Commercial Plan Review Engineer (Engineering Specialist III) Inspections, Licenses & Permits

Howard County:

Conveniently located in the heart ofcentral Maryland between Baltimore and Washington Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:

Howard County Government is a leader in innovation sustainability and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the 2025 Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents improve existing programs upgrade working conditions and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for

We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What youll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented diverse and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical retirement and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team youll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Makes studies of industrial mercantile and public buildings homes and other property before and after construction usage or contents of buildings water supplies and water delivery and egress facilities.
• Reviews preliminary and final plans and drawings to ensure conformance with sound engineering practices and applicable codes regulations and specifications; presents recommendations and comments to internal review board; writes letters with composite recommendations and comments to developer; meets with architects engineers and developers to discuss recommendations and solutions to problems; approves amended plans.
• Designs or recommends materials or equipment such as protection of structural components means of egress building area calculations construction types and occupancy classification.
• Represents department at public hearings meetings and conferences as assigned; maintains liaison with contractors consultants and representatives of County State regional and Federal agencies; answers public inquiries receives and acts on citizen complaints and suggestions.
• Energy code has become very complex must have an understanding and knowledge of all methods of compliance in the Energy Code. An understanding of how these components are addressed within different programing methods used to show compliance.
• Evaluates adequacy of laws ordinances and regulations affecting building construction or fire safety; prepares reports evaluations and comments on impact of legislation development plans and on the actions of the department; carries out special engineering projects and submits recommendations for alternative courses and solutions to problems.
• Advises and plans for prevention of destruction by fire wind water or other causes of damage.
• Review alternative compliance methods such as performance-based designs to ensure the basic code principals are maintained when architects and engineers propose an alternative method of compliance.
• Reviews building and other construction plans for completeness and accuracy. Examines individual plan components to ensure that all code mandated items are included.
• Reviews complex architectural and engineering drawings and calculations for compliance with adopted codes.
• Interprets legal requirements and recommends compliance procedures to contractors engineers craft workers architects and the general public.
• Determines square footage calculations to determine permit fees; makes recommendations regarding fee structure and revenue generated.
• Approves or disapproves construction documents deviating from code requirements; has Plan Review signatory authority for a variety of building electrical plumbing and other types of construction; notes instances of noncompliance on plans and documents corrective action necessary; suggests modifications to bring the plans into compliance. Approves and signs plans meeting code requirements.
• Inspects construction projects to resolve problems of a complex nature; requests inspections be made by the Inspection & Enforcement Division; provides assistance and interpretation to field inspectors and supervisors in order to resolve problems and questions encountered on site; advises other Department personnel on related matters.
• Reviews building mechanical plumbing electrical fire protection energy life safety and related codes on a regular basis; writes code amendments and prepares amendments for submission and adoption by the County Council.
• Respond to complaints concerning code violations or requests for code exemptions.

Bachelors degree in engineering or architecture and four (4 )years experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Considerable familiarity with construction codes and standards
• Knowledge of design of energy systems and building envelopes
• International Code Council certification
• Maryland Building Officials Association (MBOA) or other professional organization membership
• Masters Degree in Engineering

Registered Professional Engineering (PE)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY:You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening background screening and reference checks.

At time of application please submit a copy of any college degree coursework licenses or certifications that you have referenced on your who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services () or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation ( County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard Countyis an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity equity and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color religion age sex ancestry creed national origin disability status genetics marital statusmilitary service sexual orientation gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at .Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.