Principal Planner - Green Building
- Summary
The Department of Local Services is seeking a Principal Planner to lead integration and implementation of green building and sustainable design principles into King County's building code and practices. The Principal Planner works under the supervision of the Division Director of Permitting and the Director of the Local Services Department, as well as in partnership with key staff members from other departments and agencies within King County and the region. A primary focus of this position is to advance King County's strategic climate and sustainability goals, as outlined within the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan. The position will initially focus on drafting amendments to King County building and fire codes, Titles 16 and 17, and will work closely with Department of Local Services and Permitting staff to ensure that codes are effective and reflect current innovations in the building industry. The incumbent will also collaborate and work constructively with other County departments, the King County Council, the Office of the King County Executive, other jurisdictions, and the public. This position reports to the Division Director of Permitting.
KING COUNTY COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
As the only county in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant community with residents that represent countries form around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the artistic and social traditions of many cultures. Together, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence.
King County employees provide more than 2 million residents with essential services that make this one of the nation's best places to live, work, play, and raise a family. We continue to build on an enduring legacy of shared values of equity and social justice, employee engagement, innovative thinking, and continuous improvement. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda aimed at advancing regional change and is developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all of our residents, regardless of their race or income.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
King County is the local service provider for roughly a quarter-million people who live in unincorporated parts of the county. If all of these residents lived together in a single city, it would be the second-largest city in the state. The population of our urban unincorporated areas is there-to-four times more diverse than those of our rural unincorporated areas in terms of race, language spoken, and income. The Department of Local Services includes a Director's Office, a Community Service Areas group, a Road Services Division, and a Permitting Division. It provides a single point of accountability for delivery of local services to all unincorporated areas in King County.
- Job Duties
- Serve as the green building and sustainable practices subject matter expert for the Permitting Division.
- Work collaboratively with staff within the division to draft new or amended legislation for codes, ordinances, policies, and technical documents.
- Prepare proposed code updates, in coordination with County, State and regional stakeholders for green building construction, energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable site development and other building and fire code provisions tailored for the kinds of new development and major redevelopment occurring in unincorporated King County.
- Provide educational materials, training and capacity building within the division and department to enable customers and staff to effectively advance green building and sustainability.
- Support King County engagement in state and federal building code updates and regional code collaboration to strengthen energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy production.
- Develop code, permitting, incentive and customer education pathways to increase adoption of green building techniques, increased energy and water efficiency, on-site renewable energy production, sustainable site development and use of sustainable materials in unincorporated King County.
- Work with the Prosecuting Attorney's Office and County Council staff to help resolve legal issues and questions that arise from legislative proposals.
- Represent the Permitting Division at the countywide Green Building Team, the Regional Code Collaboration and other inter-agency groups.
- Maintain and support a culture of superior customer service.
- Communicate in all media and at all times in ways that reflect well upon King County, the County Executive, the department, and the incumbent; lead by example with other team members.
- Scrupulously honor commitments made to internal and external customers.
- Foster professional and healthy relationships with other departments, agencies, and partners.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
- Experience with building and land use policy and regulation in an agency or agencies that has/have complex rural and urban issues, sophisticated regional initiatives, and diverse inter-jurisdictional relationships.
- Experience with the International Code Council, Washington State Building Code Council and King County code promulgation process or similar.
- Experience with developing and supporting state or local legislative proposals through review, amendment and adoption.
- Strong experience working with green building codes and standards, the Washington State building and energy code or similar state-level legislation.
- Exceptional communication skills; ability to listen, provide feedback, and negotiate outcomes as needed; skill at facilitating diverse groups of participants to express their views and help design solutions in a constructive and non-threatening environment.
- Demonstrated ability to establish effective working relationships and partnerships across jurisdictional boundaries and differing constituent interests.
- Advanced experience making presentations and recommendations to and supporting the work of elected and appointed bodies; advanced skills in working successfully within a political framework.
- Advanced skills in organizing oneself and others to meet goals and timelines; ability to separate and combine tasks into efficient work flows; demonstrated ability to marshal resources and orchestrate multiple activities to accomplish goals.
- Skill in advanced-level problem solving.
- Strong familiarity with land use legal theory and principles; knowing when to reach out to legal or other professionals.
- Strengths in arraying, analyzing, and presenting complex data sets and information, such as demographic data and other tabular and geo-spatial data sets.
Desirable qualifications:
- Master's or professional degree in public administration, urban/regional planning, architecture, and use law or a related field.
- Experience with developing and implementing progressive, contextual green building, climate change, and energy regulations.
- Experience with developing and implementing regulations that meet the needs of new or emerging industries or land uses.
- Experience developing and implementing complex communication strategies.
- Green building certification such as LEED associate
- Supplemental Information
This opportunity is offered as either a Special Duty opportunity or Term-Limited Temporary assignment expected to last twenty-four (24) months.
WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified candidates.
WORK SCHEDULE:
The work week is typically Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This full-time position is overtime eligible. The position is paid on a bi-weekly schedule, every other Thursday, comprising a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible.
FORMS AND MATERIALS:
An online employment application, resume, and cover letter (no more than 2 pages) summarizing how you meet the experience, qualifications, knowledge and skills for the job are required.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Applicants will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews. Skype options are available for out-of-state candidates. Reference checks and record reviews will also be conducted.
Those applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to interview on Thursday, March 5, 2020 or Friday, March 6, 2020.
UNION MEMBERSHIP: This position is represented by PROTEC17
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Theresa Reynolds
Senior Human Resources Analyst
206-477-0380
theresa.reynolds@kingcounty.gov
King County values diverse perspectives, life experiences, and differences. The Department of Local Services encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans. We are committed to being equitable and fair in providing equal access to opportunities for all.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.