Career Opportunity

Deputy Director III Permit Services- Department of Building Inspection (0953 PEX)

Recruitment: RTF0155174-01120652

Published: February 13, 2025

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

• Application Opening: February 13, 2025.
• Application Deadline: Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but no earlier than March 13, 2025.
• Annual Salary for this position: $189,878 and $242,398 (Range A)

Appointment Type: This is Permanent Exempt position. In accordance with San Francisco Charter Section 10.104, exempt employees shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

What We Do:

The Department of Building Inspection (DBI) oversees the effective, efficient, fair and safe enforcement of City building, housing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and disability access codes for San Francisco’s more than 200,000 buildings.  This position is located in the Permit Services Division, which issues building, electrical, plumbing/mechanical, and other construction-related permits to ensure that proposed construction meets all safety requirements.

Role description

Under the general direction of the Department Director, the Deputy Director for Permits Services oversees the Permit Services Division operations and provides leadership for the plan review and permit issuance functions of the Department. The position is responsible for the daily management, development, coordination and implementation of the policies and procedures the Department uses to govern San Francisco’s plan review and building permit processes. As a member of the Department’s executive leadership team, the successful candidate will provide expertise and thoughtful perspective on administrative, policy, financial, staffing, regulatory and process issues to help achieve the goals set forth in the Department’s Five-Year Strategic Plan. The position also provides reports and consults with the Mayor’s Office, the Building Inspection Commission and other boards and departments on issues related to the permitting process.

The position operates and manages the Permit Services Division which features approximately 100 employees, including engineers, building inspectors and permit technicians. The division features five sections:

• Central Permit Bureau – permit application intake, payment, and issuance.
• Initial Plan Review – confirms submitted applications have all the necessary information and documentation.
• Plan Review Services – reviews and approves permit applications for code compliance.
• Technical Services – interprets codes and policies, manages compliance programs.
• Public Information Counter – receives applicant information and directs them to the relevant station.

Essential Functions:

• Directs the development and implementation of goals, performance measures, objectives, procedures, policies and strategic plans for Permit Services;
• Oversees the operations and daily management of the division by setting goals and objectives for employees, teams and the division as a whole, ensuring processes and procedures are effective, efficient and followed, measuring performance, and helping staff and managers develop professionally;
• Represents the Department before the Building Inspection Commission, the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor’s Office, other agencies, departments, stakeholder meetings and other public forums;
• Directs the development and implementation of the operational budget and monitors expenditures to ensure adherence to the approved budget;
• Collaborates with the division’s supervisors and managers on staffing and workflow strategies to optimize efficient operation of Over-the-Counter and In-House Review plan review and permitting;
• Champions new technologies and works with staff and partner agencies to increase the use of technology to streamline processes and enhance services;
• Promotes and maintains a customer-first culture to enhance the customer experience and prioritize their needs, and
• Performs related duties as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate:

The Department of Building Inspection seeks an experienced executive with demonstrated success managing technical and administrative professionals in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. The ideal candidate is a confident decision-maker and effective communicator who collaborates with other executives, staff, city colleagues and stakeholders to effectively operate and continue to improve the Department’s plan review and permitting functions. This person will be a systems thinker knowledgeable about process evaluation and streamlining, change management, strategic planning and be grounded in the principles and practices of civil engineering, building design and construction, and federal, state and municipal building codes. The successful candidate will balance a strong technical background with an ability to productively engage staff and managers to provide clear, efficient, friendly customer service.

How to qualify

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Engineering, Architecture, Business, Construction Management or a related field.

Experience: Six (6) years of verifiable professional experience as an engineer, construction manager, architect or administrator, all of which must include supervisory experience.

Experience Substitution: Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.

Education Substitution: May substitute up to two (2) years of education for Bachelor of Art degrees with additional years of experience.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Six (6) or more years of experience managing technical or clerical staff in a permitting department;
• Two (2) or more years of experience in inspections, permitting or plan review services for a municipal agency;
• Two (2) or more years of experience in building construction, design, inspection, or fire, architectural and structural plan review;
• Two (2) or more years of experience in leading process streamlining, project management or change management;
• Experience evaluating and developing internal and external policy proposals;
• Strong management and communication skills;
• Possession of a valid California license as a Professional Civil Engineer or Architect (copy to be included with application), and
• Possession of a valid California driver’s license (to be presented at the time of appointment).

Selection Procedures:

The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualification are not guaranteed advancement to interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview. Finalist will participate in the Management Test Battery (MTB) Exam. The Exam Results are for advisory purposes only.

Verification of Education and Experience:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

What else should I know?

What else should I know?

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Human Resources Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Analyst, Jason Hammack at Jason.Hammack@sfgov.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.