State of Maryland

A Public Service Commission (PSC) Regulatory Economist I is the entry level of work performing economic analysis of issues related to the regulatory powers of the PSC. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a designated administrator. Employees may be subject to work evenings, weekends and holidays. The work may require travel throughout Maryland and overnight travel to other states in order to perform onsite economic analysis or to attend conferences and training seminars.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The PSC Economist I, PSC Regulatory Economist II and PSC Regulatory Economist III are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees. The PSC Regulatory Economist I learns to perform duties under close supervision. The PSC Regulatory Economist II performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed. The PSC Regulatory Economist III performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to conduct economic analyses and evaluations of the plans, filings, and planning processes of utility companies;

Learns to collect and analyze data through personal interviews and review of utilities' plans and filings;

Participates in meetings with State and federal government agencies, utilities, consultants and interested parties on matters pertaining to interagency policy development and problem resolution;

Learns to assist legal counsel in preparing cross-examination questions;

Learns to monitor changes in federal, State and other regulations that affect utility planning processes or utility operations;

Learns to monitor technological changes that affect utility planning;

Learns to present the State's or Public Service Commission's position in policy meetings with utility or other interested parties;

Learns to answer inquiries pertaining to companies under the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction;

Learns to analyze rate design issues for regulated utilities;

Learns to analyze utility regulatory structures and markets;

Learns to analyze financial issues regarding utility profitability and returns on investment; Learns to analyze issues related to competitive retail energy markets;

Learns to analyze issues related to low-income utility customers in order to develop programs to assist them;

Learns to develop technical implementation approaches related to retail energy markets; Learns to analyze utility cost allocations and cost studies;

Learns to evaluate new technologies impacting utilities;

Learns to assist in preparing testimony for hearings before the Public Service Commission; Learns to testify at hearings before the Public Service Commission;

May learn to make recommendations about cost and efficacy of supply side and demand side planning measures and activities included in utilities plans;

May learn to assist in preparing reports required by law from the Public Service Commission to the General Assembly, Governor, or other state agencies;

May learn to participate in stakeholder groups;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles of economics;

Skill in the use of personal computers and related software;

Ability to learn proper organization and presentation of testimony;

Ability to learn methods involved in analyzing economic issues and developing appropriate recommendations;

Ability to communicate effectively through written and oral comments;

Ability to comprehend technical documents;

Ability to learn to testify at public hearings;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with State, federal and public service company officials, Commissioners, attorneys, business owners, employers, employees and the general public.

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Engineering, Business, Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related discipline from an accredited college or university.

Experience: None

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute experience with a public service commission, consulting organization or regulated enterprise performing utility, energy policy, economic or econometrically- based analysis on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in accounting classification or accounting specialty codes in the accounting and budget group field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience and education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System. All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions. Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential). As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series. NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series. In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.