Senior Permit Specialist- Fire Department

The San José Fire Department's (SJFD) mission is to serve the community by protecting life, property, and the environment through prevention and response. SJFD is a high-volume, high-performance, "all hazard" fire department, responding to approximately 110,000 calls for service each year from 34 Fire Stations. SJFD's service area includes a number of high-hazard occupancies, including an international airport; a general aviation reliever airport; five major hospitals (including two trauma centers, and five emergency departments); the SAP Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks (17,500 capacity); PayPal Park, home of MLS's San Jose Earthquakes (18,000 capacity); San José State University (the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast) with a student population of nearly 40,000; three super regional malls; approximately 100 high-rise structures; and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For more information on the San José Fire Department (SJFD), please visit the website here. Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose's website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers . The San Jose Fire Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Senior Permit Specialist vacancy in the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The salary range for this classification is:

Senior Permit Specialist:

$82,534.40

• $100,505.

60 annually Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates' qualifications and experience. In addition to the starting salary, employees in the Senior Permit Specialist classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay. The Sr. Permit Specialist performs a variety of construction review, permit issuance, and customer service functions related to the plan review processes and permit issuance. This position serves as a key resource to applicants, contractors, design professionals, and City staff by providing guidance on permit requirements, code compliance, and development review processes. Key duties include but are not limited to: Processes and issues a variety of Fire permits for large scale multi-family, tract home projects, commercial and single-family projects. Receive/obtain and review a variety of fire protection and hazmat applications, construction plans and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with state, county and local codes and other applicable criteria; secures missing information from applicants; determines the required level of plan review and/or inspection, based on submittal documents and enters detailed project data into computer-based systems. Research project address and files regarding prior actions, decisions, and development activities to support new project submittal; and ensure all necessary approvals are obtained from City Departments and external agencies. Respond to inquiries and confer with developers, engineers, contractors, architects, and the public concerning development review requirements, fire codes, and permit regulations in-person at the public counter, on the phone, virtually or by email. Coordinate project workflow and meetings between City staff, contractors, and applicant development teams. Act as a mentor and provide technical direction on fire protection and hazardous materials permits processes, policies and procedures to city staff and the general public. Calculate and issue plan check, inspection and permit fee invoices as necessary. Resolve permit review complications, complaints and customer service issues. Perform other duties of similar nature or level as required. This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Education:

Completion of high school, General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.) or equivalent.

Experience:

Two (2) years of experience as a Permit Specialist or equivalent in a public agency.

Acceptable Substitutions:

Associate's degree from an accredited college and one (1) year of experience as a Permit Specialist or equivalent in a public agency.

Licenses:

Valid California Driver's License or the ability to obtain one. The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Job Expertise

• Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations, including ability to read, comprehend, and interpret building plans and knowledge of Zoning, Building and/or Fire Code terminology, administration and permitting procedures.

Ability to learn and use the department's automated permit processing database system and development related programs. Customer Service

• Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently in a timely, accurate, respectful and friendly manner. Computer Skills
• Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel. Communication Skills
• Communicates and listens effectively and responds in a timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form. Problem Solving
• Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem(s); collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome. Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills
• Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews. If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Laura Black at laura.black@sanjoseca.gov .