Career Opportunity

Building Plans Engineer- Department of Building Inspection (5214) Multiple Divisions

Recruitment: RTF0146506-01149550

Published: April 03, 2024

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

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

• Application Opening: April 3, 2024
• Application Deadline: Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but no earlier than April 10, 2024.
• Compensation: $178,152 - $216,476 Annually
• Recruitment ID: 146507  

About Us:

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. 

Positions can be in any of the following divisions/units within DBI: Technical Services, Over-the-Counter Plan Review Services, and In-House Plan Review Services.

Role description

The Technical Services Manager oversees teams of engineers, building inspectors, and permit technicians. They are responsible for coordinating department programs, maintaining information sheets and administrative bulletins, and providing public assistance on code interpretation and permitting. The Technical Services Manager supports plan review services, engages in code development, performs public outreach, and streamlines department workflows.  This position requires critical thinking and decisive action as a mid-manager with the best interests of the Department in mind.  Strong written and verbal communication skills are necessary to be successful.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and coordinate staffing for public information counters and customer service emails
• Oversee implementation of department programs such as the Accessible Business Entrance program, Soft-Story program, Building Façade Inspection program, and Building Occupancy Resumption Program
• Propose and author building code and legislative language, including departmental information bulletin updates
• Public speaking at intra- and inter-departmental meetings, community events, Code Advisory Committee, Building Inspection Commission, and the Board of Supervisors meetings. Perform public outreach on department programs and code requirements.
• Develop administrative and technical requirements for structural and life safety retrofit programs
• Facilitate code interpretation meetings and update department information sheets for internal and external customers
• Support plan review services through training, interagency coordination, and process improvements
• Oversee special projects like the adaptive re-use manual,
• Implement technologies to streamline workflows, maximize efficiency of staff resources, and improve the professionalism of the Permit Services Division.
• Develop procedures such as for ADU Concierge Plan Review Service 
• Create and coordinate plan review checklists
• Revamp existing departmental practice such as the structural observation and special inspection.
• Resolve technical issues and render interpretations related to plan review and permitting
• Serve as a liaison with the City Attorney to review and respond to subdivision referrals. Review and manage routing of declarations of restrictions
• Manage, evaluate, and mentor a group of eight to twelve staff of engineers, building inspectors, and administrative personnel.

The Over-the-Counter Plan Review Services Manager is responsible for overseeing the interactive plan review process to ensure efficient and timely permitting of construction projects in San Francisco. This position possesses a deep knowledge of the building codes adopted by San Francisco, including but not limited to the SF Building Code, SF Housing Code, SF Existing Building Code, and SF Historical Building Code.  They understand the policies and procedures of other city departments involved in the permitting process, such as the Planning Department, Department of Public Works, SF Public Utilities Commission, Health Department, and Fire Department. This position is responsible for scheduling, staffing, and supervising the OTC counter with a transitional group of civil/structural engineers and building inspectors.

Responsibilities:

• Provide consistent and reliable staffing for the OTC Plan Review Services Counter and the Pre-Plan Check Team.  This requires sound planning and commitment to a high level of customer service.
• Create policies and procedures to enable fair, efficient, and timely review and approval of construction projects.
• Manage pre-plan check staff to ensure permit applications meet minimum standards prior to review.
• Direct and oversee plan checkers and engineers in reviewing plans, calculations, and specifications for conformance to fire safety, architectural safety, energy conservation, disabled access, and other code requirements.
• Plan, prioritize, assign, coordinate, direct, train and evaluate the activities of subordinate personnel engaged in plan checking activities, including the design and preparation of building construction plans with the review of such plans for conformance with applicable laws.
• Direct plan check performance to maximize and maintain a positive and productive workflow; structure the work environment; delegate work assignments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to interact tactfully and courteously with engineers, architects, plan checkers, contractors, building owners; speak in a clear, concise, organized, relevant and understandable manner.
• Review and evaluate complex permit applications for alterations, new construction, and substitutions/new methods.
• Consult with applicants to advise on code requirements and resolve technical problems.
• Interpret building code requirements for fire safety, architectural safety, mechanical design, energy use, and access compliance.
• Conduct field inspections of damaged buildings, complex construction, and related issues. Recommend solutions.
• Guide inspection staff on proper building practices, materials use, structural details, and construction problem solving.
• Public speaking at intra- and inter-departmental meetings, community events, Code Advisory Committee, Building Inspection Commission, and the Board of Supervisors meetings. Perform public outreach on department programs and code requirements.
• Remain current on codes, construction methods, and engineering best practices.  Provide change management and training for engineers, inspectors and permit technicians on existing, changed, and new policies and procedures.

The Plan Review Services Manager oversees the orderly and timely review of permit applications to ensure code compliance.  They ensure work quality and adherence to the California Building Codes, local amendments, and other established policies and procedures and provides coordination with plan review staff, permit technician staff, customers, other City departments, and outside agencies. This position demonstrates strong ethical, professional, and service-oriented leadership and interpersonal skills; sets a good example; and correctly applies the tenets of the City's Code of Ethics and values.

Responsibilities:

• Manages plan review teams and supervisors to achieve departmental goals for efficient, high-quality reviews. Establishes performance metrics, and tracks progress.  Optimizes plan intake, routing, processing, and permit issuance workflows. Identifies and resolves bottlenecks.
• Provides technical consultation to applicants regarding complex projects and code requirements.
• Improves plan review processes and monitoring task goals. Reviews priority projects and distributes workload from Plan Review Services and Technical Services among teams.
• Brings consistency to code interpretation and plan review policies. Resolves issues with applicants and between applicants and plan review staff regarding demands. Makes final decisions on disputed reviews.
• Leads supervisors in quality control of plan review outcomes, monitors productivity trends and provides training for plan examiner professional development.
• Oversees the subdivision review program. Assists with Special Projects, OTC reviews, and reporting programs.
• Collects data on production and staffing needs. Manages budgets, forecasts staffing/resource needs, and the contracting and procurement processes. Reviews permit deadline extensions. Conducts audits and oversight of plan reviews.
• Represents the section in collaborations with other city agencies, the executive team, and various committees, the Building Inspection Commission, and the Board of Supervisors. Liaises between plan review staff, city officials, and industry stakeholders.
• Provides growth opportunities through training and exposure to diverse, challenging projects.
• Fosters disaster preparedness and champions technology modernization initiatives.
• Partners with Inspections to resolve issues arising during inspection from plan review.

How to qualify

Job Related and Essential Qualifications:

• Knowledge of: principles and practices of civil and architectural engineering as applied to the alteration and construction of buildings and structures; modern engineering building methods; strength and uses of building construction materials; architectural safety; engineering features of building construction problems and applications of architectural and engineering techniques to practical building design and construction problems.
• Ability to: plan, prioritize, assign, coordinate, direct, train and evaluate the activities of subordinate personnel engaged in plan checking activities, including the design and preparation of building construction plans with the review of such plans for conformance with applicable laws; direct subordinates' performance to maximize and maintain a positive and productive workflow; structure the work environment; delegate work assignments; interact tactfully and courteously with engineers, architects, plan checkers, contractors, building owners; speak in a clear, concise, organized, relevant and understandable manner; write effectively.
• Skill to: apply structural engineering techniques to practical building construction problems.

Experience and Training Guidelines:

• Six (6) years of verifiable professional experience as an engineer or architect, including at least two (2) years of which are equivalent to a 5208 Civil Engineer or Class 5268 Architect with the City and County of San Francisco and including a minimum of two (2) years building construction experience in the areas of construction, design, inspection or plan checking; AND
• Possession of a valid California License as a Civil Engineer and/or Architect (submit copy with application); AND
• Possession of a valid California Driver License (to be presented at the time of appointment).

License: Possession of a valid California License as a Civil Engineer and/or Architect.

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?

Selection Procedures:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) (Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Oral Interview (Weight: 100%): Candidates will be invited to an interview to measure their relative knowledge, skills and abilities to determine their possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the 5214 Building Plans Engineer.

A passing score must be achieved on the oral interview in order to be ranked on the eligible list. The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

NOTE: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

Eligible List/Score Report:

A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification Rule:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three Scores. Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

What else should I know?

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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.

Information about the Hiring Process: Click here

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.