Administrative Assistant - Planning, Building and Code Enforcement

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The City of San Jose’s Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement serves to ensure the orderly and safe development of private properties, compliance with all applicable building, zoning, and quality of life ordinances and regulations, and to promote healthy and safe community standards. This is accomplished by departmental staff in service to customers by:

• Assisting and guiding land use and development to promote long-term goals and objectives that render safe, beneficial, and more sustainable communities
• Providing orderly administration and compliance of building codes, as mandated by the various levels of government, to ensure the construction of buildings, homes, and structures meet intended life safety and structural requirements
• Investigating and resolving citizen complaints of municipal code violations on private property in order to promote, maintain, and improve quality of life issues that better allow for safe and harmonious conditions in all neighborhoods

The Department is seeking applicants who are committed to understanding, executing, and improving the customer experience to best achieve the above goals and objectives. This includes providing excellent service and guidance to residents, property and business owners, developers, and other stakeholders throughout the planning, building, and code enforcement processes. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as the department values building positive relationships and fostering collaboration with other departments, agencies, and the community. Additionally, applicants who possess a strong knowledge of planning principles, building codes, and/or regulatory requirements will be highly valued, as they will play a key role in ensuring compliance and promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable development practices.

The Director’s Office leads operational improvements and coordination throughout the department and liaisons with other teams to advance the goals of the City. The Department includes approximately 300 staff members responsible for issuing over 40,000 permits, conducting 100,000 inspections, and closing over 3,000 code cases per year.

Position Duties

Salary Information
Salary range for the classification of Administrative Assistant is: $82,970.16 - $100,900.90 annually

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Director’s Office is seeking applicants for an Administrative Assistant position providing support to the Department and Director. The Administrative Assistant position reports to the PBCE Chief of Staff with informal reporting to the Director. This position provides administrative support and assistance primarily to the Director as well as supplemental support to the entire Executive Team.

Responsibilities for the Administrative Assistant role include but are not limited to :

• Effective time management and daily scheduling for the Director.
• Analyze and communicate Director's decisions and views to staff.
• Compile and prepare data for a variety of Department reports.
• Implement and revise records, forms, filing systems, and procedures.
• Coordinate items to be schedule on future Council agenda and final processing of Department memoranda to City Council and Council Committees (Council Liaison).
• Coordinate and monitor Departmental agenda items for a variety of boards, commissions, roundtables, committees, and City Council meetings (horizon report).
• Coordinate monthly Council 1:1 meetings and complies agenda for Executive Team review.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Compose and edit highly sensitive correspondence
• Attend Director meetings and take notes as required.
• Maintain records and filing systems.
• Manage Director emails.
• Schedule Director 1:1’s and supports the development meeting agendas.
• Manage department procurement card and process orders for Director.
• Manage Director tasks, signature requests, vacation requests, decisions, and reviews of key department documents.
• Support department meeting and event administration, scheduling and setup.
• Manage the annual milestone schedule and anticipate needs for future meetings and preparation activities.
• Perform a variety of independent research and report preparation.
• Prepare and coordinate all travel arrangements and expense reimbursements for the Director and Assistant Director.
• Prepare, review, and edit correspondence, memos, and reports for correct format.
• Implement improvements to department organization processes as it related to the management of the Director’s office.
• Review mail, assign to appropriate staff for action, and follow up on its disposition.
• Receive incoming customer calls or emails and bring issues to the attention of the Director.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Completion of high school or equivalent (General Education Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate)

Experience: Six (6) years of experience in clerical and secretarial work, including two (2) years providing individual support to an executive.

Acceptable Substitutions: None.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Communication Skills - effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Building Trust - Communicates an understanding of the other person's interests, needs and concerns; identifies and communicates shared interests and goals; identifies and communicates differences as appropriate; demonstrates honesty, keeps commitments and behaves in an appropriate manner.
• Computer Skills - experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.
• Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.
• Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.
• Reliability - Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - demonstrates a positive attitude and flexibility along with the ability to develop effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews. You must answer all questions to be considered, or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Jennifer Lam at jennifer.lam@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 10/20/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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