Chief, Building Codes and Research Branch (Code Specialist IV

Chief, Building Codes and Research Branch (Code Specialist IV)

Salary

$93,077.50 - $ Annually

Location

HERRITY BUILDING (B-2), 12055 GOVERNMENT CENTER PKWY, FAIRFAX (EJ26), VA

Job Type

FT Salary W BN

Job Number

26-01104

Department

Land Development Svcs

Opening Date

07/25/2026

Closing Date

8/7/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S30

Posting Type

Open to General Public

* Description

* Benefits

* Questions

Job Announcement

Fairfax County boasts a top-notch school system, safe neighborhoods, thousands of acres of parkland, and bustling town centers. County government sits at the heart of this dynamic community of almost 1.2 million residents and seeks employees eager to bring their energy, enthusiasm and skills to serve Fairfax residents and to shape the county's future. Land Development Services (LDS) is the steward of the county's land development and building construction codes and regulations, and its staff members embrace their essential role as "first prev enters."

Every day, through careful review, permitting and inspection of site and building construction, our staff protect the health, safety, welfare, and environment for those who live in, work in, and visit Fairfax County. Our department also serves as the gateway to much of the county's economic development, reviewing over 30,000 building and site plan submissions, issuing nearly 70,000 building permits, and conducting over 220,000 building and site inspections each year.

If you would like to join a creative, collaborative, innovative team doing meaningful work, then LDS is the place for you.

The Fairfax County Building Division is seeking an experienced building code professional to serve as the Chief of the Building Codes and Research Branch. This leadership position serves as the county's principal authority on building code interpretation, research, policy development, and code administration. Leads a multidisciplinary team of code specialists who provide technical support for complex commercial and residential construction projects, building code modifications, code appeals, legislative analysis, and code development initiatives that shape the future of building safety.

As a trusted advisor to the Building Official, executive leadership, and industry stakeholders, you will research emerging construction technologies, evaluate legislative proposals, develop technical guidance, and represent Fairfax County in state and national building code development. This position offers a unique opportunity to influence building regulations, mentor technical professionals, improve public safety, and help establish engineering and code policies that affect one of the nation's largest and most innovative local building departments.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

* Serves as a problem-solver and liaison between developer, designer, contractor and other related members of the owner's project team and county to resolve complications, issues and disputes during the development process to facilitate project implementation;

* Authoritatively interprets agency/County policy, and State regulations and standards as applied to problems involving technical inquiries from architects, structural engineers, and field construction code inspectors in the evaluation of structural or technical design changes to assure conformance with all applicable codes;

* Confers with executives and representatives of construction firms, developers and architects to resolve conflicts or issues which are code or customer related;

* Serves as subject matter expert in the review, administration and interpretation of development regulations, applicable codes, related standards and county or state ordinances and provides related technical explanations to stakeholders;

* Identifies, manages and prepares changes to deficient or obsolete provisions of applicable codes, standards and ordinances at the local, state or national levels;

* Reviews and evaluates alternative proposals and calculations/equations for performance paths of code compliance;

* Interprets and resolves highly complex technical issues through application of architectural/engineering theories, principles, and practices;

* Identifies, determines, and documents code non-conformities, deficiencies, infractions, and violations of building permits, construction documents, and building and related codes at field inspection sites;

* Evaluates and determines whether proposed remediation and corrections comply with code requirements;

* Serves as point-person and project manager for complex and special land development projects to monitor their status and ensure their advancement through the regulatory approval process to include zoning application, bonding, permit application, plan review and construction and bond release;

* Estimates resource requirements,…