Permitting & Policy Liaison

The position provides high touch, "concierge" customer service for residents, contractors, design professionals, and business owners, specializing in navigating complex complaints, service concerns, and permitting and inspection issues. Acting as the primary point of contact for escalated concerns, the incumbent identifies procedural bottlenecks, coordinates with internal reviewers and inspectors to resolve conflicts, and drives cases to timely closure. The incumbent is also responsible for reviewing new bills proposed by the Florida Legislature for potential impacts to the department, especially relating to permitting and development processes, and developing analysis of impacts before bill adoptions. and policies, and developing analyses, potential process changes, and ordinances in response to adopted legislation. The duties listed below are illustrative and not all-inclusive. The employee performs other related work as required.

• Receives, triages, and responds to escalated customer complaints and service requests related to permits, inspections, workflow status, and other issues. The incumbent provides individual assistance to customers in understanding process steps or what action is needed next to move a permit or development forward.
• Researches permit history and current status within the City's permitting system, reviews available notes and records, and identifies root causes of delays or breakdowns in the process.

The incumbent coordinates across disciplines and departments as needed (including but not limited to Building, Planning/Zoning, Engineering, Fire, and Utilities) to assemble accurate information for the customer and to help remove bottlenecks.

• Facilitates resolution meetings or coordinated communications between the customer and City staff when issues require multi-party clarification. The incumbent documents customer contacts, outcomes, and next steps, and tracks open issues to ensure follow-up commitments are met.
• Provides professional de-escalation and conflict-resolution support in person, by phone, and electronically. explains City processes and requirements in plain language, identifies where discretion exists versus where statutory/code requirements control, and refers customers to the appropriate staff for technical determinations.
• Identifies recurring process issues, communication gaps, and common customer pain points, and provides feedback to supervisors regarding opportunities for workflow improvement, customer education materials, and service standards.
• Assists with developing written guidance, scripts, FAQs, and customer status-update templates to improve consistency and transparency.
• Tracks, monitors, and analyzes proposed legislation by the Florida Legislature that affects the department and prepares summaries to inform the department leadership.
• Researches and composes reports on legislative issues affecting the City's permitting and land development processes, policies, and codes.
• Proposes solutions, policy changes, Code revisions, and any other responses necessary to address repeated customer service issues, permitting delays, and legislative changes.

Knowledge of typical building permitting and inspection workflows, including how applications move through intake, plan review, resubmittal, issuance, and inspection scheduling, is strongly preferred. Knowledge of public records practices and customer privacy expectations within a government setting is preferred. Skill in customer service, complaint intake, and de-escalation techniques, including communicating effectively with frustrated or distressed customers. Skill in gathering facts, identifying process breakdowns, organizing complex information, and presenting clear next steps in plain language. Ability to interpret and explain procedural requirements and permit status without making unsupported promises or providing technical determinations outside assigned authority. Ability to coordinate across multiple work units, manage multiple open cases, meet deadlines, and maintain accurate documentation. Ability to use permitting software, customer relationship tools, document management systems, and standard office software, and to learn new systems quickly. Knowledge of research techniques and available sources of current information in the area of assignment. Ability to express ideas and information clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing. Ability to discern and extract pertinent facts from verbal and written guidelines, policies, and procedures, and apply these to a variety of problems. High school diploma or GED is required. Bachelors degree or higher in public administration, public policy, business administration, or a related field is preferred. A minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible customer service experience is required, including at least one (1) year in local government, regulatory, permitting, inspections, planning, public policy, or similarly complex process environment. Equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience may be considered.

Certifications / Licenses

A valid Florida driver's license (or ability to obtain) may be required based on assigned duties.