Electronic Plan Review Advisor (Strategic Advisor 2, Information Technology)
Job Description
Do you thrive in a collaborative environment, enjoy contributing to impactful projects which help people and improve process, and welcome the challenge of implementing and improving technology as a tool to empower people’s work? If so, the Process, Innovation, and Technology (PI&T) team has an exciting opportunity for an Electronic Plan Review Advisor (Strategic Advisor 2, Information Technology) to further integrate electronic plan review best practices within the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI).
This role will report directly to the PI&T Manager and will be instrumental in adoption and optimization of our electronic plan review processes and technologies. Success in this role depends on starting with people and process—observing work, listening to staff and customers, and mapping cross-divisional workflows—so technology solutions like Accela and Bluebeam are configured for the most effective, least-effort outcomes. You will drive positive change by aligning improvements with how teams actually work before introducing new tools or automation.
Key ResponsibilitiesProject Implementation Support: Assist the PI&T and Land Use & Engineering Services (LUnES) division in the development and implementation of SDCI’s Electronic Plan Review process and related technology projects across the department. Coordinate with partner departments, including Fire, SDOT, DON, SCL, SPU, and Parks, to ensure cross departmental plan review communication and stability.
Process Optimization & Training: Identify opportunities to simplify workflows by observing current practices. Provide reinforcement training on evolving rules to keep plan reviewers effective while considering straight-forward supportive technology changes.
Stakeholder Relationship Building: Cultivate strong stakeholder relationships; facilitate coordinated decisions and provide remote coaching to build consensus on process changes before introducing new features.
Technical Collaboration: Work closely with IT technical support; maintain and triage requests to separate quick fixes from items requiring discovery and development.
User Story Development & Testing Support: Lead the writing, refining, and prioritizing user stories grounded in user needs and process maps. Organize and support acceptance testing with Seattle IT and department SMEs to validate workflow fit before release.
Communication & Reporting Support: Assist the PI&T Manager in advising SDCI stakeholders, leadership, and partners on project requirements and progress through governance meetings and other channels; present updates to workgroups via regular touchpoints, 1:1s, and department-wide communications.
Metrics & Adoption Monitoring: Assist in defining success criteria by using interviews, Zendesk tickets, surveys, and other data; analyze customer inquiries to create help content and keywords, identify issues and opportunities, and support the development of outcome focused metrics.
Business Alignment Advocacy: Collaborate with SDCI divisions to understand their work and align business strategy and objectives with current and future technology solutions, recommending the simplest option that meets the need.
IT Partnership Support: Partner with cross-functional Seattle IT teams; support IT collaborators through established relationships; surface Accela and Bluebeam issues and anticipate upstream changes that may impact workflows.
Communication Plan Support: Assist the PI&T Manager in developing and maintaining a communication plan for SDCI leaders and stakeholders, emphasizing clarity on why changes matter to people and process.
Needs Assessment & Documentation: Assess ongoing requirements, document evolving business needs, and improve accessibility, efficiency, and reliability, grounding recommendations in multi divisional workflow impacts on permit issuance and the customer experience.
Equity & Inclusion: Contribute to an environment of equity and inclusion by supporting the goals of the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), modeling behavior, and using a lens that promotes anti racist principles and belonging in all aspects of your work.
Minimum Qualifications
- Five years' experience with increasing responsibility in fields related to construction permitting (such as plan review), as well as internal/external Information Technology experience.
- Skilled in facilitation with small to medium sized groups with diverse perspectives, observing work processes without influencing those being observed; excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Expert level knowledge in electronic plan review software solutions, EX: Accela, Bluebeam.
- A passion for public service and a commitment to continuous learning.
- Experience with Microsoft products, Visio, Miro or other visual modeling tools.
Combinations of appropriate education, training, certification, and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum/required education and experience requirements.
Desired Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Public Administration, Construction Management, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology Management, Economics, or a related field or equivalent combinations of education and experience.
- Commitment to City of Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative advancement in their work at SDCI and other key equity programs.
- Knowledge of architectural, design, and/or structural workflows
- Strong strategic planning and project management skills with effective collaboration across business and technology teams.
- Skilled facilitator with the ability to build consensus, maintain professionalism, and work well under pressure.
- Systems thinker able to connect workflows across domains, products, and services.
- Clear communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences; committed to customer experience.
- Proven problem-solver with strong analytical skills, grounding technology decisions in people and process.
- High emotional intelligence, empathy, and strong listening skills with respect for all stakeholders.
- Experience implementing or enhancing Accela and Bluebeam; governance experience is a plus.
- Familiar with Azure DevOps or similar tools; comfortable presenting updates and coaching via MS Teams.
This job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
To be considered for this position, please submit the following with your online application:
- A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job advertisement
- A current resume outlining your relevant work experience
The full salary range for this position is $56.57 to $84.88 per hour. The targeted salary for this role has been identified as $78.76 per hour.
The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections is a proud participant in the Race and Social Justice Initiative, a Citywide effort to realize the vision of racial equity.We require a strong commitment to customer service and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures. The City of Seattle values diverse perspectives and life experiences; people of color, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.
The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits