Orange County Power Authority seeks a seasoned, collaborative regulatory and legislative professional to lead and advance OCPA’s regulatory and legislative strategy while building and maintaining strong working relationships with regulatory agencies, elected officials, industry associations, and key stakeholders. This position has responsibility for representing OCPA in regulatory proceedings and legislative matters, developing and implementing policy strategies, providing analysis and recommendations to executive leadership, and overseeing regulatory compliance initiatives that impact community choice aggregators and the electric industry in California. The Regulatory and Legislative Manager works closely with executive leadership, legal counsel, industry partners, and assigned professional staff to ensure OCPA’s interests are effectively represented and aligned with the agency’s mission and long-term objectives. After hours, evening, and occasional travel may be required to fulfill the duties of this role.
About OCPA:
OCPA is a dynamic public agency serving customers with renewable energy options at competitive rates. A Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) alongside 24 others across the state of California, OCPA launched service in 2022 and currently serves over 177,000 customer accounts in Southern California Edison territory. Member cities include Buena Park, Fullerton, Irvine, and Fountain Valley with plans to continue expanding the service territory. For more information, please visit our website at www.ocpower.org.
Submissions Process: Candidates should send a cover letter and resume with a minimum of three professional references to recruitment@ocpower.org. Submissions will be accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis with selections for interviews being
made when a sufficient number of qualified submissions have been received.
About the Position:
The Regulatory and Legislative Manager will lead OCPA’s regulatory and legislative strategy by developing policy positions, representing the agency before regulatory bodies, and advancing legislative initiatives that support OCPA’s mission and operational objectives. Under the general direction of the Chief Executive Officer, this position is responsible for managing regulatory engagement efforts, providing strategic policy analysis to executive leadership, and overseeing assigned professional staff within the Regulatory and Legislative function.
The Regulatory and Legislative Manager will represent OCPA in regulatory proceedings, rulemakings, and legislative matters affecting Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) and the electric industry in California. This role works closely with regulatory agencies, CalCCA, elected officials, industry partners, legal counsel, and executive leadership to ensure OCPA’s interests are effectively advocated and aligned with the agency’s long-term strategic goals.
This position follows a hybrid work schedule.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities (including but not limited to):
- Leads and develops legislative and regulatory policies and strategies related to OCPA, CCAs, and electric industry in California.
- Develops and implements strategies to accomplish OCPA legislative and regulatory goals.
- Develops written and oral advice for the Chief Executive Officer, COO, CFO, and General Counsel.
- Advises and consults with all levels of OCPA and its Boards, committees, and councils, on key legal and policy matters related to regulatory and legislative policy developments.
- Represents and advocates on behalf of OCPA, its members, and customers before government and regulatory bodies.
- Directs, represents, and oversees the representation of OCPA before various regulatory agencies in matters affecting community choice aggregators (CCAs) and the electric industry.
- Engages in ratemaking proceedings, investigations, rulemakings, compliance matters, and proposed legislation.
- Advances and defends OCPA positions through applications, briefs, legal memoranda, and discovery requests/responses.
- Supervises the preparation of the testimony and exhibits of expert witnesses.
- Provides analysis of technical, regulatory, and legislative issues.
- Works with internal staff and external contractors to implement proposed legislative and regulatory activities.
- Manages and provides strategic leadership to assigned professional staff within the Regulatory and Legislative function; establishes departmental priorities, ensures regulatory compliance strategy execution, oversees performance management, and supports staff development to advance OCPA’s legislative and regulatory objectives.
- Other related duties as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Knowledge of:
- California electric utility regulatory issues.
- California regulatory practices, protocols, and procedures.
- California utility rate design, electric resource planning, demand resource solutions, and regulatory relations
- California legislative process and protocols.
- Communications portals and web-based resources for regulatory and legislative activity.
- Principles and practices in the areas of Power Charge Indifference Adjustment structure and calculations, energy resources, and procurement and other to be determined areas.
- Principles and practices of supervision, including performance management, employee development, workload planning, and team leadership.
Ability to:
- Prepare clear and comprehensive correspondence, reports, presentations, proposals, and carry out independent research and fact finding assignments.
- Determine, develop, and implement objectives, strategies, policies, procedures, work standards, and internal controls to achieve goals.
- Define problem areas and evaluate, recommend, and implement alternative solutions to complex issues and problems.
- Effectively represent OCPA before the Legislative and Regulatory Committee, Community Advisory Committee, city councils, and other local, regional, state, and federal agencies, as well as in public meetings with local citizens.
- Deal tactfully and maintain effective working and diplomatic relations with various levels of staff, the public, civic organizations, and representatives from governmental, industry, media, and other agencies.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to and respect for the rights of individuals and differences in people’s ethnic and cultural heritage, attitudes, beliefs, goals, and interests.
- Promote teamwork, a positive work environment, and collaborative problem solving.
- Work effectively under stressful situations involving tight deadlines as well as confrontation and conflict.
- Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.
- Supervise, mentor, and evaluate professional staff.
- Delegate work effectively, set performance expectations, and foster accountability and professional growth.
Experience/Education
Any combination of education and experience, which would provide the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the require qualifications would be:
Master’s degree or higher in business administration, public administration, environmental science, economics, or related field.
AND
A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience working on complex regulatory, legislative or energy matters at an electric utility, public agency/municipality or in a closely related field, with experience in the California energy regulatory industry.
Demonstrated experience supervising and developing professional staff in a regulatory, legislative, or public agency environment.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer/laptop; to operate a motor vehicle and to visit various meeting sites in Orange County for the conduct of the Authority’s business. This is primarily a sedentary office classification, although standing in and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve information using a computer keyboard or calculator and to operate standard office equipment. Positions in this classification bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 25 pounds.
ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS
This is primarily a sedentary classification, and the employee works in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no known direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. The employee interfaces with staff, management, other Authority’s representatives, and government officials, business representatives, and the general public in explaining the Authority’s programs and requesting and providing information.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary is commensurate with experience. The salary range for this position is $140,000, to $202,900 per year. OCPA offers a generous benefits package that includes:
- Individual, family, and domestic partner health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
- Life, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance coverages
- Retirement with employer matching
- Paid-time-off (PTO) and holidays
- Health and wellness reimbursement benefit
- Technology stipend
- Flexible spending accounts (FSA) – health and dependent care
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
This is an exempt position. This is not a civil service position; however, some OCPA employees may be required to submit a Statement of Economic Interests form, also known as the Form 700.
Orange County Power Authority is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information,
marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.