Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Building Official

Recruitment #17-8345-01

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

 

ONLINE APPLICATIONS ONLY

 

DESCRIPTION

THE AGENCY

The mission of Public Works is to enhance the quality of life for the people of Alameda County by providing a safe, well-maintained, and lasting public works infrastructure through accessible, responsive and effective services.

Public services provided by the Alameda County Public Works Agency include flood and storm water pollution control, transportation planning and design, roadway and flood control maintenance and inspection, and construction and building inspections.

The goals of the Agency are to keep roads safe and well maintained, provide the highest level of flood protection, provide service levels that optimize infrastructure life cycles, minimize deferred maintenance, ensure that development and construction adhere to applicable State and County rules, optimize disaster preparedness, response and recover, ensure that the Agency’s operations and services minimize negative impacts on the environment, and sustain and advance County and Agency programs through a vital business and administrative support system.

For more information about the Alameda County Public Works Agency, please visit their website at www.acgov.org/pwa.

 

THE POSITION

Under administrative direction, plans, organizes and directs the enforcement of legal provisions governing building activities in Alameda County; acts as technical advisor to the County Board of Supervisors, the County Planning Commission, or other public officials and groups on matters related to the building inspection program; investigates major violations requiring citations or legal complaints; administers a program of enforcing codes and ordinances pertaining to building inspection; and, does related work as required.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the established minimum qualifications, the Ideal Candidate will have the following critical attributes: 

  • Demonstrated expertise in the areas of building construction, principles of structural engineering and building inspections. 
  • An astute leader with the ability to effectively plan, organize, direct and oversee a comprehensive building inspection program and interact with all levels of the organization.
  • An effective collaborator and communicator with the ability to work with and act as a Technical Advisor for Alameda County's Board of Supervisors, the County's Planning Commission, staff and members of the community.
  • The ability to read, interpret and perform complex analysis of building plans for major structures.
  • The ability to build and maintain cooperative relationships with other officials and agencies to effectively execute the accomplishment of the Building Inspection Division.

Click to view a copy of the recruitment brochure: Page 1 & Page 2

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either

I
Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time experience in the class of Supervising Building Inspector, Supervising Plans Checker, or Grading Supervisor in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or

II
Education:

The equivalent of two years of college course work in such fields as civil engineering, architecture, or building code enforcement,

And

Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time increasingly responsible administrative or supervisory experience in building code enforcement or plan checking. (Two additional years of supervisory experience in building code enforcement and administration may be substituted for the educational requirement.)

Or

The equivalent of four years of full-time experience at the level of superintendent in the building construction industry.

License:

Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's License.


Certificate:

Possession of a valid Certificate of Registration as a Civil Engineer issued by the California State Board of Registration for Civil and Professional Engineers.

Or

Possession of certification as a Building Official issued by the International Code Council (ICC).

The Certificate of Registration as a Civil Engineer is preferred.

Special Requirement:

As a condition of employment, the State law requires that a Building Official must qualify for
certification in at least one of the following codes (Plumbing, Electrical, Building or Mechanical) or combination of all four codes by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), by the end of two years of employment. Not obtaining a certificate in at least one of the building codes after two years of employment will result in termination.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Principles of supervision and personnel management.
• Laws and regulations affecting the building inspection program and the philosophy and functions of such a program in a public agency.
• Modern methods of building construction and principles of structural engineering.
• Methods, materials, tools and safety practices of the building, plumbing, and electrical trades.
• Legal processes and considerations involved in prosecuting violations of the building codes and ordinances.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize and direct a comprehensive building inspection program in a public agency.
• Read, interpret, and perform complex analyses of building plans for major structures.
• Formulate and apply uniform policies and standards for the building inspection program.
• Evaluate legal violations and take appropriate action.
• Speak effectively in public.
• Establish public confidence in the building inspection program, and maintain cooperative relations with other officials and agencies.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1) A review of candidates' applications, and question 1 of the Supplemental Questionnaire, to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A review of candidates’ answers to questions 2 through 5 of the Supplemental Questionnaire to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process.

3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness, and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:

Friday, May 5, 2017**

Friday, April 28, 2017

Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications:

by Friday, May 5, 2017

Review of Supplemental Questionnaires for Best Qualified:

by Friday, May 19, 2017

   

Oral Examination*:

Week of June 12, 2017

*If designated as a combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, the oral interviews may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

**Updated on Friday, April 28, 2017

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
  • Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
  • Vision
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
  • County Allowance (Employer Credit)
  • Health Flexible Spending Account
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Short-term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Management Paid Leave**
  • Group Auto/Home Insurance
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Group Legal
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received, or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Iona Childers, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
Iona.Childers@acgov.org
(510) 272-6463

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer