Building Official

The City of Temecula is hiring a well qualified Building Official in the Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.

Salary Range Effective June 29, 2024

$66.33 - $93.73 Hourly

$11,497.20 - $16,246.53 Monthly

$137,966.40 - $194,958.40 Annually

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned construction professional who has extensive experience with inspections and plan checks. The candidate will be a forward-thinking professional who upholds important life safety/permitting requirements in a consistent and fair manner. The candidate will have a strong political acumen and ethics while understanding the varying needs of constituents (builders, developers, and homeowners).

Strong candidates will be able to develop, deliver, and demonstrate past, current, and potential success related to improving efficiency, and digitizing processes from the first constituent interaction (online or at the counter) to the final inspection.

This position is expected to write, present, and bring items forward to the City Council.  A high-level of customer service, accountability, communication, cross-department coordination, customer education, and independent/well-reasoned judgement is necessary for this position.   The candidate will be able to develop, coach, and mentor less experienced staff and continue to develop a continuous pipeline of high quality leaders.

Please Note:  A writing sample is required at time of application.  Applications will not be accepted without the required attachment.

Writing Sample Instructions:

Provide a copy of a staff report and resolution that you have personally written. Alternatively, if you have not written a staff report in the past, please write a staff report and resolution that limits construction hours in the City.

Click here to view Building Official recruitment brochure.

DEFINITION

Under administrative direction, plans, manages, and directs the operations of the Building & Safety Division of the Community Development Department to ensure that City structures are safe and in compliance with local, state, and federal codes and regulations.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Building Official is a Principal Manager level classification responsible for leading the Building Division and serving as the City's designated Building Official. The employee applies considerable specialized knowledge, judgment and independence in the interpretation and application of building and safety codes and regulations and assumes responsibility for supervising and overseeing the work of management, professional, technical, and administrative support staff assigned to building inspection, plan review, and permit processing. The Building Official is distinguished from the Senior Building Inspector by the level of responsibility assumed and the complexity of duties assigned.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Receives administrative direction from the Director of Community Development or his/her designee.

Exercises administrative direction over division management, technical and administrative support staff.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provides responsible staff assistance to the Director of Community Development; assists the Director in planning division activities and projects, developing and implementing goals and objectives, and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures

• Develops, implements, and monitors work plans to achieve goals and objectives

• Selects, supervises, motivates, plans, trains, directs, and evaluates the work of lower level staff; works with employees to correct deficiencies and initiates disciplinary action, as necessary

• Administers consultant contract agreements for plan check engineering and building inspection to supplement City staff; provides direction to contract staff and ensures that work is performed according to City standards

• Performs the most technical, complex, or sensitive tasks assigned to plan check and building inspection staff; participates in the development design review process to ensure that proposed residential, commercial, and industrial developments meet all pertinent state and local building codes and ordinances; performs post-disaster field inspections of public and private buildings to evaluate safety hazards and ensure compliance with structural, building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy and other applicable codes and regulations

• Interprets and enforces the provisions of the California Buildings Standards Code, including the Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, Energy, and Historical Building Codes and other related local and state regulations pertaining to private development; gives final approval for the issuance of building permits, stop work orders, demolition orders and citations pursuant to this enforcement responsibility; develops local amendments to supplement the California Buildings Standards Code, as necessary

• Resolves field and office problems regarding the application or interpretation of codes and regulations enforced by the division; addresses complaints regarding division activities and takes or directs appropriate corrective action; responds to complaints or technically complex inquiries from the public

• Develops and maintains a comprehensive fee schedule to ensure adequate cost recovery for services provided by the Building Division

• Acts as the City's ADA Coordinator

• Serves as the City's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Program Manager for private and public developments

• Develops and administers the division budget; forecasts funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies; monitors and approves expenditures

• Directs the maintenance and archival of construction documents of all buildings permitted by the City to ensure compliance with state regulations

• Coordinates with other City departments, public safety organizations, and other outside agencies to provide structural safety assessment activities in response to emergencies and accidents

• Prepares and presents written and verbal reports on Building Division activities and projects

• Maintains current knowledge of new trends and innovations in the field of building construction; monitors and researches new and proposed legislation pertaining to building codes and regulations affecting work of the department; ensures that subordinate staff is properly trained and educated

• Prepares and writes a variety of reports and documentation, including detailed Risk Management incident reports

• Performs other duties of a similar nature

A combination of education, experience, and training that has provided the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities is required for entry into the classification. The City of Temecula utilizes equivalencies to substitute two years of applicable experience and similar responsibility for one year of college in order for a candidate to meet Minimum Qualifications. A typical combination of education, experience, and training for this classification includes:

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university in Architecture, Civil Engineering, or a related field; and four (4) years of journey level experience in the design, construction, or inspection of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory capacity.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• Pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations, including building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical codes

• Engineering procedures, terminology, principles and theories as related to the structural components of buildings and structures

• Principles, practices, methods, and materials of building construction

• Safety standards and practices in the building construction industry

• Engineering mathematics, including algebra, geometry, and trigonometry

• Principles and practices of employee supervision, training, motivation, and performance evaluation

• Occupational hazards and safety measures appropriate to work performed

Skill to:

• Operate various types of standard office equipment, including a personal computer and related software

• Operate a motor vehicle in a safe manner

Ability to:

• Interpret, explain, and apply pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations

• Read and understand building construction plans and specifications

• Evaluate situations, identify problems and deviations, and exercise sound independent judgment and decision making within established guidelines

• Perform mathematical computations with speed and accuracy

• Plan, organize and prioritize projects and tasks in order to meet program and department deadlines

• Supervise, plan, train, direct, and evaluate the work of lower level staff

• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing, including making oral presentations and preparing comprehensive written reports

• Use proper English, spelling, grammar and punctuation

• Establish and maintain courteous, cooperative, and effective working relationships with those encountered in the course of work

• Effectively resolve conflicts and difficult situations with tact and impartiality while providing quality customer service

• Serve as emergency services worker in the event of an emergency

LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATES

Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license and an acceptable driving record.

Valid certification by the International Code Council (ICC) as a Certified Building Official obtained within one (1) year of appointment.

Certified Access Specialist (CASp) is desirable.

Registration as a Professional Civil or Structural Engineer in the State of California is desirable.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Satisfactory results from a background investigation and administrative screening. The administrative screening may include a pre-employment drug screening for positions which are designated as safety sensitive or security sensitive, including but not limited to being responsible for the care and custody of children and operating heavy equipment.

May be required to work on call-out or standby outside of regular work hours (e.g. evenings, holidays and weekends).

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and sit; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently stands or walks, and lifts and moves records and documents or objects weighing up to 50 pounds alone, and up to 100 pounds with assistance. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

The employee is regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret statistical data, information and documents; analyze and solve problems; use math and apply mathematical reasoning and abstract statistical concepts; observe and interpret people and situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks; work under intensive deadlines; and interact with staff and others encountered in the course of work in achieving compliance with standards and requirements.

The employee typically works in office conditions; the noise level is frequently quiet or moderately quiet, at or below 50 decibels. The employee is required to occasionally travel to construction sites and field environments; travel from site to site with exposure to dust, electrical energy and outside weather conditions, including wet and/or humid conditions. The employee occasionally works around loud noise levels which can exceed 70 decibels, interacts with officials and the public and occasionally deals with dissatisfied or difficult individuals.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Flexibly Staffed:  No

FLSA Status:  Exempt

Conflict of Interest:  Form 700 Required

Department:  Community Development

Bonding Required:  No