Manager Life Safety and Plan Review

Exempt; full-time; 40 hours per week; Monday – Friday; 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; full-benefits

This technical and professional position is responsible for interpretations and application of fire safety codes, NFPA regulations, building codes, and other applicable codes and standards during plan review and construction as applicable. Some fieldwork may be involved with these duties. Supervision is given to  plan review and life safety staff. Supervision is received from the Director of Permits and Inspections

NOTE: The upper pay range reflects possible wage rates for internal County transfers and promotions, which are calculated per County policy.  For external hires, offers are made at the base wage rate, with limited exception.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members.  If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee.

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan.
• Coming in 2025: Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage.

• Manage the plans, policies and daily workload for the Office of Life Safety and building plans review to ensure accurate, predictable, and timely services are provided
• Enforce County Fire Prevention Code, NFPA Standards, and Building Code regulations by reviewing and evaluating construction documents and plans
• Supervise staff involved in the areas of fire protection plan review, permitting and life safety inspections as well as building plan review, for new and existing construction; fire safety and building code education; development of codes, ordinances, interpretations, and regulations; and computer and administrative support services for the office.
• Review and approve building construction drawings, site plans and other building construction documents for compliance with County and State codes Fire Code (NFPA 1), Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), other NFPA standards, ICC Codes, and other applicable codes  .
• Perform complex technical review and provide comments  using the County’s electronic plan review software  life safety and building code compliance, fire protection systems for compliance with applicable codes, including the evaluation of hydraulic calculations for shop drawings related to fire protection systems
• Coordinate office's program and review and inspection responsibilities with other County agencies and as needed, perform on-site inspections at  construction sites to verify full compliance with life safety and building code requirements
• Enforce, update, and maintain State and County fire and building codes and laws in coordination with other County and State agencies
• Compile and prepare formal inspection reports, memos, letters and other technical documents
• Meet  and assist architects, designers, contractors, building owners, engineers, developers, tenants, and the general public to seek code/enforce compliance and provide interpretations
• Attend training sessions related to fire prevention and life safety in order to keep abreast of current practices, and maintain training and certification for staff
• Perform other duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed above, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  

• Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Fire Science, or a related field with coursework in a fire science curriculum 
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible plan review work experience for compliance with the Life Safety Code, NFPA Standards, which includes at least 2 years building code work experience
• Minimum 2 years of supervisory work experience 
• Successful completion of related National Fire Academy training (as follows) and maintain current certifications thereafter:
  • Fire Inspector I (within 6 months of hire), and
  • Fire Inspector II (within 12 months of hire), and
  • Certified Fire Plan Examiner (CFPE) (within 12 months of hire)
  • ICC plans examiner (within 24 months of hire)  
• Possession of a valid automobile operator's license 
• NOTE:  A portion of the education requirement may be substituted if the applicant possesses additional closely-related work experience in the field of life safety, or in the application and enforcement of NFPA 1, NFPA 101 and other NFPA standards.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES:

• Ability to maintain County Authorized Driver privileges
• Extensive knowledge of applicable fire code, life safety codes, building code ordinances, etc. with ability to effectively interpret and apply appropriate regulations (including state, local, NFPA and ICC)  
• Ability to effectively read and interpret architectural drawings, plans, specifications and site plans quickly and accurately, compare them to construction in process and perform fire code plan review
• Knowledge of legislation affecting fire code and fire prevention activities
• Knowledge of plan review and field inspection practices and principles
• Ability to effectively plan, assign, supervise, follow-up and evaluate the work of others
• Ability to effectively access and utilize computerized systems and equipment utilized by the Division
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills, including the ability to prepare and present clear and concise reports, investigate findings, correspondence, etc.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships demonstrating tact and diplomacy in all situations with co-workers, contractors, other business professionals and the general public

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Related supervisory work experience 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS:

• While working in this position, the employee is required to frequently sit, reach and perform repetitive motions; occasionally walk, climb, stoop and drive; and rarely lift up to 50 pounds, push and pull up to 40 pounds
• While working in this position, the employee is required to constantly work indoors; rarely work outdoors and walk on uneven ground and work in cold temperatures (below 32 degrees)

• Available for varied workday hours to accommodate meetings and other commitments
• Available on-call as needed
• When considered under the Frederick County Employees Retirement Plan, this position is designated as "non-uniformed"

EXAMINATION PROCESS (may include):

1)  An evaluation of training and experience
2)  A written and/or performance assessment
3)  One or more interviews

Salary : $85,869 - $137,391