Permit Technician

Accepting Applications from: All Persons Interested Service Line/Section: Code Enforcement & Compliance/Project Delivery & Operations/Permits Reporting Location: 1002 Washington Avenue* Workdays & Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm* *Subject to change* DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS The Code Enforcement & Compliance division’s Permits team is looking for a Permit Technician to join our team in an office-based role supporting our customers. This individual is an important team member that guides customers through their permitting challenges and solves problems each day. As a Permit Technician, you serve as the face of the Houston Permitting Center and as a link between other City staff in plan review, engineering, inspections, and IT. Located at the Houston Permitting Center, our work moves fast, and our goal is to deliver exceptional service to our customers in person, online, and over the phone. A day in the life of a Permit Technician is highly variable based on customer needs and volume. Some days you will be on the frontline, serving customers in person, and other days you will be in the back office serving customers via email, phone, and live chat. In this position, you will be responsible for: • Processing permit applications – Assist customers with applying for a variety of permits, including building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical. Ensures all permit applications and related documents are complete, accurate and in compliance with applicable codes, ordinances and regulations. • Set up permit fees – Set up the permit fees within the permitting system and issue sales order for payment in person or online. • License and bond registration – processing first time license registrations and renewals for fire alarm, fire sprinkler, and earth hauling contractors, and verifying sidewalk and driveway bonds • Provide guidance and customer support – respond to inquiries for general information on permitting processes and procedures through the email, live chat, and over the phone. Assist with the release of holds and other project issues. • Technical support – Liaise between IT staff and customers to resolve technical issues with the permitting systems and/or facilitate remedies. • Performs other duties as assigned Your effectiveness in this position will depend on your ability to: • Communicate clearly and professionally – Our customer base is diverse, not just in languages spoken, but also in construction and permitting experience. A Permit Technician must communicate with respect, courtesy, and clarity in a variety of service channels, and know how to adapt their communication style to meet customer needs. • Think critically and problem solve – Resolving permitting issues on behalf of customers can be complex and requires a Permit Technician to build strong working relationships internally and across city departments. They just be able to take ownership and use good judgement to resolve problems. • Understand general construction principles and practices - Understands the functions of all sections requiring permits, such as Water, Planning, Flood, Storm HAS, Traffic, Fire, Sprinklers, Haz Mat, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Health-Food and Health-Pool. • Adapt to change – The Code Enforcement & Compliance division is undergoing rapid change, moving away from legacy permitting system to a modern, workflow-driven permitting system. The selected candidate must be willing to embrace new technology and processes. We’re committed to your success, but we expect our team members to be equally invested. We’re looking for someone who’s not afraid of a challenge and eager to grow with us. Who are we When you join the Code Enforcement & Compliance division, you’ll be part of a dedicated team that provide services for safe community development through the permitting, plan review, and inspection of public and private construction. Our team members issue over 400,000 permits, review 77,000 projects, and conduct 800,000 inspections every year. WORKING CONDITIONS The position is physically comfortable most of the time with occasional periods of stooping, bending and/or light lifting of materials up to 10 pounds. Requires the ability to make coordinated gross motor movements in response to changing external stimuli within moderately demanding tolerances. There are no major sources of discomfort, i.e., essentially normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature and air conditions. The individual has discretion about walking, standing, etc. This is a Department of Houston Public Works Emergency Management position at the Tier III Level. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS Requires a high school diploma or a GED. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS Two years of experience as a Permit Technician Aide or in customer service are required. An Associate degree may be substituted for the experience requirement. LICENSE REQUIREMENTS None The ideal candidate should have some of the following skills or experience: • Bilingual in English and Spanish • International Code Council (ICC) Permit Technician certification or willing to obtain certification within six months of employment • Strong communication skills, including written and verbal skills • Proficient in using technology • Experience using ILMS/iPermits, ProjectDox, Infor, or similar electronic permitting and plan review systems • Experience using live chat or customer experience (CX) software, such as Oracle Service Cloud or Microsoft Dynamics You don’t have to check every preference box to be a great candidate. So long as you bring your passion for people and problem solving, we’ll invest in you to take care of the rest. If you think you’ve got what it takes, we encourage you to apply. **Preference shall be given to eligible veteran applicants provided such persons possess the qualifications necessary for competent discharge of the duties involved in the position applied for, such persons are among the most qualified candidates for the position, and all other factors in accordance with Executive Order 1-6. **