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Building Services Specialist

Category: Classified 
Pay Grade: C17  
Job Code: 10282 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.  

JOB SUMMARY 

Performs technical and paraprofessional work  with heavy public contact;  responsible for representing customer and building services public relations concerns of the County in construction permitting support services; possesses and applies the full range of core building services competencies and office support processes; maintains continuous public and interoffice contact with building permit applicants and staff on inter-department and inter-agency building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing/gas, public safety, environment, and miscellaneous code requirements or considerations; coordinates and supports the general and overall combination of business office processes that support the issuance of construction permits; assists customers with initiating and processing relevant forms, updating licensure, scheduling/cancelling inspections, interacting with Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board (PCCLB) and State of Florida agencies, processing payments, extending and reinstating permits, troubleshooting issues, quality control, maintenance of the Pinellas County Building Code Books, after hours and municipal inspections coordination, printing out inspection cards and entering results for contractor inspectors, accessing Property Appraiser’s website data base for jurisdictional locater, applying construction industry terminology/building program requirements and applying advanced customer phone skills; may also perform as custodian and quality control tasks for permit records and related documents. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (examples, not all inclusive) 

• Communicates with customers and applicants for construction permitting support services; 
• Interprets and explains policies and regulations accurately and tactfully to the public; 
• Researches, corrects, merges, and provides historical records; 
• Reviews and enters information submitted through sub-contractor and authorized agent(s) forms; 
• Validates and updates information relevant to contractor licensure, including contact with PCCLB and other State of Florida contacts; 
• Schedules inspections; 
• Performs permit extensions and reinstatements; 
• Handles after hours and municipal inspections coordination; 
• Processes payments and issues receipts, balances daily receipts, and completes deposit slips and daily reports; 
• Refers customers’ questions to technical and professional staff responsible for subject matter reviews; 
• Applies building terminology and department system requirements; 
• Executes measures to identify and resolve inner-departmental quality control issues; 
• Updates Pinellas County Building Code Books for department director; 
• Prints out contract inspection schedules and enters results when received; 
• Regulates and orders supply requests, which requires assignments of Purchase Card (P-Card); 
• Facilitates numerous daily, weekly, and other periodic reports; 
• Completes certifications when all criteria are met for power releases, certificates of occupancy, and certificates of completion; 
• Supplements issued permits for electrical and mechanical trades; 
• Arranges department staff meetings to include scheduling, agenda, and booking of speakers; 
• Answers pre-application and site plan meeting lines and schedules meetings for customers and appropriate staff; 
• Assists managers and supervisors in training and development of new or lower level staff; 
• Documents complaints and violations and investigates identified issues and prepares Court Citations; 
• Coordinates telephone and office facilities requests and takes action on assigned Risk Management issues; 
• Performs general office support duties; 
• Responds to requests and inquiries regarding permit records and documents;  
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.  

QUALIFICATIONS 

Education and Experience: 

Three (3) years of highly technical administrative experience performing assignments directly related to building permit support (or intra-agency building permit support coordination or problem solving on building permit support administrative issues) in a heavy customer service public contact work environment plus demonstrated experience in a broad range of administrative support, computer applications, math, and use of office equipment; or two (2) years of college, trade school, or vocational training plus one (1) year of experience as described above; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.   

Special Qualifications (May be required depending on area of assignment): 

• Florida Driver’s License or Florida Commercial Driver’s License and endorsement, if any. 
• Assignment to work a variety of work schedules including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations. 
• Other knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials required for a specific position. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Knowledge of the County’s common building, electrical, plumbing, gas, mechanical, and other code requirements; 
• Knowledge of Business English, arithmetic, and spelling; 
• Knowledge of permit record processes, procedures, and regulations; 
• Knowledge of various sources, platforms, and delivery methods of permit records and documents. 
• Ability to apply computer applications and software; 
• Ability to meet the public using tact, communication skills, and job knowledge to assist and answer technical inquiries; 
• Ability to explain common building codes and requirements for construction permitting support services, both in person and by telephone and to maintain clear and accurate records; 
• Ability to operate a personal computer and other automated systems to enter and retrieve information, monitor work performed, and to communicate information in reports; 
• Ability to perform mathematical computations, analyze data, and prepare reports based on findings, and communicate technical information, orally or in writing, in a manner understandable to contractors, consultants, superiors, staff personnel, and the general public; 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with community, superiors, fellow employees, and the general public. 

PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS 

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:  

• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm. 
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand. 
• Visual ability: Sufficient to effectively operate office equipment including copier, computer, etc.; and to read and write reports, correspondence, instructions, etc. 
• Hearing ability: Sufficient to hold a conversation with other individuals both in person and over a telephone; and to hear recordings on transcription device. 
• Speaking ability: Sufficient to communicate effectively with other individuals in person and over a telephone. 
• Mental acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes. 
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. 
• Repetitive motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers. 
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.  
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another. 

WORKING CONDITIONS 

Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.