Customer Service Specialist - Permitting

Job summary

The specialist processes and reviews building and development permit applications for accuracy and bylaw compliance while providing administrative support to Safety Codes Officers. They also serve as a primary point of contact for the public, responding to inquiries and resolving complaints regarding permitting processes.

Job details

About Red Deer: Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and opportunity. Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails, vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense of community. With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to live, work, and grow. About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government: The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people who want to make a difference. Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving, inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement. At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success The Opportunity: This position is a primary level of contact for customer service under the Building function of Inspections & Licensing, and provides support within the Development area for Permitted Use applications. It responds to a variety of questions and concerns from the public and internal/external stakeholders. Interprets and makes recommendations about a variety of Inspections & Licensing related bylaws. Reviews and ensures accuracy of documentation submitted for a variety of applications and provide clerical and administrative support to the Safety Codes Officers relating to status of permit applications and open permits. Top Key Responsibilities: * Process and review building and development permit applications for accuracy, completeness, and bylaw compliance. * Administer permits through the electronic permitting system, including tracking inspections and permit status. * Review and issue permits, Certificates of Compliance, and Conformance Letters. * Calculate permit fees and support financial administration, reporting, and refunds. * Provide customer service by responding to inquiries, explaining bylaws and processes, and resolving complaints or conflicts. As our preferred candidate, you will have: * Two (2) year Diploma in a business program with minimum 2 years related customer service experience in construction or legal. A combination of education and experience may be considered. * Knowledge of bylaws, compliance certificates, construction terminology and construction/development plans, with the ability to understand and communicate statistics or figures, zoning, development process, and make ongoing interpretations of the various INL bylaws, acts and standards. * Ability to obtain Designation of Powers from Alberta Safety Codes for issuing permits. * Ability to work as a team player and work independently with a high degree of accuracy in accordance with policies and procedures. * Ability to understand and communicate various bylaws, acts, manuals, etc. as required. * Ability to deal effectively face to face, over the phone and in writing with difficult customers. * Ability to manage time with a wide range of challenges and high volume of work with frequent interruptions and conflicting priorities. * Experience with Microsoft office applications. * Ability to learn and apply various internal computer programs in day-to-day operations. * Ability to take customer suggestions and provide internal feedback to enhance department and corporate procedures. * Ability to be innovative and assist with the creation of efficiencies and process improvements for the department. * Ability to maintain a positive attitude and continue to provide customer service during peak times with higher customer volume. Affiliation: Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 417 Status: Term Full-Time Remuneration: $35.44 to $37.52 per hour. Hours of Work: 75 hours biweekly, Monday to Friday. Some evening and weekend work may be required. Additional Information: The term of this position is anticipated to be approximately 12 months in duration. The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments. Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application. We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We are a municipal government, eager to meet tomorrow's challenges. Our employees are the cornerstone of our organization. We are always seeking creative and skilled individuals with the ability and desire to lead in our dynamic workplace. Each of our employees brings diverse experiences and perspectives, as well as unique skills and talents to the job. Our diverse employee base ensures an environment where individual, team, and organizational successes are embraced and celebrated. We strive to ensure a supportive and respectful work environment for all. Employees are treated fairly and have equal opportunity within the organization to thrive and attain their highest potential. We welcome your application and look forward to discussing how The City of Red Deer can become your next career choice.

What you’ll do

The specialist processes and reviews building and development permit applications for accuracy and bylaw compliance while providing administrative support to Safety Codes Officers. They also serve as a primary point of contact for the public, responding to inquiries and resolving complaints regarding permitting processes.

Requirements

Candidates must possess a two-year business diploma and at least two years of related customer service experience in construction or legal fields. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and the ability to interpret bylaws, acts, and construction documentation are essential for this role.

Listed skills

• Customer service · Preferred
• Administrative Support · Preferred
• Reporting · Preferred
• Microsoft Office · Preferred
• Data entry · Preferred
• Conflict Resolution · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Customer service
• Permitting
• Bylaw compliance
• Construction terminology
• Administrative support
• Data entry
• Conflict resolution
• Microsoft Office
• Financial administration
• Reporting
• Zoning
• Development process
• Safety codes
• Documentation review
• ChatGPT
• Administrative Support
• Positivity
• Artificial Intelligence
• Clerical Works
• Customer Service
• Economics
• Innovation
• Operating Budget
• Operations
• Safety Codes
• Statistics
• Time Management
• Process Improvement
• Land Zoning
• Teamwork

Job areas

• Government & Public Sector
• Customer Service & Support
• Construction
• Administrative
• Legal
• Permitting Specialist
• Customer Service Representative (General)
• Inquiry Clerks
• Customer Service Representatives