Special Activity Permits Coordinator

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.    

Why join the City of Oakland Economic Workforce Development Department?
The Economic Workforce Development's Special Activity Permits Division assists and educates the public in permitting and ensures public health and safety standards are met for a diverse array of activities in the fields of hospitality, business, entertainment, and food. Our goal as a division is to provide excellent service to the people of Oakland by ensuring the activities we permit are safe and well executed. Our office also ensures that operators are abiding by the Oakland Municipal Code, are educated on their responsibilities and responsive to their community.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Organized - You will need to keep track of numerous events, applications, dates, and timelines while responding to last-minute requests and unforeseen conflicts.
• An effective communicator - You will need to collaborate with your team members and other departments on a regular basis to relay information and develop solutions.
• A patient educator – You will need to answer questions the public has on a multitude of subjects involving permitting and guide them to available resources.
• A solution-based thinker – You will need to assist applicants in navigating permitting processes that may be challenging and require in-depth and sometimes alternative methods for gaining approval.
• Adaptable – As ordinances are amended and laws change, we must adapt our processes to accommodate.
• Engaged – Your work will be fast-paced and demanding but never boring. 

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Interpreting and applying the Oakland Municipal Code and City ordinances.
• Assisting the public by answering inquiries and guiding applicants through the permitting process.
• Utilizing Accela to coordinate with other departments, track application statuses, and issue permits.
• Supervising permit technicians within the Special Activity Permits Division.
• Compiling and analyzing data for reports.
• Managing and responding to public records requests.
• Leading meetings and workshops to clarify regulatory processes and permit approval procedures.
• Maintaining accurate tracking systems and facilitating interdepartmental communication through weekly emails and meetings.

Read the complete job description by clicking this: Special Activity Permits Coordinator

Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland!

Working for the City of Oakland

A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will play a key role in permitting impactful annual festivals across the city.
• You will collaborate with entrepreneurs and cultural leaders to bring their visions to life.
• You will uphold public health and safety standards in alignment with the Oakland Municipal Code.
• You will strategize with innovative thinkers to achieve extraordinary results.
• You will engage with a wide range of businesses that require special permits to operate, including but not limited to the hospitality, entertainment, cannabis, and mobile food vending industries. 

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You will have to manage a consistently high workload.
• You will have to be adaptive to shifting priorities and evolving demands.  
• You will have to navigate difficult interactions with the public, including handling disputes and challenging conversations. 
• You will manage strong personalities and occasionally confrontational or uncooperative applicants.

Competencies Required: 

• Action & Results Focused (Taking Initiative): Initiating tasks and focusing on accomplishment
• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
• Analyzing & Interpreting Data: Drawing meaning and conclusions from quantitative or qualitative data
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Design Sense: Creating work products that are functional, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing
• Displaying Ownership and Accountability: Holding self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results
• Group Facilitation: Enabling constructive and productive group interaction
• Handling & Resolving Conflict: Managing interpersonally strained situations
• Informing: Proactively obtaining and sharing information
• Legal & Regulatory Navigation: Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
• Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter expertise to the job
• Teamwork: Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals

This recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City and Port of Oakland employees who maintain employment for the duration of the recruitment and pass all stages of the recruitment process. The open list will be for all other applicants who pass all stages of the recruitment process. 

Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the following minimum qualifications may be acceptable:

Education:

An Associate’s Degree from an accredited college or university in urban planning, public administration, business administration, or a related field.  A Bachelor’s Degree in a related field is desirable.

Experience:
Four (4) years of progressively responsible public sector experience in permit processing; 
                                                                                 OR
Four (4) years of progressively responsible private sector experience involving technical or administrative work focused on compliance with non-residential codes and regulations;
                                                                                 OR
Four (4) combined years of relevant public and private experience as listed above. 

Previous lead or supervisory experience is desirable.

Desirable Qualifications: 
Experience with Accela and Oracle. 

The Recruitment Process:

The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.

Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications.

In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.

For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will be sent a writing exercise, which will then be evaluated and rated by subject matter experts.  The tentative date that the writing exercise will be sent to you for completion is mid-May.

For some recruitments, more than one type of assessment may be used. Depending on the number of candidates who pass the first assessment (multiple-choice test, structured interview, writing exercise, performance exam) you may be asked to complete a secondary assessment before the recruitment is finalized. If a secondary assessment is scheduled, you will be notified by email with specific details. If a secondary assessment is not scheduled, department hiring interviews will occur during this time frame.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

What’s in it for you? 

• 15 paid holidays 
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Disaster Service Workers

All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

How to Apply

Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user of the system. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY. You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at:

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm.

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).  

Our online application system is provided by GovernmentJobs. If you have problems while applying online, please contact GovernmentJobs Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.  You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) 238-3112 for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system. For recruitment-specific questions, please contact Briana Wong, HR Analyst at bwong@oaklandca.gov.

Salary : $106,175 - $130,362