Deputy Director/Building Official - Oakland, United States - City of Oakland, CA

Description

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal-opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity.

Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city's historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day.

As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone.

Oakland strives to establishan environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.

Why join the City of Oakland Planning and Building Department (PBD)?

Directed administratively by the Planning and Building Department (PBD) Director, the Deputy Director position will be responsible for the overall administration of the Building Bureau.

In this capacity, the position also carries the delegation of authority as Chief Building Official to be the administrative interpreter of the Building Code as cited in Section 15 of the Oakland Municipal Code.

Given the integral and principal role the Building Code plays in the permitting, inspection, code enforcement, environmental quality, and community character reflected in Oakland's development and conservation, this position is a key participant in the development of policy, processes, and metrics for the City of Oakland to meet its residents', businesses', institutions', and cultural needs.

The Chief Building Official has a critical role to play in the quality of life in the City of Oakland, given its history, diversity, architectural distinction, transportation hubs, and economic opportunities.

The Chief Building Official has opportunities rarely found in most jurisdictions.

As part of a larger county in the most urbanized agglomeration of major cities in the nation, The Deputy Director will have a seat at the table for the strategic as well as transactional recommendations to the Mayor, Council, and Administration to enhance the experience of building and developing in Oakland while achieving our principal goal of building safe structures that are welcome additions to the city both during their construction and over the years they are in service to their users.

In addition to the technical expertise that this position will call on in its Chief Building Official capacity, the management of a staff of over 50 that interfaces with the Planning and Administrative/Operations Bureaus within Planning & Building Department as well as with the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Department of Transportation, and Economic Workforce Department will require a service-based philosophy and partnership approach that enhances the internal operations across multiple departments and divisions.

The skill set to manage key performance metrics will be essential for success in this position.

This is also an exciting time to be part of the Reimagining One-Stop Permitting, which is an initiative under the City Administrator's leadership to look at processes, resources, and regulations to optimize all aspects of customer service in meeting our charge for public safety.

The Deputy Director/Chief Building Official onboarding at this time will have an unusual window to be a change agent at a scale that Oakland has not seen in its development services since well before the dissolution of CEDA (Community & Economic Development Agency).

The Building Bureau Director shall be able to leave a mark on the organization that few are able to do over the typical tenure in this role.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Management Oriented in listening, analyzing and leading: you will need to interact with staff to understand their tasks and use that input to more effectively give direction and measure performance.
• Skilled in Communication across all Community and Customer constituents: you will need to state your intentions, observations, requests, and directions to achieve understanding and ensure your own understanding of requests, complaints, and directives you receive.
• Constantly exploring new ways to optimize service for safety: you will need to assess the Bureau performance with the intent of trying new processes to improve operations based on the service, integrity, and practicality of the approach.
• Focused in urgently responding to customer needs, questions, clarifications: you will need to prioritize actions, to address the relative urgency and importance of items as they arise.
• Technically proficient with the

California Building Code:

you will need to have knowledge and understanding of the California Building Code to ensure that the City of Oakland is aligned as required and to inspire confidence in the public and staff with that proficiency.

• Capable in data analysis for resource, process and performance assessment: you will need to know how to gather, select, analyze and use data to establish metrics that inform management approaches to improve service.
• Innovative in addressing design, development, and construction challenges: you will need to lead a customer-oriented culture to the goal of developing Oakland into a thriving City through finding ways to practically address technical challenges in code interpretation and enforcement.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Planning, organizing, and implementing improved permit and enforcement systems to provide timely and efficient customer services.
• Setting performance standards for the Director's review and approval
• Ensure that approved standards are achieved through direct and delegated management.
• Regular updates to the Director on matters that urgently or substantively affect the Departments ability to meet performance goals with sufficient time whenever possible to execute corrective or mitigative actions.
• Ensuring that the City of Oakland Building Codes meet both the standard of compliance with the State of California and the specific needs of Oakland.
• Ensure that Code Enforcement cases are addressed with urgency and consistency to bring violations into compliance within the full recourse of the Building Bureau's delegated authority.
• Developing Budgets, Schedules, and Information System Requests consistent with the department goals and, where identified, specific performance metrics.
• Ensuring the coordinated processing of permits across the Department and between the Department with other Departments or outside Agencies with jurisdiction.

Read the complete job description by clicking thislink.

View the recruitment brochure by clicking this link.

A few reasons you might love this job:

• The people of Oakland are among the most engaged and diverse communities in any City in the nation who are open to new ideas and approaches.
• The range of project types found in the city is as varied as Oakland's people; every day will be exciting with great opportunities to make a difference.
• The dedication of staff within the Building Bureau and across the Department and the City of Oakland reflects a personal and professional commitment to a better life for its residents and workers.
• Oakland Building Bureau is welcome regularly among forums for code professionals regionally, state-wide, and nationally to pursue learning and teaching opportunities to meet challenges.
• A Chief Administration Office that recognizes and appreciates the importance of what you do.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Building on the significant progress already made in culling operational data and converting it into dashboards and setting up the protocols and departmental culture for using data as robust management tools.
• Making, documenting and updating a clear assessment of where there are logjams, backlogs, and needed process changes to meet performance goals.
• Ensuring that Bureau staff understand their respective delegation of authority and assignment relative to the Chief Building Official and understand the overall strategy looking to be accomplished.
• Providing a regular forum for input from staff to know their experience is valued and sought to inform Bureau and departmental initiatives and operations.
• Managing the demand on services within operational constraints and defining realistic expectations to everyone at any time given the resources, rules, and regulations we must follow.

Competencies Required:

• Decision Making: Choosing optimal courses of action in a timely manner
• Critical Thinking: Analytically and logically evaluating information, propositions, and claims
• Fact Finding: Obtaining facts and data pertaining to an issue or question
• Legal &

Regulatory Navigation:
Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations

• Professional &

Technical Expertise:
Applying technical subject matter to the job

• Action & Results Focused (Taking Initiative): Initiating tasks and focusing on accomplishment
• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
• Displaying Ownership and Accountability: Holding self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results.
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Establishing Credibility: Doing what one commits to doing and respecting the confidentiality of information and concerns shared by others.
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
• Innovative Problem Solving: Identifying and analyzing problems in order to propose new and better ways of doing things
• Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Professional Impact: Presenting self as a positive representative of the organization
• Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland

Working for the City of Oakland

Minimum Requirements for Application

The following qualifications are guidelines, as the appointing authority has broad discretion in filling positions in this classification.


Education:
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in civil engineering, architecture or a closely related field. A Master's Degree in a related field is highly desirable.


Experience:

Five (5) years of progressively responsible management experience in engineering, architecture, code compliance, and enforcement or inspection work, including program administration, policy development, and project management.

Must include two (2) years of supervisory experience.

License or Certificate

Individuals who are appointed to this position will be required to maintain a valid California Driver's License throughout the tenure of employment OR demonstrate the ability to travel to various locations in a timely manner as required in the performance of duties.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Civil Engineer in the State of California or Registration as a Professional Architect in the State of California
• Possession of a certificate from International Code Council (ICC) as a Certified Building Official
• Experience in leadership of interdisciplinary organizations that deliver services on a reliable schedule and standard.
• Past participation, preferably in leadership positions, in professional organizations that advance the quality and delivery of development services.
• Experience in leading organizational change.

Supplemental Information


The Recruitment Process:

This is an at-will position, exempt from the provisions of the City of Oakland Civil Service Rules, per Charter Section 902.

All applications received will be forwarded to the Planning and Building Department for further consideration.

Meeting the minimum qualification requirements may not result in further consideration, only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews.

What's in it for you?

• 15 paid holidays
• Vacation - 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement - CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health - The City of Oakland pays for the cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental - The City of Oakland pays for Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision - The City of Oakland pays for VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave - Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation - 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Up to three (3) days of remote work per week is possible while Oakland's DHRM allows it through its Telecommute Program Policy. This is subject to change at any time
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Training, & Telecommuting.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment.

If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Disaster Service Workers

All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.

Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

How to Apply

Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user of the system.

APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY.

You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at:

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library.

There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Our online application system is provided by GovernmentJobs.

If you have problems while applying online, please contact GovernmentJobs Live Applicant Support at between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.

You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system.

For recruitment-specific questions, please contact Nachele Jackson - Administrative Analyst IIat