Assistant Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement

The City of San José invites strategic, collaborative, and results-oriented leaders to shape the future of one of California’s most dynamic and innovative communities as its next Assistant Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement. This is a rare opportunity to lead at the intersection of growth, housing, economic development, public service, and community vitality in the nation’s heart of innovation.

Working alongside an accomplished department leadership team and engaged community, the Assistant Director will help advance transformative development initiatives, modernize service delivery, strengthen organizational performance, and navigate the complex planning and regulatory landscape of a rapidly evolving city. The ideal leader will bring strategic perspective, operational acumen, and a passion for building a more sustainable, vibrant, and inclusive San José—while helping position the City for its next chapter of growth and opportunity.

Known as the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” the City of San José plays a vital economic and cultural role in anchoring the world’s leading innovation region. Encompassing approximately 181 square miles at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, San José is Northern California’s largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. With nearly one million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States.

San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world, including major tech headquarters like Cisco, Adobe, Zoom, Samsung, and eBay, as well as start-ups and advanced manufacturing. The City of San José has twice been named “The Most Innovative Large City in America” by the Center for Digital Government.

San José’s quality of life is unsurpassed. Surrounded by the Diablo and Santa Cruz mountain ranges and enjoying an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, residents have easy access to the beaches along the California coast, including Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Carmel;
Yosemite and Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada; local and Napa Valley wine country; and the rich cultural and recreational life of the entire Bay region. For more information about the unparalleled quality of life in San José, please visit Why San Jose?

The City of San Jose’s Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement (PBCE) 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 assisting and guiding land use and development to promote long-term goals and objectives that render safe, beneficial, and more sustainable communities;

providing administration and compliance of building codes to ensure the construction of buildings, homes, and structures meets intended safety and structural requirements; and investigating and resolving citizen complaints of municipal code violations on private property to promote, maintain, and improve quality of life issues that better allow for safe and harmonious conditions in all neighborhoods.

PBCE is a $80.2 million, 307-position department whose work touches every neighborhood in the nation’s tenth-largest city. Its budget is funded largely through multi-level fee structures, cost recovery models, and variable, development-driven revenue sources that must be strategically balanced across the organization.

Under the administrative direction of the Director, the Assistant Director serves as the principal…