Associate Engineer - Building Plan Review

Job Description:

Associate Engineer - Building Plan Review

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

This City’s Building Division provides oversight and assistance towards the City's growth and development in relation to construction activity on private property within the City . The goal is to en sure the safety of buildings and to support the health and wellbeing of all persons living and working in San Jose through the implementation of the State of California’s current building codes and laws .

The Division is seeking applicants for the Associate Engineer classification within the Building Plan Review section . This is a full-time position and plays a crucial role in ensuring that new construction and renovation projects comply with applicable laws, codes, and standards through a rigorous plan review process. Their responsibilities span technical analysis, advisory services, and coordination with multiple stakeholders.

The Building Division is divided into the following four sections:

• Permit Center: Plan intake and routing to plan review and Development Services Partners, over the counter permit processing, permit issuance, addressing, assistance desk/public information, ADU Ally, and Small Business Ally.
  

• Plan Review : Review of private development project plans and calculations for compliance with the California Building Codes and state laws, coordination with Development Services partners, expedited review, and coordinated review .
  

• Inspection : Inspects active private construction projects for compliance with the approved plans and adopted building codes and state laws.
  

• Support Services : Development Services call center, document imaging, records requests, and general support for the building division .
  

The Building Division is looking to fill two (2) Associate Engineer positions. This recruitment will remain open until filled , with first round of application review on 6/20.

What We Do

The Department’s Building Division ensures compliance with the all the above-mentioned obligations by annually reviewing, analyzing, conducting, researching, processing, issuing, inspecting, and providing :

• 4 0 ,000 building permits
  

• 8,000 plan reviews
  

• 100,000 inspections
  

• 35,000 customers assisted
  

• 65,000 calls answered
  

Position Duties

The salary range for this classification is:

$131,367.60 - $166,289.76 .

The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. In addition to the starting salary, employees in the Associate Engineer classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay.

The Division is committed to developing, maintaining , and continually improving the quality of services and the customer experience with the goals mentioned above and the successful applicant will recognize and value these goals and qualities while striving to achieve the objectives and tasks of the classification as listed below.

• Advising professional engineers, architects and others concerning code requirements, engineering and planning problems arising in the preliminary design of buildings and structures.
  

• Examining plans, calculations and specifications for residential, multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings, including complex major structures for structural adequacy and general compliance with governing laws, codes, ordinances and regulations.
  

• Making independent engineering analyses on proposed buildings when required to justify the structural safety of design, and applicable electrical and mechanical systems.
  

• Working closely with and giving information to professional engineers, architects, contractors and the general public regarding building, zoning and general requirements concerning buildings and structures.
  

• Coordinating effectively with Development Service partners e.g. Planning, Fire Prevention, Public Works, Environmental Services for plan review consistency and streamlining permit process.
  

• Advising building inspectors on structural, fire and life-safety challenges arising in the field during the construction of a building project.
  

• Instructing inspectors and technicians in the review of simple building plans.
  

• Performing observational review of critical structural elements of the projects under construction.
  

Minimum Qualifications

(These qualifications are typically required. An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to satisfactorily perform the duties of the job may be substituted.)

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline or possession of an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate, and three (3) years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience.

Acceptable Substitution

A Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline may be substituted for one (1) year of professional engineering experience.

Exception

Associate Engineers working in the Building Division as plan reviewers must have four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in professional civil engineering work with at least two (2) years of experience in design and construction of buildings. An EIT certificate is not acceptable as replacement for the required Bachelor’s degree.

Required Licensing (such as driver’s license, certifications, etc.)

• Certificate of Registration in a relevant professional engineering discipline may be required for some positions.
• Possession of a valid State of California driver's license may be required.
• Other licenses or certifications may be required for particular positions.

Other Qualifications

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.

Analytical Thinking - Approaching a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.

Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

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.

Project Management - Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Communication Skills - Communicates and listens effectively and responds in an timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, well- organized, legible, concise, and in proper grammatical form; responds to statements and comments of others in a way that reflects understanding of the content and the accompanying emotion; asks clarifying questions to assure understanding of what the speaker intended, ensures consistent communication takes place within area of responsibility.

The 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 Edmund Wong at edmund.wong@sanjoseca.gov .

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

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.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

Salary:

$131,367.60 - $166,289.76 Annually