UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER MANAGER

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

DEFINITION

Under general direction, to plan, organize and direct the work of Unified Permit Center staff representing the Community Development and Infrastructure Department; to facilitate the issuance of a variety of land development permits, provide conflict resolution, develop a comprehensive approach to resolve customer service concerns; identify and facilitate process improvements that result in a user-friendly permit process for both customers and staff; and to do other work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This single position class is responsible for overseeing Unified Permit Center customer service and operations related to complex planning, building, and land development permit application processing activities. The Unified Permit Center Manager directly manages and supervises staff responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Unified Permit Center counter, including acceptance, routing, and tracking of permit applications, computer data entry, client assistance, and administration. The Unified Permit Center Manager is responsible for the establishment, implementation, interpretation, and enforcement of the department’s policies and procedures, exercising a considerable degree of independent judgment.

This class differs from the next lower-level classification of Building Counter Supervisor in that the latter class has responsibility for coordinating day-to-day operations of the building counter to process and issue building permits.

This class is distinguished from the Assistant Planning Director in that the latter is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for a major division in the department.

TYPICAL TASKS

• Plans, organizes, facilitates, directs, and coordinates all Unified Permit Center functions;
• Collaborate with other County departments and non-County entities involved in processing land development permits;
• Responsible for answering inquiries, providing conflict resolution and mitigation using independent judgment and the interpretation of policies, rules, and legal requirements;
• Consults with the Director of Community Development and Infrastructure and Assistant Director overseeing the Unified Permit Center on programs, schedules, policies, and program development;
• Works closely with other departments, property owners, developers, community groups, design professionals, and others to develop procedures and to solve administrative problems;
• Develops, coordinates, and trains Unified Permit Center staff on delivering excellent customer service processes and providing those services to its customers;
• Oversees preparation, use, and distribution of information including forms and handouts, may oversee permit center social media presence and web site offerings;
• Develops and maintains required records and reports on permit timelines, activities, hours, fees, and other data, to track work efficiency and performance;
• Supervises and trains professional, technical, and/or office support staff in the accomplishment of their work;
• Plan, develop, and monitor metrics program for key performance indicators related to organizational performance;
• Establish and maintain working relationships with the public, government officials, organization representatives and employees;
• Resolves differences in interdepartmental land development requirements;
• Coordinates referrals to County departments/agencies and other affected jurisdictions;
• Initiates contact with departments/agencies as necessary to ensure timely and accurate application processing;
• Proposes program modifications to meet changing needs and to simplify procedures;
• Prepares and makes recommendations on the preparation of operating manuals, forms, workflow, and equipment use;
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators and prepare reports and/or presentations to the Board of Supervisors on department performance;
• Interviews, selects, and evaluates Unified Permit Center personnel;
• Enters, retrieves, and analyzes data from electronic data processing systems, establishes and updates information, updates computer system files, prepares, reviews, and maintains forms, files, and other necessary records;
• Participates and may oversee portions of disaster work during County-declared emergency disasters;
• Represents the Unified Permit Center by establishing clear procedures for submittal, distribution, and review, and tracking progress to ensure that all other departments, agencies, community groups, and the public are in accordance with established deadlines;
• Attends management staff meetings to advise on the progress of projects, programs, and studies;
• Assists with the preparation, justification, and administration of the division budget.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge:

• Effective management principles and practices;
• The principles of organizational process improvement;
• The principles of land use planning in a controlled growth environment;
• Budgeting principles in a government agency;
• Department programs, functions and services;
• Laws, codes, rules, and regulations related to building, planning, and municipal code enforcement;
• The applications of data processing to planning operations;
• The principles and techniques of supervision and training.

• The California Environmental Quality Act;
• The California Coastal Act.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, direct, and supervise the work of the Unified Permit Center;
• Establish, maintain, and provide effective working relations with others contacted in the course of business;
• Develop and implement program performance measures;
• Exercise high levels of independent judgment and decision-making in the process of problem resolution and utilize creative problem-solving skills;
• Supervise, train, and evaluate the work of subordinate staff;
• Exercise initiative, ingenuity, and sound judgment in solving administrative, operational and personnel problems;
• Evaluate and develop improvements of land use permit services;
• Understand, interpret, explain, and apply laws, rules, and regulations;
• Understand and effectively communicate to others the goals, concepts, and principles of the Unified Permit Center work sections;
• Prepare clear, accurate and concise written reports and correspondence;
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Effectively present planning matters to public groups.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Any combination of training and experience, which would provide the required knowledge and abilities, is qualifying. A typical way to obtain this knowledge would be:

1. Equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in construction management, urban or regional planning, architecture, building trades, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
   AND
   Four (4) years of experience in managing or supervising a customer service-related function providing technical services such as interpretation of laws, codes, rules, and regulations related to building and planning, enforcement of municipal codes and/or permit application processing.
   OR
2. Equivalent to an Associate’s degree from an accredited college with a major in construction management, building inspection and construction codes, architecture, or a closely related field.
   AND
   Six (6) years of experience1 in managing or supervising a customer service-related function providing technical services such as interpretation of laws, codes, rules, and regulations related to building and planning, enforcement of municipal codes and/or permit application processing.
   OR
3. Equivalent to (8) years of increasingly responsible experience¹ in managing or supervising a customer service-related function providing technical services such as interpretation of laws, codes, rules, and regulations related to building and planning, enforcement of municipal codes and/or application processing.

¹Experience working within a municipal or other governmental jurisdiction with emphasis on applicable department and regulatory services is highly desirable.

Training/Certification/License:

Successful completion of supervisory and management training is highly desirable.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License or the employee must be able to provide suitable transportation which is approved by the appointing authority.

PREVIOUS CLASS TITLES: None

Benefit Status: 11
EEOC Job Category: 02
Occupational Grouping: 28
Workers' Comp Code: 0053