Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The UTC is seeking to fill the role of the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs within Policy and Legislative Division. Reporting to the Policy and Legislative Director, the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs establishes and integrates the commission’s external policy strategy; advises on legislative feasibility; and translates policy strategy into legislative objectives, tactics, relationships, communications, and execution. This position serves as the commission’s lead legislative strategist, tactician, communicator, relationship builder, and principal liaison to the Washington State Legislature, while directing the commission's legislative process. In coordination with the Chief Financial Officer, this role develops and executes legislative strategy for agency budget proposals, decision packages, provisos, and related fiscal matters. The ideal candidate will have legislative expertise, progressive experience, strategic communications, relationship management and knowledge of utility and transportation regulation. Although this is a hybrid opportunity, the successful incumbent must reside within Washington state and must be available to report to the Lacey, Washington headquarters building as needed. The position requires in person work related to legislative session and legislative activities. Local travel, mostly within Thurston County, is required to attend Washington State Capital Campus, Legislative hearings, training, and relevant meetings. Travel may be required throughout the state or nation for business needs.

Requirements

Demonstrated mastery level expertise with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability with proven success in Legislative Strategy and Political Judgment – Anticipates political and legislative dynamics; assesses feasibility, risks, tradeoffs, and stakeholder interests; develops executable strategies; and provides candid options and recommendations to leadership.
Demonstrated mastery level expertise with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability with proven success in Institutional Relationship Building and Credibility – Builds durable, bipartisan relationships and operates as a credible, candid, responsive, technically grounded, and nonpartisan representative of an independent regulatory commission.
Demonstrated mastery level expertise with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability with proven success in Strategic Alignment and Accountability – Exercises substantial independent judgment within established policy direction and delegated authority; maintains disciplined communication and documentation; recognizes when escalation is required; and ensures legislative execution remains aligned with commission leadership.
Develop and Execute Legislative Strategy – Steer high-priority, high-profile issues involving multiple competing interests toward desired resolutions.
Political and Strategic Judgment – Assess legislative feasibility, identify tradeoffs and risks, and present candid options and recommendations to senior leadership.
Regulatory and Policy Fluency – Develop sufficient understanding of how legislative choices interact with commission jurisdiction, rates, utility finance, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and implementation.
Decision-Making Prowess – Determine the need for independent strategic advice, tactical execution within delegated authority, and substantive policy decisions requiring leadership direction.
Coordinate Multidisciplinary Teams – Steward internal decision processes under pressure and tight deadlines, with clear assignments, escalation, follow-through, and documentation.
Effective Written Communication – Writing effectively for targeted audiences, including testimony, bill analyses, fiscal and policy materials, briefings, correspondence, speeches, and legislative communications.
A combination of education and professional experience that demonstrates the competencies required to perform the work. Relevant education may include economics, public administration, public policy, law, business, political science, energy or infrastructure policy, or a related field.
Progressive experience in legislative affairs, public policy, utility or transportation regulation, government affairs, legislative committee staff, consumer advocacy, or comparable work involving complex public-policy issues.
The ability to take action to learn and grow: Takes responsibility for knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and uses their learning to make government programs and processes more efficient and effective to serve all in Washington.
The ability to take action to meet the needs of others: Flexible, adaptable, customer-service focused, and willing and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of the people they work with and serve.

Nice To Haves

Advanced education with experience in utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector.
Advanced experience working within utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector is strongly valued.
Advanced knowledge and experience within Washington State government and the legislative process.
Exceptional legislative strategy with meaningful regulatory-policy experience and demonstrates intellectual curiosity about the industries the commission regulates.
Experience in one or more of the following: utility economic regulation; electric or natural-gas utility policy; electricity markets and transmission; resource planning or resource adequacy; utility affordability and rate design; clean-energy implementation; transportation regulation; telecommunications; consumer advocacy; or closely related infrastructure regulation.
Additional preferred experience includes understanding of the business and consumer interests affected by commission regulation; emerging technologies, market structures, and industry trends; and the interaction among Commission jurisdiction, utility finance, rates, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and legislative policy.
Demonstrate understanding of regulatory theory and practice, the current regulatory environment, federal statutes and regulations, state statutes and regulations, and UTC rules, procedures, policies, goals, objectives and strategies, and the body of UTC precedent and orders related to the affected industries, including energy, water, telecommunications, transportation and pipelines, among others.
Knowledge of public entities and national bodies involved in utility, transportation and other issues and the actions they take that affect their industries. These entities may include the U.S. Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, State Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Washington State University Energy Extension Service, Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, Public Counsel, Northwest Energy Coalition, customer groups and the municipal utilities operating in Washington state.

Responsibilities

Serves as the commission’s lead for legislative affairs and government relations, shaping how the agency engages with policymakers and stakeholders at the state and federal levels.
Manages the full lifecycle of legislative activity from developing proposals and building relationships to providing analysis, testimony, and strategic guidance.
Acts as the primary liaison to legislators, the Governor’s Office, legislative staff, other state agencies, and external stakeholders.
Leads the development of the commission’s legislative agenda, coordinates agency-wide input, and guides proposals through the legislative process.
Supports division leaders and subject-matter experts in participating effectively in legislative work.
Represents agency positions, negotiates bill language, and ensures that policy decisions align with commission priorities.
Prepares written materials such as testimony, comments, presentation, speeches, and official letters.
Manages bill tracking and ensures timely responses to legislative developments.
Establishes internal coordination processes before, during, and after legislative session and maintains strong communication across division to ensure clear, timely political and strategic insight is provided to commission leadership.
Leads implementation planning, coordinates statutory and rulemaking requirements, and conducts after-action reviews to identify gaps or issues that should shape future policy and legislative priorities.