State of Maryland

A Public Service Commission (PSC) Regulatory Economist Lead/Advanced is the lead or advanced level of work, performing economic analysis of issues related to the regulatory powers of the PSC. A PSC Regulatory Economist Lead assigns, reviews, and approves the work of and trains lower-level PSC Regulatory Economists. A PSC Regulatory Economist Advanced serves as an advanced economist in the areas of energy policy and utility regulation and is assigned special projects and advanced testimony. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a designated higher-level 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 Regulatory Economist Lead/Advanced is differentiated from the PSC Regulatory Economist III as the PSC Regulatory Lead/ Advanced either serves as an advanced economist in the areas of energy policy and utility regulation and is assigned special projects, and advanced testimony, or assigns, reviews, and approves the work of and trains lower-level PSC economists. The PSC Regulatory Economist Lead/ Advanced is differentiated from the PSC Regulatory Economist Expert in that the PSC Regulatory Economist Expert serves as the highest level technical expert in the areas of energy policy and utility regulation and is assigned special projects, advanced testimony, leads stakeholder groups on behalf of the Commission.

When functioning at the Lead level:

Assigns, reviews, and approves the work of lower-level PSC Regulatory Economists.

When functioning at the Advanced level:

Decides on Methodology, appropriate data, and interpretation of results to use in analysis;

Develops proposals to implement new technologies impacting utilities such as electric vehicles, solar generation, etc.;

Performs advanced levels of analysis and testimony on behalf of Technical Staff;

Performs special projects related to energy policy, utility regulation, and relevant issues.

Both Lead/Advanced:

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

Analyzes rate design issues for regulated utilities;

Analyzes utility regulatory structures and markets;

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

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

Analyzes new technologies impacting utilities such as electric vehicles, solar generation, etc.;

Analyzes utility cost allocations and cost studies;

Assists legal counsel in preparing cross-examination questions;

Collects and analyzes data through personal interviews and review of utilities' plans and filings;

Conducts economic analyses and evaluations of the plans, filings, and planning processes of utility companies;

Develops technical implementation approaches related to retail energy markets;

May assist with reviewing draft legislation, preparing analysis for testimony, and testifying on behalf of the agency before the General Assembly;

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

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

May participate in or lead stakeholder groups on behalf of the commission;

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

Monitors technological changes that affect utility planning

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

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

Prepares testimony for hearings before the Public Service Commission; Testifies at hearings before the Public Service Commission;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles of economics;

Skill in organizing and presenting testimony;

Skill in the use of personal computers and related software;

Ability to analyze economic issues and develop appropriate recommendations;

Ability to communicate effectively through written and oral comments;

Ability to comprehend technical documents;

Ability 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: Three (3) years of experience with a public service commission, consulting organization or regulated enterprise performing utility, energy policy, economic or econometrically- based analysis.

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 the possession of a Master's degree in Economics, Engineering, Business, Finance or a related discipline from an accredited college or university for one year of the required experience.

3. 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.