Regulatory Policy Advisor (Policy Advisor IV): DORA/Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate

Utility Consumer Advocate

The Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate ("UCA") represents the public interest before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission ("PUC" or "Commission"), federal agencies and the Courts. The UCA is directed to represent the public interest, and the interest of residential, small business and agricultural consumers to the extent consistent with the public interest, regarding matters including utility rates and charges, and give due consideration to statutory goals regarding decarbonization, just transition and environmental justice. The UCA advocates on behalf of consumers through analysis, research issue advocacy, written and oral testimony at administrative hearings, stakeholder engagement, community engagement and consumer outreach.

This position exists to support the UCA's policy efforts in several forums. This work is done in support of positions of the UCA regarding policy matters relating to regulated utilities and to assist in developing Division public interest and consumer interest advocacy. The position will appear before decision making bodies to support this effort. The position will conduct independent research and provides policy analysis, advocacy and testimony, both written and oral, at administrative hearings in proceedings before the PUC and/or Administrative Law Judges ("ALJs"), legislators, and local elected officials. The position coordinates policy development for financial/resource planning matters of regulated utilities with other UCA staff and stakeholders, such as PUC staff, policy professionals, public regulatory officials, academics, engineers, economists and other administrative and managerial personnel. The position consults and confers with UCA legal staff from the Office of the Attorney General regarding utility regulation to apply consistent policy advocacy in line with UCA's statute.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate the policy interests of UCA before the Public Utilities Commission, State General Assembly, County Commission, City Council, and other decision-making bodies in which actions of regulated utilities impact residential, small-business, and agricultural customers;
• Coordinating with DORA legislative liaison on legislative developments and trends in support of the mission and vision of the UCA, as well as coordinating with UCA leadership and DORA staff to support and/or offer expert testimony before the Colorado General Assembly;
• Researching and developing early-stage legislative proposals to support the mission and vision of the UCA;
• Monitoring and engaging State Bills as necessary to support UCA/ DORA legislative activities; Monitoring energy and telecom-related legislative hearings as directed by, and in coordination with, DORA legislative staff;
• Reviewing and analyzing proposed legislation and completing of Legislative Review Forms ("LRFs") documents as required;
• Planning, developing and conducting original research and analysis of consumer-related policy issues raised by policies regarding renewable energy, solar power, wind power, gas pipeline safety and integrity, certificates of public convenience and necessity, demand-side management, distributed generation, electric and gas commodity adjustments, and utility rate case issues;
• Providing initial evaluations of utility filings and Commission rulings, which frequently involves conducting research and analyses that culminate into recommendations for further action by the Division, often in conjunction with other analysts;
• Helping develop and implement Division positions stemming from analyses of utility policy proposals, utility filings and additional data provided by utilities; these analyses lead to recommendations for the most appropriate and effective course of action by the Division to pursue in major rate cases, other applicable utility filings or PUC rulemaking proceedings;
• Testifying as an expert witness before the PUC and other regulatory agencies, including the FCC and FERC in proceedings involving consumer-related utility policy issues; This entails reviewing a utility's testimony and exhibits, formulating discovery questions and responses, preparing testimony and exhibits, drafting and submitting filing testimony and written comments on policy issues, conducting data and information-oriented discovery, and advocating Division policy positions about policy matters in regulatory proceedings and negotiations with utilities and other stakeholders;
• Analyzing, evaluating, and formulating recommendations for Division policy on PUC proposed rules, applications and advice letters, as well as complaints, specifically the policy matters presented by those filings and cases;
• Monitoring compliance with rules, laws and previously established regulatory policies and principles applied and effectuated through utility proposals in advice letters, applications and miscellaneous filings from the utility as well as in other PUC proceedings;
• Managing the affairs of the Utility Consumers' Board (UCB or Board), which entails planning, organizing, and implementing the activities of the board such as organizing board meetings, arranging mandatory board trainings, coordinating with UCA analysts to present pending case strategies, arranging guest speakers, and supporting Board members to ensure members are able to meet their statutory duties;
• Working with DORA and the Governor's Office of Boards and Commissions to recruit and maintain board members, as well as to ensure appointments of board members meet the requirements of statute and to maintain a quorum for operation.

Minimum qualifications, substitutions, conditions of employment and appeal rights are detailed below.