Chief Building Official (City of Littleton)

The City of Littleton has an opportunity for an experienced building professional to join the Community Development Department as Chief Building Official. This position oversees day-to-day operations and leads the plans examiner, building inspection, and permit technician teams, and is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all building and construction activities concerning compliance with building and safety ordinances within the city.
 
The ideal candidate has strong leadership skills, the ability to build effective relationships and strong teams, is collaborative, and has an eye for process improvement and utilizing technology to create efficiencies. This position will have the opportunity to lead the Building Division as a critical stakeholder in a citywide development services process improvement initiative planned for implementation in 2024. 
 
The City of Littleton is a vibrant community south of Denver and is consistently voted as one of America’s Best Small Cities, and one of Colorado’s top five places to Raise a Family. Home to a vibrant and historic downtown, and a variety of shopping venues, restaurants, parks and trails, there is a lot to offer to the wonderful people who live and work here. The City of Littleton offers outstanding benefits and perks to our employees. For more information, please see the 2023 Benefit Guide.
 
The City of Littleton believes in attracting and retaining the best talent and our strategies include hiring in at market pay and creating career development opportunities. In addition to your application, please submit a cover letter that describes why you are the best candidate for this position with the City of Littleton.
 
Starting Pay $125,000 - $138,000 per year
 
This full-time position is exempt per FLSA and is not eligible for overtime compensation.
 
 
Application Deadline: This posting will remain open until finalists are identified or the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

• Interprets building codes, makes final professional and technical determinations for building permit issuance.
• Directs all building inspection including plan reviews; develops, recommends, and implements new or revised building codes; oversees the issuance of building permits; and oversees the maintenance of all necessary records concerning construction within the city.
• Organizes plan review, building inspection services and issuance of permits, including coordination of day-to-day services through the Building Permit Center.
• Monitors and assists in the plan review and permit issuance process; monitors the field inspection permit process.
• Serves as the technical advisor to the City Manager, City Council, Housing Authority, and the Director of Community Development.
• Prepares ordinances and staff reports; makes presentations to the Council as needed.
• Investigates and resolves disputes, complaints, and inquiries.
• Assists with preparation and administration of the yearly budget for the Building Department.
• Evaluates all building codes and determines applicability to the city. Suggests building code changes and modifications, as needed.  Coordinates three-year rolling adoption schedule for international building code updates.
• Administers or makes recommendations for routing personnel matters including recruiting, interviewing, hiring, scheduling, granting leave, and coaching and discipline for division team members.
• Recommends and implements protocols to keep current with new methods; identifies additional training needs.
• Establishes policies and procedures for the Division.
• Attends public hearings and meetings as required to share information on current policies and procedures.
• Responsible for division safety procedures.
• The Building Official shall act as staff contact for the city’s Building Board of Appeals.
• Prepares or directs the preparation of complaints for legal action against violators of building codes and local ordinances. Testifies in court as needed.
• Performs other similar assignments and projects as required.
• Serves as an Emergency Worker and is available on-call for life-safety emergencies.

• Encourages an environment of collaboration and teamwork.
• Selects, trains, and evaluates employees.
• Completes assigned supervisory training.
• Provides guidance and assists employees in the fulfillment of responsibilities.
• Assigns and directs work; addresses and resolves issues.
• Manages employee performance through meaningful, timely feedback and appraisals.

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, building technology or a similar field; and
• Five (5) years of experience in code administration, building construction, building inspection or plans examiner, with at least two (2) years of supervisory experience; or
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience that produces the knowledge, skill, and abilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the position.
• Certified Building Official (CBO) certification by International Code Council (ICC) or ability to obtain within six (6) months of hire is required.
• Continuing education, the ability to obtain Master Code Professional (MCP) and maintain additional ICC certifications, ICC plan review in multiple disciplines, and involvement with professional organizations is expected. 
• Must be able to pass a pre-employment criminal background check, motor vehicle records check, drug screen and physical.

• Lean Six Sigma certifications
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills
• Experience training and educating others on building codes and inspections

• Expert knowledge of state and national statutes and building codes related to codes and construction.
• Expert knowledge of building construction techniques, the major types of construction and the ability to interpret plans, diagrams, blueprints, and specifications to perform essential job functions.
• Expert knowledge of city codes.
• Ability to identify and enforce life-safety provisions consistently and fairly. 
• Ability to communicate effectively in-person, verbally and in writing with customers internal and external to the city.
• Ability to read, analyze, interpret, and enforce maps, plats and various real estate and construction documents. 
• Ability to read, analyze, interpret, and enforce ordinances, plans, diagrams and specifications. 
• Ability to perform general math calculations.
• Ability to read and write technical terms, project reports, council reports, prepare presentations and various correspondence.
• Ability to evaluate and prepare building code updates.
• Ability to exercise judgement and discretion.
• Ability to work effectively independently or as part of a team.
• Ability to develop and implement policies and procedures. 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse workgroups, associate personnel, professional groups, developers, city staff, and the public.
• Ability to recognize and respond proactively to the various needs of the city, department, areas of responsibility, subordinate staff, and the general public in a timely and professional manner.

• The majority of the essential duties/activities for the position are performed in a standard indoor office environment; a small percentage of this work is performed outdoors that includes travel to meetings and construction sites. Outdoor work and travel includes exposure to adverse weather condition. The ability to navigate construction sites is essential to the position, this may include climbing stairs, ladders, and inspection of crawl spaces or confined areas while using various tools such as flashlights and measuring devices. 
• Long periods of sitting, standing, or walking may be required.
• Essential duties include lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling objects weighing up to 25 pounds with or without assistance.
• The outdoor work environment includes occasional exposure to construction-related fumes, odors, dusts, mists, and gases and general construction site hazards.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Littleton is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and intends to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and job applicants regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other non-job related characteristic, and to hire and retain the best-qualified individuals without regard to any of these factors. This prohibition includes unlawful harassment based on a protected class.

The City of Littleton will consider reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and employment. Applicants and employees can request an accommodation by contacting Human Resources at 303-795-3857 or emailing hr@littletongov.org.

Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace

The City of Littleton is committed to the health and safety of all its employees. To ensure a safe and productive work environment the city prohibits the use, sale, dispensation, manufacture, distribution or possession of alcohol, drugs, controlled substances or drug paraphernalia on any city premises or worksites. No employee shall report to work or be at work with alcohol or with any detectable amount of prohibited drugs in the employee's system. A detectable amount refers to the standards generally used in workplace drug & alcohol testing. This prohibition specifically includes marijuana, and decriminalized psychedelics whether used for medical purposes or obtained legally under state law.