Construction Inspector - City of Newton

Job Description

Statement of Duties

Performs primarily water, sewage, drainage, utility, and transportation system site-plan or construction project inspections of proposed, new, or existing public works related projects to meet specific work and materials of public, private subdivision and commercial construction requirements. 

Supervision

Employee works under the general supervision of the Assistant Construction Engineer. Employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently with specific instruction. Any questionable cases are referred to the supervisor for clarification or interpretation. Reviews and checks of the employee’s work are applied to an extent sufficient to keep the supervisor aware of progress, and to insure that completed work and methods used are technically accurate and that instructions are being followed. 

Employee does not exercise any supervisory responsibility.

Employee may have access to some department confidential information.

Job Environment

Numerous standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and in some cases, may require additional interpretation.  Employee uses judgment to locate, select, and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation, or guideline to use in a given situation.  The sequence of work and/or the procedures followed vary according to the nature of the transaction and/or the information involved, or sought, in a particular situation.

Errors could result in adverse public relations, monetary loss, damage to buildings and equipment, and/or legal repercussions to the City.

The position has frequent contact with the public while working on construction sites. The purpose for contact is to respond to inquiries or complaints regarding engineering projects. Other contacts are with contractors, architects, real estate agents and brokers, attorneys, and others regarding engineering office activities, land records, files, plans, street and sewer acceptance contracts, designs and projects, and location of water and sewer drains. Position has daily contact with other City departments, utility companies, and contractors to provide information and assistance, supervise and coordinate work, and conduct inspections.  Contact usually occurs in person, in writing, via e-mail, or on the telephone.

 Position Functions

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustration of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to, or extension of, the position.

Essential Functions

1. Works from engineering plans and specifications, sketches, ideas or concepts and related data to apply essential construction principles to visualize and define water, sewage, drainage, utility and highway site plan design needs; considers interrelationships, appearances, topographical features, soil conditions, feasibility, costs, specifications, contract requirements and parameters, time elements and other factors.
2. Performs and assists with land surveys, grade setting, construction layout, assists with plan(s) preparation research. 
3. Assists in conducting pre-approval reviews of proposed project plans and specifications for compliance with regulations and adherence to City engineering guidelines. 
4. Conducts scheduled or periodic utility line, drainage, sewer and water lines, parking lots, curbcuts, roadways, recreation fields, landscaping and other construction site inspections for conformance to established plans, grades, specifications and other criteria. 
5. Recommends changes or alterations to original design plans to meet practical field conditions or applications; notifies designer and contractors of need for approved variances to original plans and outline typical procedures and processes required. 
6. Inspects for specificity of materials and fill placement methods; monitors testing procedures.
7. Prepares various progress and other reports; records quantities of work performed by contractors such as number of cubic yards of soil removed, and linear feet of pipe installed.
8. Coordinates activities of contractors, private engineers, City, private and public utilities. 
9. Monitors the activities of contractors throughout the City to ensure compliance with contract requirements and regulations.
10. Prepares, reviews and recommends monthly contractor payment requisitions based on volume of work completed. 
11. Assists with the estimating, tracking, and construction management of City sidewalk and curb betterment projects. 
12. Provides on - site customer service representative for the City of Newton; responds to inquiries and explains construction projects to residents; handles difficult individuals or situations; assists customers at the counter and on the phone regarding department matters. 
13. Keeps records of existing conditions, daily construction progress, changes in design and location. 
14. Assists with complex computations, construction schedules preparation, contract quantity estimating, preparation, and review of contract plans and specifications, design and layout of construction projects. 
15. Monitors construction conformance with Special Permits approved by the Board of Aldermen, including coordination with other departments such as lnspectional Services, Planning, and other departments.
16. Provides construction inspection for all aspects (utilities and roadway) of subdivisions including conformance with land covenants and conditions of approval under the jurisdiction of the City of Newton Planning Board. 
17. Available to be on-call for off normal working hour emergencies and able to contact other appropriate Department personnel and relevant City officials. 
18. Provides installation inspection of grading, drainage control measures, water and sewer utilities on private construction projects, to ensure compliance with approved building permit plans. 
19. Follows and adheres to department, City and other government rules, regulations, policies and procedures. 
20. As required, prepares or reviews and disseminates a wide variety of reports, analyses documents, records as related to engineering projects. 
21. If hired after January 1, 2000 participates in snow fighting operation through inspection of private contractors or in-house snow clearing efforts as directed by the Commissioner of Public Works.
22. Performs other duties as directed by the City Engineer or his/her designee per the Division's Organization Chart. 

Recommended Minimal Qualifications

Physical and Mental Requirements

Employee works primarily outdoors and is exposed to loud noises, outdoor weather conditions, moving mechanical parts, traffic, and fumes or airborne particles more than 2/3rd of the time; heights, precarious places, confined spaces, toxic or caustic chemicals on occasion . Employee is required to stand, walk, talk, and listen more than 2/3rd of the time; use hands, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and/or reach with arms and hands up to 2/3rd of the time; and sit or smell up to 1/3rd of the time. Employee occasionally lifts up to 70 lbs.  Normal vision is required for this position.  Equipment operated includes surveyor's level, drag tape, other measuring devices, compaction testing equipment, calculator, personal computer, technical computer software, automobile, and office machines.

Education and Experience

A candidate for this position should have an Associates degree in Civil or Construction Engineering, Construction Management, or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school; three to five- (3-5) years related municipal civil engineering experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.  A valid Massachusetts driver’s license is required for this position. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

A candidate for this position should have knowledge of:

• Civil or construction technology
• Survey technology
• Occupational safety precautions

Ability to:

• Conduct accurate and thorough inspections of construction projects
• Read, interpret, and apply City of Newton construction standards, documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals
• Write routine reports and correspondence
• Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations within the limits of standard or accepted practice
• Interpret instructions, site grading plans, contract specifications, construction drawings, utility details and layouts
• Present complex or controversial information to internal and external contacts

And skill in:

• Effective communication and customer service skills 
• Strong mathematical skills
• Interpreting information and resolving problems
• Attention to detail

Company Description

THE CITY:

The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus.  The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.

OUR GOVERNMENT:

Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.

AS AN EMPLOYER:

The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset.  To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits.  We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities.  We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings.  We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees.  And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.

Human Resources Diversity Statement

We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:

•   Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
•   Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
•   Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
•   Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
•   Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
•   Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 457 Deferred Compensation plans
• Metro Credit Union
• Verizon Wireless discount
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous paid leave time benefits and paid holidays.
• City Retirement (Mandatory)
• Weekly Direct Deposit
• Opportunity to serve the public and join a dynamic team of dedicated employees