Building Official (20495019)

San Francisco/Peninsula

Job Type

Full-Time

Close Date

5/5/2024 at 11:59pm

Salary

$138,171.00-$186,237.00 Annually

Additional Questionnaires

None

About Menlo Park

This agency is not using CalOpps to accept online applications for this recruitment. Please read the job announcement for details on how to apply.

Menlo Park is a city of beautiful, tree-lined neighborhoods and active commercial districts. Located conveniently between the major metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Jose, Menlo Park is home to just approximately 32,000 residents in its 19 square miles. The stunning natural surroundings of the city afford views of the San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Coastal Range to the west. Menlo Park's climate is moderate to warm, with an average of 265 sunny days a year.

Menlo Park's residents reflect a range of backgrounds and interests who tend to be well educated and actively engaged in community life. Excellent public and private schools serve its many young families, while residents of all ages enjoy the City's numerous parks and recreational facilities. The City's close proximity to Stanford University and Menlo College provide a multitude of academic, cultural and athletic event opportunities. The arts and leisure activities of the major urban areas of San Francisco and San Jose are close by. These and many other amenities contribute to Menlo Park's outstanding quality of life.

Located in the heart of Menlo Park is a downtown featuring unique and upscale shops, restaurants and entertainment, including the Guild Theatre. Set in a pleasant, pedestrian-oriented atmosphere, Menlo Park's downtown area attracts locals and visitors alike. Known worldwide as the "Capital of Venture Capital," Menlo Park hosts many venture capital firms and is well situated to benefit from and help shape new technologies and markets originating from the Silicon Valley. Additionally, the city is host to numerous technology and healthcare related companies, including such major employers as Meta (formerly Facebook), SRI International, Pacific Biosciences, Exponent, Grail and Personalis.

Menlo Park is a General Law city operating under the Council-Manager form of government. The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Attorney, as well as members of a variety of advisory commissions and committees. The municipal government is organized into six operating departments, including Administrative Services, City Manager's Office, Community Development, Library and Community Services, Police, and Public Works. The City is comprised of approximately 300 employees.

In addition to its many attributes, Menlo Park has one of the most beautiful civic center campuses in the Bay Area. Heritage trees, a running fountain, and a duck pond surround City Hall. The campus also includes a nine-acre park, recreation facilities, and the Menlo Park Library. These civic amenities make the campus a noted destination for residents, local employees, and visitors. Conveniently located, the campus is a short walk to our downtown area with food and shopping destinations, as well as the Menlo Park Caltrain Station.

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Location

701 Laurel Street Menlo Park, 94025

Description

THE DEPARTMENT

The Community Development department is responsible for ensuring a sustainable and vibrant community that supports a high quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors. It includes the Building, Planning and Housing divisions, and core services include building permits, plan check, inspections, affordable housing administration and housing initiatives, as well as long-range planning and development review. The Building Division is responsible for managing the building permit, plan check and inspection processes for compliance with all applicable State laws, local municipal codes and related policies involving building construction, which requires a high level of customer service with the public and coordination within and across departments and agencies.

THE POSITION

The Building Official oversees the development of programs, projects, operations, and services of the Building Division, and is a part of the Community Development management team. This position will manage a 13-member team, including a Permit Manager, Building Permit Technicians, Plan Check Engineer, and Building Inspectors, and will receive general direction from the Assistant Community Development Director or the Community Development Director. Successful performance in this role requires professional and technical skills in the core functional areas of permitting, plan checking and building inspections, as well as knowledge of public policy and municipal services, and excellence in communication and leadership. The individual must be able to assess the current needs of the department and look for innovative ways to help the department advance to improve service delivery and meet the changing needs of the community. This will require guiding modifications to the City's land management permitting system (Accela) to improve processes, enhance customer service and monitor data.

With the adoption of the General Plan Update in 2016 and, most recently, the Housing Element zoning-related changes, the City is expected to see physical change as plans come to fruition. A key priority for this position will be overseeing the building permit process for a diverse range of projects from tenant improvements to new single-family residential construction to hotels to large-scale, comprehensive planned mixed-use campuses. Currently, the City has approximately 775 residential units and 260,000 square feet of life science uses under construction, with over 2,000 residential units, two hotels and more than 1.8 million square feet of commercial square footage approved, but not yet under construction, along with a number of large development projects currently under review. To learn more, visit menlopark.gov/projects. Another focus of the position will be on collaborating with the Sustainability Team to evaluate and develop green and sustainable codes and regulations to further the City's climate action goal, which is one of the City Council's top priorities.

Job Announcement URL:

https://averyassoc.net/current-searches-2/

Job PDF:

Final Menlo Park Building Official Brochure.pdf

Ideal Candidate

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The Building Official must be a collaborative leader, coordinating across teams and agencies to provide a high level of customer support during the land development process. The new hire must be able to work with stakeholders and key partners and ensure that the department supports the health and welfare of all residents. Internally, the individual must mentor and develop staff within the department and demonstrate a strong grasp of operations-management to lead the team and assess and improve systems if needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

This position will require at least five (5) or more years of progressive full-time experience in building plans examination, building inspection and/or construction management, including two (2) years management and/or supervisory experience. Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in engineering, architecture, construction management, or a closely related field is required. ICC Certification as a Building Plans Examiner, Combination Residential or Commercial Building Inspector required at the time of hire, and certification as a Certified Building Official required within one (1) year from date of hire.

Benefits

The salary range for this position is $138,171 - $186,237 DOQ. The City offers a competitive benefits program for unrepresented management positions, which includes the following:

• Retirement

• California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) plan, which offers reciprocity between agencies. "Classic" tier II employees new to the City of Menlo Park receive a 2% @ 60 formula. "PEPRA" employees (those new to CalPERS since 2013 and who do not belong to a reciprocal agency of CalPERS) will receive the tier III formula of 2% @ 62.

• Health Insurance

• The City pays 100% of health premium costs for medical, dental (through Delta Dental), and vision (basic plan premiums through Vision Service Plan)

• Holidays

• Eleven (11) paid holidays per year.

• General Leave

• 338 hours of leave accrual each year and ability to cash out up to 120 hours annually.

• Management Leave

• 80 hours of leave granted every October, prorated based on hire date.

• Deferred Compensation

• City provides 457(b) plans and matches employee contribution up to 4% of salary or the IRS maximum, whichever is less, for "Classic" tier II and all "PEPRA" members.

• Management Bonus

• The City Manager may award employees a bonus of up to $20,000 each fiscal year, subject to annual budget appropriations.

• Auto Allowance - $6,838 per year (adjusted annually by CPI).

• Health reimbursement account - $2,500 per year City contribution.

• Life Insurance

• The City pays 100% of premiums for coverage of 150% of annual earnings up to a maximum benefit of $350,000.

• Long Term Disability and AD&D Insurance

• 100% City-paid premiums.

• Education Reimbursement

• Reimbursement up to $3,600 per year for tuition expenses. and/or assistance with student loan payments incurred in pursuit of post-secondary education during or prior to employee's service to the City.

• Additional benefits include a City-paid Caltrain Go Pass / Bay Pass for unlimited transportation rides around the Bay Area, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Retiree Health Benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts and an on-site gym.

Special Instructions

If you are interested in pursuing this desirable career opportunity, please visit the Avery Associates Career Portal on our website at www.averyassoc.net/current-searches/ to upload your letter of interest, resume, and contact information, including email addresses for five work-related references (who will not be contacted until after an interview takes place).

The final filing date is Sunday, May 5, 2024. Avery Associates is expecting to conduct preliminary interviews with qualified applicants in early May. It is anticipated that recommended candidates will interview with the City of Menlo Park the week of May 13 with an appointment expected in early June.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact Bill Avery at (408)399-4424 or by email: bill@averyassoc.net or Kristi Ward at (408)507-9378 or by email: kristiw@averyassoc.net.