Associate Architect

THE POSITION

With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.

IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT

The ideal candidate will be an emerging professional that has demonstrated knowledge of architectural practices including client interaction, project scoping, and scheduling. They will have experience with conceptual construction costs, building code and Accessibility Standards fluency, freehand sketching, design and drafting software, consultant coordination, construction site observation and administration, and project close-out. The ideal candidate will have previous experience working with a government agency and/or as a consultant on public sector projects. They will understand the entire spectrum of the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

ASSISTANT ARCHITECT / ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT

To perform professional architectural or interior design work in the creation of designs of City buildings and related projects and the review of public or private building designs.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Assistant Architect

This is the journey level in the professional architectural series not requiring registration. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the lower class of Junior Architect. Incumbents of this class perform moderately difficult professional architectural work. As Assistant Architects are assigned responsibilities and their breadth of knowledge increases with experience, and registration is received, they may reasonably expect their position to be reassigned to the next higher class of Associate Architect.

Associate Architect

This is the full journey level in the architectural series requiring registration. Positions in the class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the lower class of Assistant Architect or, when filled from the outside, require prior advanced technical or professional architectural work experience. An Associate Architect works under general supervision and is expected to complete complex architectural assignments requiring the use of judgment and initiative in developing solutions to problems, interpreting general policies, and determining work assignments. Work in this class is distinguished from that of the Assistant Architect class by the greater complexity of the assignments received, by the greater independence with which an incumbent is expected to operate, and by registration as a Professional Architect with the State of California.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:

Direction is provided by a higher level professional architect or engineer. Responsibilities of an Associate Architect may include the technical or functional supervision of lower level professional architects and technical personnel. Responsibilities of an Assistant Architect may include the technical or functional supervision of technical personnel.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Depending upon assignment, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Receive and process requests for alterations, repairs and improvements to City buildings, structures, and new facilities including preliminary designs, cost estimates, and recommendations.
• Perform architectural design, specification writing, and construction cost estimating for alterations and new building construction.
  
• Architecturally review building projects for conformance to applicable standards and regulations, and prepare standard specifications and procedures.
  
• Analyze field data, prepare technical reports and establish construction program requirements for City buildings.
  
• Check private building plans for compliance with City building codes and ordinances.
  
• Suggest design changes or improvements as necessary.
  
• Inspect projects during construction and at final acceptance for conformance with design.
  
• Maintain a variety of records, reports, plans, and files on assigned work and prepare special and technical status reports.
  
• Prepare sketches, preliminary drawings, schematic designs, and construction documents.
  
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed may necessarily be performed by each individual holding this classification.

QUALIFICATIONS

Assistant Architect

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of architecture and interior design as applied to municipal and private buildings.
• Methods, materials, and techniques used in the construction of municipal and private buildings and structures.
• Modern developments, current literature and sources of information regarding architecture and interior design.

Ability to:

• Prepare architectural and interior designs and specifications and review and check the preparation of architectural plans and studies.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:
One year of experience as a Junior Architect with the city of Sacramento.

-OR-

One year of experience in professional architectural or interior design work under the direct supervision of a licensed architect.

Education:
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major work in architecture or interior design or closely related field.

Associate Architect

In addition to the qualifications for Assistant Architect:

Knowledge of:

• City architectural policies and principles.
• Principles of supervision and training.

Ability to:

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Supervise and train subordinates.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:
Three years of experience in professional or interior design architectural work under the direct supervision of a licensed architect.

Education:
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major in architecture or interior design or closely related field.

-OR-

Two years as an Assistant Architect with the City of Sacramento.

PROOF OF EDUCATION

Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment . Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

License or Certificate:
Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a professional Architect in the State of California.

PROOF OF CERTIFICATION

Proof of the required certificate and/or license should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment . Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

Employees must successfully complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

P lease note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently , including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

1. Application: (Pass/Fail) - All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline ;

• Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
  

• Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
  

• • If applicants do not list current and/or past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week ).
    

• • If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.
    

• Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
  

• Proof of certification and/or license should be submitted online with your application. Proof of certification and/or license will be required at time of appointment.
  

• Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position.
  

• If you’re requesting Veteran’s credit, a copy of your DD214 must be submitted online with your application or emailed to the Employment Office by the final filing deadline . Information regarding the use of Veteran’s credit can be found in the Civil Service Board rules under rule 4.9C.
  

• Applicants are responsible for attaching a copy of their DD214 to each position for which they apply.
  

2. Training and Experience Exam : (Weighted 100%) - The questions located at the end of the application are the Training and Experience (T&E) Exam. Responses to the T&E questions will be rated and scored. This exam will evaluate the relevance, level, and progression of a candidate's education, training and experience. The exam score will determine your ranking on the eligible list for this job. When completing the T&E questions, please note:

• Responses to the T&E questions must be submitted online; paper questionnaires will not be accepted.
  

• A resume will not substitute for the information required in the T&E questions.
  

3. Eligibility : Candidates who pass the Training and Experience Test will be placed on the eligible list. The hiring department may contact candidates for interview at any time during the life of the one-year list. Candidate’s eligibility expires one year from the date of notification of a passing score for the Associate Architect examination.

4. Screening Committee : (Pass/Fail)- All candidates that pass the examination and are in one of the top three ranks will have their application forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.

5. Conditional Hire: Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.

QUESTIONS:
For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:

• Please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/Home/ApplicationGuide for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the application process.
  

• For technical support between 6 AM - 5 PM PT, contact Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627.
  

• Visit the City of Sacramento Human Resources Department website at https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment ;
  

• Send an email to employment@cityofsacramento.org ; or
  

• Call the Human Resources Department at (916) 808-5726
  

Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.

Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.

Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Additional Information
Civil Service Rules: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/CivilServiceBoardRules62012.pdf

Union Contracts: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/labor-agreements.html

Salary Schedule: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/SalarySchedule.pdf

Closing Date/Time: 7/15/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of Sacramento

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