Director of Inspectional Services

The Director of the Inspectional Services Division (the ‘Division’) manages a multi-disciplinary inspector and administration staff responsible for enforcement, permitting, and inspections of the State Building Code (780 CMR), and other referenced codes and standards and specialized codes including but not limited to the State Energy Code (including Stretch Code and Specialized Opt-in Code (225 CMR 22 & 23), Architectural Access Board (521 CMR), International Mechanical Code, State Sheet Metal Code (271 CMR), State Plumbing and Gas Codes (248 CMR), Electrical Code (527 CMR 12), as well as the Somerville Zoning Ordinance (SZO), applicable sections of the Somerville Code of Ordinances (SCO), and Weights and Measures (MGL c. 98 & 99).. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Directly supervises senior managers and senior staff within the Division for efficient, consistent, and compliant operation of the Division.
• Establishes short and long-range plans and objectives, performance standards and assumes direct accountability for Division results.
• Primary responsibility for creating and implementing strategies, policies, and procedures for consistent and efficient code enforcement, permitting, inspections, and records responses for the Division.
• Responsible for development of guidance materials for applicants and general public for the Divisions’ various permitting processes.
• Primary responsibility for the Division adhering to personnel, workplace, and Division policies and practices, and proper adherence to, and taking necessary corrective or resolution measures where needed, in conjunction with People Operations and the City Attorney.
• Prepares, administers, and manages the Division budget, including revenues and expenditures.
• Ensures staff have proper equipment and tools for administration of the Division.
• Primary respondent for formal requests for enforcement or interpretation regarding SCO that are enforced by the Division.
• Reports to Chief of Infrastructure and the Mayor on all high-priority code enforcement, permitting, inspection, and/or other issues related to the Division.
• Provides periodic data summaries, appraising general trends, emerging trends, and significant data points.
• Coordinates with cross-departmental senior leadership to proactively address problem properties.
• Meets with business owners, property owners, residents, elected officials, developers, and contractors to discuss code enforcement, permitting, or inspection concerns regarding the Division.
• Advocates and presents on behalf of the Division and the Mayor before the City Council, other government officials, and citizen groups in and outside of public meetings.
• Works with senior managers and senior staff to ensure all staff remain current with required continuing education and certifications, as well as providing and fostering other staff development opportunities related to core functions of the Division.
• Responsible for proper staff assignment to cross-departmental collaboration projects and initiatives and for assuring deliverables for the Divisions aspect of those deliverables
• Responsible for Division participation in policy and implementation discussions, decisions, and allocation of resources related to matters enforced by or proposed to be enforced by the Division.
• Optimizes the Division’s use of, the City’s permitting, licensing and code enforcement software.

• Construction Supervisor’s License

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or

most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision.

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)