Assistant Housing/Property Maintenance Official

City of Suffolk•Suffolk, VA

12d

About The Position

Under limited supervision, performs supervisory administrative and technical work supervising the enforcement of State and local building codes applicable to residential housing during the Housing/Property Maintenance Official’s absence. Work involves planning and supervising subordinate Inspectors and participating in housing inspections, implementing and enforcing the Rental Occupancy Program for code compliance, and responding to inquiries and complaints from the general public. Employee is also responsible for performing inspections and enforcing codes pertaining to the upkeep of grounds around residential housing and vacant lots, initiating legal action in cases of code violations, and for maintaining various records associated with building inspection cases. Employee must exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment in all phases of work. Employee must also exercise tact, courtesy and firmness in frequent contact with property owners, developers, contractors and the general public. Reports to the Housing/Property Maintenance Official. 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.

Requirements

Requires a high school diploma or equivalent and Certification as an International Code Council of Virginia (ICC/VA) Property Maintenance Inspector.
Requires the Commonwealth of Virginia Property Maintenance Official Certificate and at least five (5) years of responsible experience as a Property Maintenance Inspector, or related field, or any equivalent combination of experience.
Certification in Federal Emergency Management Agency Independent Study (FEMA IS) 100, 200, 700, 800 required within one (1) year of hire.
Requires a valid driver's license.
ICC CLA (Code Official Safety Certification) Supplemental Information
Knowledge of modern housing construction practices, materials, and equipment and of the various stages of construction when violations and defects should be observed and corrected.
Knowledge of the regulations and provisions of the International Property Maintenance Code.
Knowledge of local and State housing codes and laws, including rules and regulations of the Rental Occupancy Program.
Knowledge of Section 8 and Public Housing Quality Standards as set forth by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Knowledge of engineering principles as applied to the design and construction of a broad range of building structures and facilities.
Knowledge of the current literature, trends and developments in the field of housing inspection and code enforcement.
Knowledge of the geographic layout of the City.
Has general knowledge of the principles of organization and administration.
Ability to read and interpret plans and specifications accurately and make comparisons with construction in progress.
Ability to express ideas effectively orally and in writing.
Ability to exercise considerable tact, courtesy and firmness in frequent contact with property owners, developers, contractors, and the public.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from supervisors.
Ability to read a variety of reports, correspondents and forms, etc.
Requires the ability to prepare correspondence and reports using prescribed format and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction and style.
Ability to apply principles of rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; to interpret a variety of instruction furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.
Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.
Must be able to use and interpret housing codes, mechanical and electrical terminology and language used within the department.
Ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract totals; to multiply and divide; to determine percentages and decimals; and to utilize basic systems of algebra and geometry.
Must be able to use practical applications of fractions, percentages, and ratio and proportion.
Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions.
Must be adaptable to performing under minimal levels of stress.

Responsibilities

Performs the duties of the Housing/Property Maintenance Official during his/her absence, which includes supervising and managing the daily functions of the Property Maintenance Division.
Assists other staff by researching specific provisions of codes, ordinances, and related City policies.
Addresses complaints, communicates abatement action, and provides required follow up.
Enters inspection data, results, and reports into an automated database, prepares violation notification and corrective direction.
Communicates with other city departments to coordinate and exchange work, information and develops solutions to interdepartmental development issues.
Issues permits for sponsored home certification in the absence of the Housing/Property Maintenance Official.
Trains new and existing inspectors on code violations (State and City Ordinances); assists in the interpretation of codes.
Provides training to new and existing staff on damage assessment and equipment.
Attends meetings related to Historical District and provides reports in Housing/Property Maintenance Official’s absence.
Provides input based on expertise and observations, as appropriate.
Operates and maintains a city vehicle and all other issued equipment.
Manages inspection schedule and maintains inspection reports.
Testifies in court, as required.
Follows established industry safety guidelines and practices and utilizes necessary safety equipment.
Attends training to earn and maintain continuous education and certification requirements as required by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Code Administration.
Maintains a current knowledge of City and department policies, procedures and guidelines.
Assist the Housing/Property Maintenance Official with advertisement and court notification of complex demolition cases which include sending final notifications, checking current ownership via clerk records, and making sure all notices have been properly posted on site.
Responds to emergency calls after-hours as needed.