a Building Inspector with a Municipal Building Department with at least two (2) years in a supervisory position.
Supervision Exercised and Received: The Building Official supervises the Building Inspector/Plan Checker and the Permit Technician. The Building Official reports to the Community Development Director.
License: Must possess and maintain a valid California Operator’s License issued by the State Department of Motor Vehicles and a satisfactory driving record.
Certification: Must possess and maintain certifications by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO): Plans Examiner and Combination Inspector. Must possess, or obtain within one year of employment, certification by the International Code Council (ICC) as a Building Official. A Certified Access Specialist (CASp) certification is highly desirable. Registration as an architect, civil, or structural engineer is highly desirable.
