Job Detail

Sr Inspector, Forestry

Location: Fort Collins, CO
Salary: $50,472.00 - 84,120.00

POSITION TITLE:  Sr Inspector, Forestry Zoning   (Full-Time Regular) (Classified)

REQUISITION #:  req5908
DEPARTMENT:  Comm Dev & Neighborhood Svcs
LOCATION:  281 OFFICE BLDG
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Classified (Non-CBU) View Classifications & Benefits
EMPLOYMENT TYPE:  Full-Time Regular
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE:   $50,472.00 - 84,120.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)

ANTICIPATED ANNUAL HIRING SALARY RANGE:   $58,000.00 - $63,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)

SELECTION PROCESS:  Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 3/6/2023.

You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile. Post-offer background check, motor vehicle report and drug test required within four calendar days (96 hours) of offer.

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The Community:  The City of Fort Collins sits nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. At 5,000 feet in elevation, residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. With 174,800 residents, Fort Collins is Colorado’s fourth-largest city and spans 57 square miles. With the 20 year growth projection, the City of Fort Collins is expected to reach 255,000 residents.

The first people who hunted in this region arrived approximately 11,000 years ago, and Northern Colorado remains an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European-American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements. Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from eastern cities and across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort. The expansion included the sugar beet industry's growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican-American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia. Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state’s land grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students. Along with the university, the city’s major high-tech and manufacturing companies and breweries attract new residents from all over the country and world. The community’s overall social diversity continues to grow.

There are abundant outdoor recreation opportunities available to the many residents who enjoy healthy lifestyles. The nearby Horsetooth Reservoir is a key attraction, as is the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. The Downtown district provides many venues for live music, shopping, dining, and nightlife within the city. Fort Collins is widely considered the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado. The City has a strong appreciation for arts, culture, and entertainment. Various national organizations and magazines recognize Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the nation.

The City’s long list of acknowledgements includes:  

• No. 2 Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America: American Water Works – June 2021
• No. 5 Best Remote-Ready Cities: Livability.com Jan 2021
• Top 30 Creative Small Cities: CVSuite – May 2020
• No. 18 Safest Cities in America: SafeWise – April 2020
• No. 1 Best Place to Live: Livability.com March 2020
• No. 9 Most Fitness Friendly Places: SmartAsset – Dec 2019
• No. 7 Safest Driving Cities: Allstate – June 2019
• No. 4 Best U.S. Cities to Raise a Family: MarketWatch – April 2019
• No. 9 Best Performing Cities: Milken Institute – Jan 2019
• No. 3 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence: Yahoo – Nov 2018
• No. 2 Brain Concentration Index: Bloomberg – Nov 2018
• No. 1 City in America for Cycling: PeopleForBikes-May 2018
• Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award: Alliance for Innovation-April 2018
• The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-Nov 2017
• 18th Best City for Career Opportunities: SmartAsset – Sep 2017
• 3rd Best College Town to Live in Forever: College Ranker – July 2017
• 25 Best Towns Ever: Where to Live Now: Outside Magazine – June 2017
• No. 1 Stable and Growing Housing Market: Realtor.com-June 2017
• 11th Happiest City in America: Yahoo! Finance - March 2017
• No. 9 Top 150 Cities for Millennials Report: Millennial Personal Finance - Feb 2017
• No. 2 Best Cities for Small Business Owners: ValuePenguin – Feb 2017

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, children) – eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, and sick
• Retirement + company contributions – after 6 month probation period and immediate vesting
• Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
• Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance 
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability 
• Wellness program, workout facilities 
• Employee/family onsite health clinic 
• Personal & professional learning opportunities including supervisory and leadership development; plus career mobility
• Collaborative work environment

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Job Summary

Do you find that a walk through the woods takes you six hours rather than six minutes? When your friends and family take a leisurely nature walk, are you doing all the talking? If trees and forestry are your thing, you might be interested in the City’s Senior Zoning Inspector, Forestry.
Work for this position is related to the care and maintenance of the City's urban forestry program. Areas of focus include street tree permitting, administration and enforcement ensuring compliance with City Land Use Code and Municipal Code, scheduled inspections, and engaging with licensed and unlicensed arborist companies.  Helpful background might include landscape architecture professionals, arborists, and professionals trained in plant and species knowledge. Approximately 3 – 5 years of prior experience and related certifications (see below) are preferred. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

• Explains sign code, issues permits, performs site inspections, maintains sign inventory.
• Represents City at weekly conceptual review meetings with applicants to explain Land Use Code requirements.
• Reviews development proposals for land use compliance and assists with tasks on behalf of the Forestry Division including development plan review and field tree inventories
• Works closely with other City departments in the development review process; negotiates alternative strategies.
• Recommends code changes and ordinance clarifications.
• Prepares correspondence or reports related to land use issues.
• Inspects residential, commercial, industrial, and other properties to ensure zoning and land use requirements are met particularly landscape and forestry standards.
• Utilizes, updates, and advances the usefulness of the Forestry tree inventory system. 
• Observes conditions and investigates complaints regarding City zoning and land use code violations; issues notices for corrections to persons responsible for conformance.
• Participates in Forestry Division educational outreach, initiates or responds to personal customer contacts.
• Interprets legal requirements and explains compliance procedures to contractors, developers, and property owners.
• Meets with customers to answer questions, explain code regulations and review plans prior to submittal.
• Keeps inspection records and prepares reports for use by administrative or judicial authorities.
• Conducts surveys of existing properties to determine compliance status with Land Use Code and other applicable landscape standards
• Assists the City Engineer in reviewing safe visibility of traffic signs and sight distance regulations.
• Assists with City's Emerald Ash Borer Management and Response Plan through field inspections and data entry. 
• Locates property owners and provides explanation of an inspection, investigation findings and discuss how to resolve problems.

Management Responsibilities

No

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City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of City policies, codes, and regulations relating to zoning and land use.
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex City codes.
• Ability to read blue prints, site plans, and maps.
• Ability to use engineer and architect scales.
• Must be able to identify most tree species found in Fort Collins
• Strong knowledge of proper planting techniques and establishment as well as inspecting quality nursery stock.
• Ability to use, or learn to use, all tools related to implementing or updating Forestry’s asset management/inventory system.
• Ability to use permit, spreadsheet, database, word processing, publishing and presentation software.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with property owners, developers, other City staff and officials.
• Effective negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Required Qualifications

MINIMUM	PREFERRED
High School Diploma or GED and or functionally related licenses or certificates	Associates degree or equivalent technical or vocational training

Experience Requirements

• Three to five years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

Certifications/Licenses/Specialized Training

• Valid driver’s license. (Preferred) International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist or ability to obtain within 1 year of hiring date. (Preferred) certification through the Colorado Association of Code Enforcement Officials

The content in this posting was created for recruitment purposes. To view the full job description click the link below.

Sr Inspector, Forestry Zoning

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The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities.  Please call (970) 221-6535 for assistance.

Notice Regarding Medical and/or Recreational Marijuana Use
Because the possession and use of marijuana, whether for medical use or otherwise, constitutes a federal offense and because the City is a drug free workplace, the City will not accommodate the medical use of marijuana and enforces written policy prohibiting working for the City while marijuana is in the body.  The fact that state law recognizes medical marijuana as a prescribed, or otherwise permitted, medication does not alter or otherwise change this policy.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. The City of Fort Collins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age 40 years or older, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by law. For the purpose of this City policy “sexual orientation” means a person’s actual or perceived orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality.

BACKGROUND CHECK, MOTOR VEHICLE REPORT AND DRUG TEST REQUIRED WITHIN FOUR CALENDAR DAYS/96 HOURS OF OFFER.

Note: Some information in your application may be public information under the Colorado Open Records Act.

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