EDC supported City of San Diego’s Development Services Dept. in strengthening internal talent pipeline

COMPANY

CHALLENGE

The DSD team processes every private party construction and engineering permit in the City of San Diego—the largest municipality in the county and the eighth largest in the nation. In an average year, the DSD team receives 30,000 permit applications for everything from residential swimming pools, to a 250-unit apartment building, to “the largest urban commercial waterfront site along California’s Pacific Coast.”

The DSD team struggled to remain fully staffed amid turnover and recruiting challenges, at one point facing vacancy rates of almost 30 percent. These challenges were slowing the growth of commercial and residential development across San Diego—posing a threat to the region’s inclusive growth goals.

An economic development organization, EDC helps businesses grow and thrive in San Diego and works hand-in-hand with DSD and other municipalities to ensure efficient and successful processing of permits for businesses large and small. The ability to attract and retain companies in San Diego is closely tied to timely and efficient permitting services.

EDC SOLUTION AND SUPPORT PROVIDED

Using principles of Talent Pipeline Management®, EDC worked with DSD to identify new sources for recruitment and improve its talent pipeline. The key roles within DSD are Public Information Clerk and Plan Review Specialist, the latter of which processes permits. The role typically requires certified plan review skills, the ability to read building plans, a strong understanding of municipal and building codes, and is paired with an associate’s degree or certificate along with relevant work experience. The position often attracts candidates with engineering and architectural degrees but not people with permitting technical experience.

The DSD team shared that the Plan Review Specialist role was most challenging in terms of attraction and retention. To address this, EDC assisted with two solutions:

• Creating an intermediate role: DSD created a new “Permit Technician” role to bridge the talent gap between Public Information Clerk and Plan Review Specialist. This role offers support and training to individuals with little to no experience in building codes or permitting, encouraging career progression within the City. By adding a more attainable half-step between Public Information Clerks and Permit Review Specialists, incumbent employees are more inclined to continue building their careers within DSD.
• Formalizing a training partnership: EDC connected DSD with San Diego Mesa College’s Building Construction Technology Certificate Program. This program, which costs only $1,300 for local students, now prepares graduates for the City’s Permit Tech role. Even more, the City’s job postings for the new Permit Tech role now explicitly list graduates from the Mesa College program as being well qualified for the position. This education partnership reduces on-the-job training needs, saving time and money for the City of San Diego, and promotes a pipeline of talent into these high-impact, quality jobs.

By implementing these solutions in addition to a strong internal staffing strategy, DSD is now fully staffed and remains committed to improving employee retention and development long term.

VALUE DERIVED

Now that there is a formalized relationship with a local training partner to source qualified students, the DSD team can focus on upskilling current employees to fill more senior roles.

By developing this pipeline internally, the DSD team can gauge an individual’s long-term commitment to the department and move them into more relevant roles or invest in training and upskilling where necessary. Over time, this can improve retention and recruitment efforts and ultimately support the timely processing of permits across San Diego and spur greater economic development.

“EDC’s talent team was essential in tackling the City’s workforce and capacity challenges. Leveraging the expertise and training of Mesa College and supporting the growth and development of our staff, DSD can better support the growth and development of San Diego.”

—Rimah Khouri Velez, Assistant Director, DSD

CONNECT WITH DSD

• Website: The City of San Diego Development Services Department
• Social media: x.com | LinkedIn

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