Clerk of the Hearing Examiner & Planning Commission - Kitsap County, Washington

Click here for the full posting.

This Program Coordinator position performs complex, specialized, and technical duties in the coordination, preparation, and flow of documents required for the processing of land use applications for public hearing before the Hearing Examiner, Planning Commission, and Board of County Commissioners following procedures prescribed by law. The incumbent acts as lead to administrative staff including general functions, Hearing Examiner, and Planning Commission programs.
Under the direction of the assigned supervisor, the incumbent performs complex and specialized work in the coordination of programs for the assigned department. Program responsibilities include development, coordination, preparation, implementation, oversight, maintenance and flow of work, including development of documentation of key processes.

This position works within a dynamic team where continuous cross training occurs and team members work together to ensure key deliverables and deadlines are met.

KITSAP COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (DCD)
 Kitsap County DCD has earned national awards for the permitting system, public disclosure request system and risk check program. It has received two Governor's Awards for comprehensive planning efforts and is recognized for its natural resources program by federal and state agencies as the "go to organization" for Puget Sound Restoration efforts. The department has very engaged employees dedicated to delivering effective and efficient services to the citizens of Kitsap County. Nearly all employees are Lean Six Sigma trained and have development plans that encourage career growth at all levels.

Please learn more about the department at:  http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/default.htm

Interviews tentatively scheduled for the week of 10/28/24.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Required Education and Experience

• Associate's degree in office administration or related field; AND

• Four years of full-time experience in office administrative and program oversight coordination; OR 

• Bachelor's degree in a field related to the assigned program area; AND

• Two years of full-time experience in office administrative and program oversight coordination; OR 

• An equivalent combination of experience and education that would demonstrate the individual's knowledge, skill and ability to perform the work.           

Preferred Education, Experience or Other Qualifications

• Previous experience supporting a commission or public hearing process and the Open Public Meetings Act.

• Previous experience in records management

• Previous experience utilizing Adobe Acrobat, MS Excel, and SharePoint.

• Previous experience in taking minutes using speedwriting or equivalent. 

• Obtain notary license.

Required Licenses, Certificates, Examinations/Tests and Other Requirements
 
Prior to employment, the successful candidate must: 

• Submit official transcripts from a college or university or business school accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education or equivalent if education is being used to meet the minimum qualifications.

• Pass all job-related examinations/tests necessary to demonstrate required knowledge, skills and abilities, as determined by the hiring authority at time of job posting.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge: 

• Relevant agencies and systems, as well as research methods

• County, State, and Federal laws and regulations pertaining to the program

• Principles and methods associated with public information dissemination

• Project cost accounting and project management principles

• General government principles and procedures

• Land use application review and hearing process.

• Adopted land use policies and ordinances.

• Common Lean Six Sigma Language.

• Correct and effective use of English grammar, spelling and punctuation.

• Acceptable telephone techniques.

Skills: 

• Basic quantitative skills

• Analysis and problem-solving

• Budget development and monitoring

• Gathering, manipulating and using data utilizing a computer and other tools

• Providing program advice and education to the public

• Microsoft Office Software (SharePoint, Word, Excel, and Access).

• Develop process flowcharts to assist in identifying inefficiencies and implementing process improvements.

• Read understand and execute complex and/or legal oral or written instructions.

• Apply guidelines to widely varied situations.

• Apply problem solving tools to improve processes and work well in a culture of continuous process improvement.

• Establish and maintain complex, specialized filing and record-keeping systems.

Abilities: 

• Ability to effectively recruit, train, and coordinate program staff activities.

• Ability to learn terminology, laws, rules, regulations, and policies governing area of assignment.

• Ability to make customers and their needs a primary focus of one's actions, shows interest in and understanding of the needs and expectations of internal and external customers; gains customer trust and respect.

• Ability to work collaboratively as a team member and cross train on other Office Support Assistant tasks within the department.

• Ability to effectively plan, organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines without regular direction.

• Ability to perform a variety of tasks with accuracy and attention to detail.

• Ability to effectively work under conditions of frequent interruptions, high traffic and/or noise volume, shared space, and multiple deadlines, as required.

• Ability to work various shifts, weekends, holiday and overtime as required.

• Ability to learn, interpret, adhere and apply local, state and federal applicable laws.

• Ability to use a high degree of tact and diplomacy.

• Ability to work independently and make appropriate decisions regarding work methods and priorities. 

• Ability to use a high degree of tact and diplomacy.

• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor under heavy workload and stressful situations. 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and adhere to policy and procedures of the department.

• Ability to compose clear written explanations of procedures and provide detailed technical training.

• Ability to interpret, develop and implement a variety of documents, policies and procedures.   

• Ability to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions and consequences. 

• Ability to effectively employ principles of good business correspondence.

• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment such as computers, copy machines, recording equipment, calculators, printers, and projectors.

• Ability to utilize various computer applications specific to the department including databases, word processing, document imaging, spreadsheets, and web-based systems for entering, retrieving and researching data and records.

Working Conditions/Physical Activities 
(The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Kitsap County provides reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

Work is performed primarily in an office environment and positions in this class typically require: 

• Walking, bending, stooping and twisting.

• Reaching above and/or below shoulders.

• Handling/grasping documents for equipment.

• Sitting and/or standing for short or extended periods of time.

• Clear speaking and adequate hearing sufficient to communicate effectively and respond appropriately in-person, on the telephone, or using other electronic media.

• Hearing audible signals.

• Vision sufficient to drive a vehicle during daylight and nighttime hours, read source materials, plans and drawings, to read computer and similar screens and see detail or color.

• Repetitive motions for computer/tool/equipment use.

• Requires exertion of force of 50 pounds occasionally, 10 pounds frequently, and/or 5 pounds continuously to lift/carry/move objects, files/documents, and field equipment necessary to conduct inspections.

• Ability to work in an open office environment.

Incumbents may be: 

• Exposed to potentially hazardous conditions when exposed to violent or hostile individuals.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF DUTIES

(Any one position may not include all of the duties listed nor do the listed examples include all tasks which may be found in positions of this class.)

Essential Job Functions

• Serves as lead to department administrative staff, examples of duties include, but are not limited to:
   • Coordinates and assigns coverage of essential duties
   • Facilitates team meetings
   • Mentors and trains administrative staff
   • Troubleshoots day to day issues and prioritization conflicts with administrative staff
   • Acts as subject matter expert on administrative procedures
   • Monitors and coordinates workflow from internal stakeholders and office support staff to ensure service level commitments are met
   • Provides input to supervisor on team member performance, goals, and development opportunities

• Oversees work for or related to Hearing Examiner, examples of duties include, but are not limited to:
   • Facilitates evening public hearings including receiving, logging, and conducting initial review to determine necessary action for processing of land use applications to be approved by the Hearing Examiner, preparing and scheduling publication of legal advertising, composing and distributing notices of subject public hearings, preparing agendas for all land use public hearings for the Hearing Examiner in a timely manner, setting forth all pertinent information regarding the project, distributing information to all affected agencies and the public for review prior to public hearing, scheduling technical reviews among the affected government agencies, planning staff, project engineers and applicants, and following procedures prescribed by law and Kitsap County Code.
   • Provides training and/or guidance to department management, planning staff, and 2nd chair (administrative staff) on parliamentary practices to ensure compliance during public hearings.
   • Tracks project readiness for hearing and performance metrics to report quality control issues and inefficiencies to management.
   • Coordinates and supports the RFP process for hearing examiner and other related contracts as needed.
   • Monitors and approves expenditures related to hearing examiner and ensures contract compliance.
   • Serves as lead to Office Support Assistants and provides direction and guidance in completing tasks to support the land use permit process, including distributing notice of applications, creating land use binders, publishing staff reports and decisions, drafting legal notices, and indexing for hearing.

• Oversees work for or related to Planning Commission, examples of duties include, but are not limited to:
   • Facilitates evening public meetings and public hearings including preparing and scheduling publication of legal advertising, preparing and distributing meeting agendas and materials, attending evening meetings and hearings, transcribing, and publishing accurate proceedings of the meetings, indexing files, and following procedures prescribed by law and Kitsap County Code.
   • Provides training and/or guidance to department management, planning staff, planning commissioners, and 2nd chair (administrative staff) on parliamentary procedure to ensure compliance during public meetings and public hearings.
   • Creates, coordinates, and monitors expenditure documentation for Planning Commissioners

• Lead and/or assist with process improvement efforts throughout department.

• Provides support to the Planning & Environmental Planning and Development Engineering divisions by preparing agendas and coordinating training for staff.

OTHER POSITION RELATED INFORMATION

Positions in the classification are:

• Who May Apply: This position is open to the general public.  Applications will be screened for qualifications and completion of all the required materials and forms. The most competitive applicants may be contacted for further steps in the selection process, which may include testing for office and computer skills.

• This position is classified as exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

• This position is covered under a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME 1308. Internal applicants should be aware that a change in union status or bargaining unit may impact your benefits and accruals.  Please contact Human Resources if you have questions.

• Kitsap County is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please contact our Human Resources Office.

• Only authorized employees and hiring authorities have access to the application materials submitted. Per RCW 42.56.250, all applications for public employment, including the names of applicants, resumes, and other related materials submitted with respect to an applicant are exempt from public inspection.

• This recruitment is being used to fill an existing open position, and may be used to fill future openings for up to six (6) months.

• May be required to work over 40 hours in a work week, and outside normal business hours for evening public meetings and hearings.