Water, Telecom, Safety, and Consumers Regulatory Program Director

State of Oregon•Salem, OR

14d•$115,248 - $178,272•Hybrid

About The Position

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is seeking an accomplished leader with excellent people management skills to become the agency’s Director of the Water, Telecom, Safety, and Consumers Program (WTSC). This position reports to the agency’s Executive Director and works closely with the Executive leadership team and Commissioners to ensure that the work of the WTSC produces high-quality results and is aligned with the PUC’s mission, objectives, goals, and business needs. The position leads a team of three direct report managers, and approximately 36 full-time program employees. The WTSC Director represents the PUC in various external and inter-jurisdictional forums and serves as primary point of contact for many external parties with interest in PUC proceedings, including the Governor’s office, elected officials, and state and federal agencies. The position works with advisory groups, non-governmental organizations, and other public interest groups. In addition, this position supports, and leads, engagement on regional efforts with other Commissions, states, regulatory bodies, utility service providers, and other interested parties. About the PUC: The PUC sets utility rates and terms of service through broad delegated legislative responsibility and must balance the interests and rights of multiple organizations and individuals representing divergent and conflicting business, consumer, and public interests. Investor-owned utilities currently receive approximately $5 billion in revenues annually from 2.4 million Oregon consumers. The PUC receives no General or Lottery funds, and, instead, is funded through a dedicated per-month fee on regulated natural gas, electric, telecommunication, and water utility bills. Our mission is to ensure Oregonians have access to safe, reliable, and fairly priced utility services that advance state policy and promote the public interest. We use an inclusive process to evaluate differing viewpoints and visions of the public interest and arrive at balanced, well-reasoned, independent decisions supported by fact and law. The WTSC is one of the PUC’s major organizational components. It unites one division and three regulatory programs: 1) The Utility Safety, Reliability, and Security Division; 2) Consumer Services Program; 3) Residential Service Protection Fund Program (RSPF); and 4) Rates & Telecommunications Program. Together, the WTSC provides safety oversight of Oregon’s electric, telecommunications, and natural gas sectors, and economic regulation of its water, and telecommunications sectors. The WTSC safeguards consumers, enforces safety and service quality standards, and ensures utilities operate in ways that are affordable, reliable, and accountable to the public. Its scope includes: Utility Safety, Reliability, & Security Division: Reviewing and enforcing Wildfire Mitigation Plans, conducting compliance audits and field inspections, and coordinating the PUC’s participation in Oregon wildfire preparation, mitigation, and response efforts. This division also advances seismic preparedness, cybersecurity protections, and emergency response planning, directly protecting public safety and reliability of utility service. Additionally, the Division provides essential oversight and compliance of State and Federal safety standards for natural gas and electric transmission systems and infrastructure. This work has direct statewide impact on public safety, consumer protection, and critical infrastructure resilience. Consumer Services: Providing direct point of contact for consumers across all regulated utility sectors; responds to and resolves thousands of annual complaints received from utility consumers; ensuring regulated utility providers comply with consumer protection laws and identifying systemic service quality issues. Residential Service Protection Fund (RSPF): Administering telecommunications access programs, including distribution of specialized equipment and relay services to low-income households and Oregonians with disabilities. Rates and Telecommunications: Regulating investor-owned water utilities and landline telecommunications providers, ensuring rates are fair and affordable, service quality is maintained, and access is equitable during industry changes. More information about the PUC can be found online at: www.oregon.gov/PUC. What you will do as WTSC Director: As the successful candidate for this position, you will be responsible for the WTSC Program’s regulatory and policy positions presented in contested case proceedings, oversight of utility safety and wildfire mitigation compliance, administration of the universal telecommunications service programs and fund, consumer complaint review and response, regulation of water utilities, and regulated telecommunications providers. Responsible for representing the agency in high-profile external forums, including legislative development and interagency coordination, ensuring program work aligns with state priorities such as wildfire risk reduction, affordability, consumer protection, and equitable access to utility service. The WTSC Director will foster a culture of professionalism, accountability, and inclusion, ensuring Program activities are legally sound, innovative, and responsive to the needs of both utility customers and the broader public interest. Major duties include: Provides organizational leadership and direction to the WTSC. Plans, assigns, and reviews the work of direct-report managers and, as needed, their employees to ensure the strategic plans and diverse regulatory responsibilities of the WTSC programs are being met through clear, actionable operations and employee expectations, consistent with state and federal laws, regulations, and policies, as well as the PUC’s mission, values, priorities, and objectives. Develops strategies in collaboration with subordinate managers to identify issues to be addressed and analysis required in agency proceedings. Implement standards to ensure Staff policy and recommendations are clearly presented, well-supported, and include the supporting mixed method research and analysis needed by Commissioners to balance the interests of customers and utilities. Provides expert guidance and consultation to the Commissioners on complex policies and nuanced issues concerning utility regulation and evolving industry structures. Supervise and develop high-performing teams. Provide coaching, counseling, and mentoring to employees and subordinate staff for professional development and performance management. Represents the agency with legislators, the Governor’s office, federal partners, and agency partners. Provides testimony in legislative proceedings and helps shape statewide utility policy. Develop and recommend new legislation, rules, procedures, and policies for the effective regulation of utilities in association with changing trends in the regulated industries.

Requirements

A skilled organizational leader with at least five years of management experience; OR two years of management experience and a bachelor's degree in a related field.

Nice To Haves

A Juris Doctorate, or graduate-level education in Public Administration, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Political Science, or Public Policy.
Work experience leading and developing the strategic direction of an organization, or program(s), with significant public impact that included: responsibility for determining program and operational priorities and translating those priorities into clear, actionable operations.
Work experience supervising and developing high-performing teams; with fiscal responsibility for budgets and resource allocation and oversight.
Leadership experience that demonstrates the ability to apply sound judgement and sensitivity, while building collaborative partnerships across diverse internal and external interested parties.
Strong executive communication skills providing high-level policy direction, advice, and consultation to an organization, or state agency’s key decision makers, and interested parties regarding energy, telecommunications, or water regulatory matters.
Leadership experience that demonstrates a collaborative mindset, an optimistic approach to organizational challenges, and a proven history of cross-functional peer support that drives teamwork, respectful dialogue, and an open, inclusive, and supportive workplace.
Experience promoting and building diversity, equity, and inclusive practices and working collaboratively and successfully with interested parties often with competing interests.

Responsibilities

Provides organizational leadership and direction to the WTSC.
Plans, assigns, and reviews the work of direct-report managers and, as needed, their employees to ensure the strategic plans and diverse regulatory responsibilities of the WTSC programs are being met through clear, actionable operations and employee expectations, consistent with state and federal laws, regulations, and policies, as well as the PUC’s mission, values, priorities, and objectives.
Develops strategies in collaboration with subordinate managers to identify issues to be addressed and analysis required in agency proceedings.
Implement standards to ensure Staff policy and recommendations are clearly presented, well-supported, and include the supporting mixed method research and analysis needed by Commissioners to balance the interests of customers and utilities.
Provides expert guidance and consultation to the Commissioners on complex policies and nuanced issues concerning utility regulation and evolving industry structures.
Supervise and develop high-performing teams.
Provide coaching, counseling, and mentoring to employees and subordinate staff for professional development and performance management.
Represents the agency with legislators, the Governor’s office, federal partners, and agency partners.
Provides testimony in legislative proceedings and helps shape statewide utility policy.
Develop and recommend new legislation, rules, procedures, and policies for the effective regulation of utilities in association with changing trends in the regulated industries.
Responsible for the WTSC Program’s regulatory and policy positions presented in contested case proceedings, oversight of utility safety and wildfire mitigation compliance, administration of the universal telecommunications service programs and fund, consumer complaint review and response, regulation of water utilities, and regulated telecommunications providers.
Responsible for representing the agency in high-profile external forums, including legislative development and interagency coordination, ensuring program work aligns with state priorities such as wildfire risk reduction, affordability, consumer protection, and equitable access to utility service.
Foster a culture of professionalism, accountability, and inclusion, ensuring Program activities are legally sound, innovative, and responsive to the needs of both utility customers and the broader public interest.