Historic Preservation Specialist

Salary ranges from $53,000 to $56,500 annually

POSITION SUMMARY: Performs the duties of the Historic Preservation office within the Department of Community Investment.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Not applicable.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: This list represents the types of duties required by the position. Other duties may be assigned as reasonably expected.

• Secondary point of contact for all Historic Preservation activities in South Bend and unincorporated St. Joseph County with duties that include advocacy, administrative work, research, developing recommendations and the submission of reports.
• Assist the Historic Preservation Administrator with the development, recommendation, implementation, and evaluation of City and County policies and ordinances related to Historic Preservation; establish effective communication to provide technical, architectural, design, historical, and policy guidance to owners, staff, students, media, government officials, and other City and County Departments, boards, and commissions.
• Serve as staff to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), which includes offering guidance and subject matter expertise to property owners, the public, Commission members, the Historic Preservation Administrator, and other City of South Bend departments, as well as attending monthly HPC meetings and participating in committees as required.
• Assist the Historic Preservation Administrator with the review of locally designated properties, including issuance of COAs (CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS) and Administrative Approvals (AA), the formulation and interpretation of the applicable Standards for designated properties, and the generation of reports and recommendations related to the above.
• Assist the Historic Preservation Administrator with managing Section 106 Reviews in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act as an agent of the National Park Service.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Indiana Department of Natural Resources-Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, including but not limited to the Certified Local Government Program, the Historic Sites and Structures Inventories for South Bend and St. Joseph County, the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Preservation tax credits, and Historic Preservation grant funding.
• Develop and administer public outreach programs (speeches, presentations, workshops, awards ceremonies, tours, etc.) to various audiences.
• Perform other additional duties as required to support the purposes and mission of the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Team, and the Department of Community Investment.

EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in areas of studying including Historic Preservation, urban planning, history, building construction management, or architecture (or related field) is preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in progressively responsible positions in the field of Historic Preservation, government agency, administration, and/or community development organization.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY:

• Excellent written and verbal skills. Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud suite is preferred.
• Experience identifying, photographing, and describing buildings, landscapes and architectural detail is desired.
• Hands-on experience restoring or rehabbing historic structures is preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSE, REGISTRATION: Valid United States Driver’s License required, or ability to obtain.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing this job's duties, the employee is often required to sit, walk, talk, or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk, use hands to fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required in this job include vision and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is performed in office settings, with moderate inside temperatures. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate in the office. The entire office is smoke free. Some work required outside of the office, on site visits throughout the city and county.