Building Director

Homestead, City of•City Hall, FL

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Building Director serves as the executive and administrative leader of the City's Building Department, responsible for strategic direction, operational management, customer experience, fiscal administration, technology, performance management, and organizational effectiveness. The Director leads the City's building permitting operations, establishing efficient, transparent, accountable, and customer-focused processes to support responsible development and ensure timely municipal services. This role works in partnership with the Building Official, ensuring administrative resources, staffing, technology, procedures, and systems support the Building Official's statutory and technical responsibilities. The Building Director is a key member of the City's executive leadership team, collaborating with various departments involved in the development process.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Organizational Management, Urban Planning, or a closely related field.
A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in municipal government, building department administration, development services, construction administration, permitting operations, or a closely related field, including at least three (3) years in management capacity.
Experience managing a complex municipal permitting or development services operation is highly desirable.
An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
Knowledge of: Principles and practices of municipal government administration.
Knowledge of: Building department operations and development services.
Knowledge of: Building permitting, plan review, inspection, and development review processes.
Knowledge of: Principles of organizational management, performance management, budgeting, personnel administration, and customer service.
Knowledge of: Florida Building Code and Florida statutes affecting municipal building departments.
Knowledge of: Electronic permitting and development management systems.
Knowledge of: Process improvement, workflow analysis, performance measurement, and data analytics.
Knowledge of: Governmental budgeting, procurement, contracts, and financial administration.
Knowledge of: Emergency management and post-disaster building department operations.
Ability to: Lead a complex, high-volume municipal operation.
Ability to: Develop and implement organizational strategies and operational improvements.
Ability to: Establish measurable performance expectations and hold personnel accountable for results.
Ability to: Analyze operational data and translate findings into management decisions.
Ability to: Manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously.
Ability to: Resolve complex customer service and operational issues.
Ability to: Build effective working relationships with employees, elected officials, developers, contractors, design professionals, residents, and governmental agencies.
Ability to: Communicate effectively through executive reports, presentations, policies, procedures, and interpersonal communication.
Ability to: Lead organizational change and technology modernization initiatives.
Ability to: Exercise sound judgment in sensitive, complex, or highly visible matters.
Must successfully pass a background screening process.
Must comply with the City’s Drug-Free Workplace policy.
Must provide documents evidencing identity and employment authorization for Form I-9 completion.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Construction Management, or a related field.
Certified Building Code Administrator, Certified Public Manager, or other relevant professional credential.
Significant experience within a Florida municipal or county building department.
Experience overseeing large-scale permitting and development services operations.
Experience implementing or managing enterprise permitting and land management systems.
Demonstrated experience developing operational dashboards and performance management systems.
Experience with process improvement, organizational restructuring, and customer experience initiatives.
Experience managing consultants, private providers, contractors, or professional service agreements.
Experience presenting before elected officials and executive leadership.

Responsibilities

Provides executive leadership and overall administrative management of the Building Department, including operations, personnel, budget, customer service, technology, performance, and organizational development.
Establishes departmental goals, objectives, policies, procedures, service standards, and performance measures consistent with City priorities.
Develops short- and long-range operational strategies to improve permitting, plan review, inspection coordination, records management, and customer service.
Evaluates organizational structure, staffing levels, workload distribution, and resource requirements and recommends appropriate changes.
Establishes a culture of accountability, responsiveness, professionalism, innovation, collaboration, and excellent customer service.
Advises the City Manager or designee regarding Building Department operations, performance, resources, emerging issues, and strategic initiatives.
Represents the Department at executive meetings, City Council meetings, community meetings, industry meetings, and other forums.
Directs the administrative and operational functions associated with building permit intake, application processing, prescreening, routing, issuance, inspection coordination, permit closeout, certificates, records management, and related services.
Establishes measurable service standards for permit processing and monitors departmental performance against established targets.
Ensures workflows provide applicants with clear, consistent, and timely information regarding application requirements and permit status.
Coordinates with the Building Official to ensure administrative operations effectively support plan review, inspections, permitting, and code compliance functions.
Oversees administrative processes associated with Certificates of Occupancy, Certificates of Completion, Temporary Certificates of Occupancy, permit extensions, permit closures, and other building-related documentation.
Develops operational protocols for expedited permits, special projects, major developments, private provider projects, municipal projects, and other priority initiatives.
Identifies process bottlenecks and implements corrective measures to improve turnaround times and overall service delivery.
Establishes and maintains a customer-first service model for residents, contractors, design professionals, developers, businesses, and other Building Department customers.
Develops standards for telephone, email, counter, online, and other customer interactions.
Establishes mechanisms for monitoring customer satisfaction, complaints, service recovery, and employee recognition.
Serves as an executive escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-profile customer service and operational matters.
Develops outreach, educational, and engagement programs for contractors, developers, design professionals, property owners, and residents.
Promotes transparency regarding permit requirements, review timelines, departmental performance, fees, and development processes.
Builds productive relationships with industry organizations, contractors, architects, engineers, developers, and other stakeholders.
Develops and maintains key performance indicators and management dashboards measuring departmental workload and performance.
Monitors permit volumes, processing times, plan review turnaround, inspection activity, permits issued, outstanding corrections, pending applications, customer service performance, revenues, and other operational indicators.
Establishes regular performance reporting for executive management and other stakeholders.
Uses operational data to identify trends, allocate resources, address backlogs, and improve departmental performance.
Conducts regular reviews of departmental procedures and implements continuous process improvements.
Establishes quality assurance and quality control processes for administrative permitting activities.
Develops procedures to ensure consistency and accuracy across departmental operations.
Provides executive leadership for the implementation, optimization, and administration of permitting and development management technology.
Works collaboratively with the Innovation & Technology and system vendors to improve electronic permitting, online applications, digital plan review, payments, inspections, notifications, reporting, and customer-facing services.
Identifies opportunities to automate routine processes and reduce unnecessary administrative steps.
Promotes data-driven management through dashboards, analytics, automated reporting, and performance monitoring.
Leads business process redesign initiatives to improve efficiency while maintaining regulatory integrity.
Ensures employees are appropriately trained on departmental systems and technology.
Develops, administers, and monitors the Building Department's annual operating budget.
Monitors departmental revenues, expenditures, permit fees, contractual services, professional services, and other financial activity.
Coordinates fee studies and recommend adjustments to building permit and related fees when appropriate.
Ensure departmental financial practices comply with applicable City policies, budget requirements, procurement requirements, and applicable laws.
Oversee departmental contracts, professional service agreements, consultants, and vendors.
Evaluates resource requirements and develops recommendations regarding staffing, equipment, technology, contractual services, and other operational investments.
Directs, supervises, evaluates, and develops managerial, supervisory, professional, technical, administrative, and customer service personnel.
Establishes clear performance expectations and holds employees accountable for productivity, accuracy, professionalism, responsiveness, and customer service.
Develops succession planning and workforce development strategies.
Promotes professional certifications, continuing education, cross-training, leadership development, and employee advancement.
Works collaboratively with Human Resources regarding recruitment, employee relations, performance management, classification, compensation, training, and disciplinary matters.
Develops employee recognition and engagement initiatives that promote morale and organizational excellence.
Ensure departmental employees understand their roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and contribution to the City's broader mission.
Maintains working knowledge of legislation and regulatory requirements affecting municipal building department operations.
Monitors proposed state legislation affecting permitting, inspections, private providers, development review, permit fees, processing timelines, and local government authority.
Coordinates with the Building Official, City Attorney, and other appropriate officials regarding implementation of statutory and regulatory changes.
Develops administrative procedures and operational plans necessary to implement new legislative requirements.
Ensure departmental policies and business processes are regularly reviewed for consistency with applicable requirements.
Coordinates Building Department operations with Planning & Zoning, Public Works, Utilities, Finance & Budget, Innovation & Technology, Economic Development, Code Compliance, and other applicable departments.
Promotes a coordinated development review environment that minimizes unnecessary duplication and provides applicants with predictable processes.
Facilitates executive-level coordination for major developments, public-private partnerships, City projects, economic development projects, and other strategic initiatives.
Coordinates with county, state, federal, and other governmental agencies when necessary.
Represents the City's administrative interest in meetings with developers, contractors, design professionals, governmental agencies, and community stakeholders.
Develops and recommends policies, procedures, ordinances, resolutions, fee schedules, organizational changes, and other initiatives affecting Building Department operations.
Prepares and presents agenda items, executive reports, performance reports, budget presentations, and departmental updates.
Provides professional recommendations to the City Manager and City Council regarding departmental operations and strategic initiatives.
Participates in emergency management and disaster recovery activities as assigned, including post-disaster permitting and recovery operations.
Performs other executive and administrative responsibilities as assigned by the City Manager or designee.
Performs other related work as required.