Code Compliance Specialist 2

Please be advised that effective December 1, 2021 the New York State Department of Civil Service has a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination/testing policy for in-person examinations administered at a New York State test center. For more information, you can access the full policy on the Department of Civil Service website.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to one of the following test sites to take this examination: Albany, Buffalo, Nyack, Port Jefferson, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, and an additional downstate location. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before July 16, 2022, you must have an active certification as a Code Enforcement Official pursuant to Title 19 NYCRR, Part 434, or Part 1208 AND:

Either 1. seven years of full-time qualifying experience* as described below, which must include one year of supervision of subordinate staff;

Or 2. an associate's degree** in architectural engineering, architecture, civil engineering, construction technology/management, electrical engineering, fire protection engineering, fire protection technology, or mechanical engineering AND five years of full-time qualifying experience* as described below, which must include one year of supervision of subordinate staff;

Or 3. a bachelor's or higher degree** in architectural engineering, architecture, civil engineering, construction technology/management, electrical engineering, fire protection engineering, fire protection technology, or mechanical engineering AND three years of full-time qualifying experience* as described below, which must include one year of supervision of subordinate staff.

**Degrees in other fields will NOT be substituted in lieu of the specific specialized degrees listed above.

*Qualifying Experience: Experience in any combination of:

Either 1. the enforcement, inspection, development, or teaching of building codes or fire codes;

Or 2. the design of buildings in a position such as a specifications writer, draftsperson, architect, or engineer.

NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Experience performing design, construction, or inspection of bridges and/or highways; labor law, wage or health and safety inspections/investigations not primarily related to building codes or fire codes; experience as a firefighter where responsibilities do not include conducting fire code or building code inspections as a primary assignment; and clerical or support duties associated with fire or building code inspections are NOT considered qualifying experience. This list is not all inclusive.

If you expect to meet the educational requirements by January 31, 2023, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the Appointing Authority at the time of the employment interview. Failure to meet the educational requirements by January 31, 2023, may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Notes

1. It is essential that you describe your education and experience as completely as possible within the examination application. Ambiguity, vagueness or omissions will NOT be decided in your favor. The information you provide in your application will be the only basis for determining your eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for examination.
2. Continued employment as a Code Compliance Specialist 2 is dependent upon active certification as a Code Enforcement Official pursuant to Title 19 NYCRR Part 434 or Part 1208. Loss of certification will result in removal from employment.
3. Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S2SER.
4. A promotion examination is also being held for Code Compliance Specialist 2. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
5. Although a promotion examination is being held for Code Compliance Specialist 2, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of this examination open to the public.
6. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel within a designated area of assignment. Appointees to these positions may be required to operate a motor vehicle or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the transportation needs of the job. If the position requires that you operate a motor vehicle, you must possess a driver's license valid in New York State at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter. Field work and travel expenses are reimbursed on a fixed schedule.
7. Qualifying part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
8. New York State residence is not required.

The Positions These positions exist in the Department of State and the Office of General Services in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica.

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Duties

As a Code Compliance Specialist 2, you would review plans, conduct field visits, provide technical assistance, and may research, analyze, and process applications for variances to the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code. You may make presentations pertaining to code enforcement and administration. You would review applications for building permits, conduct inspections, issue certificates of occupancy, perform oversight review as well as perform other duties of this position. You may supervise subordinate staff.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Knowledge of laws, regulations and standards related to building construction, fire prevention and code enforcement - These questions test for knowledge and application of the current NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code; related portions of the New York State rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, Title 19 NYCRR Parts 1202, 1203, 1204, and 1208 (Uniform Code minimum standards for personnel, administration and enforcement); and standards for building construction, fire prevention, safety, and handicap accessibility, including ICC/ANSI A117.1 (American National Standards Institute).
2. Knowledge of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code - These questions test for knowledge and application of the current Building, Residential, Fire, Property Maintenance, and Energy Conservation Construction codes of New York State.
3. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
4. Supervision and training - These questions test for the knowledge required by a supervisor to set goals, plan and organize work, train workers in how to do their jobs, and direct workers towards meeting established goals. The supervisory questions cover such areas as assigning and reviewing work, evaluating performance, maintaining work quality, motivating employees, increasing efficiency, and dealing with problems that may arise on the job. The training questions cover such areas as determining the necessity for training, selecting appropriate training methods, and evaluating the effectiveness of training.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits.

Note: The Department of Civil Service may administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets. Online tests may be administered using Remote Proctoring. The announcement will indicate if remote proctoring is being offered. Information on remote proctoring is available on our website at:www.cs.ny.gov/testing/remote-proctoring.cfm.

Admission to the Test: If approved, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil, online at a state test site using a State-provided Chromebook, or online at home on your personal equipment using Remote Proctoring Software. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

Important: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Other Accommodation

Individuals who apply to take an in-person Civil Service examination and who wish to request an exemption to the Department's COVID-19 vaccination/testing policy due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance, must check the box on the application under "Other Accommodations" and will be required to provide appropriate documentation. Candidates granted an exemption will be offered the opportunity to take the examination via Remote Proctoring - a secure, web-based test delivery method that uses professional test proctors and technology to monitor applicants using a web camera as they complete an examination.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S2/TC1 SER-klr
Issued: 4/29/22

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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