Regulatory Manager/CA

The Regulatory Manager/California provides strategic leadership, guidance, and direction in the alignment of the Company's regulatory strategy, ensures technical accuracy, and regulatory compliance, as well as ensuring the Company has positive relationships with all regulatory stakeholders. This incumbent is also responsible for directing, coordinating, and maintaining a subject matter expert level of knowledge on all regulatory activities within California. This position may serve as a subject matter expert witness in regulatory proceedings.

POSITION DIMENSIONS

This position may be accountable for a department budget and up to two exempt personnel. Additionally, this position is accountable for providing strategic direction and is responsible for successfully pursuing regulatory initiatives that maximize the Company's opportunity to earn its authorized rate of return in three California state rate jurisdictions. These initiatives have a direct result on the Company's ability to collect authorized revenues in excess of $190 million and can result in incremental margin ranging from $1 million to $25 million annually.

QUALIFICATIONS

There are clear precedents and practices which the incumbent uses to determine how this job is performed. This position requires a minimum of eight to ten years of relevant regulatory-related work experience plus a minimum of a bachelor's degree engineering, economics, accounting, finance or similar field; or equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job responsibilities. In addition, this position requires the demonstration of a high level of analytic problem solving, knowledge of spreadsheet software, and the ability to perform complex computer model development. In addition this position requires the demonstration of an advanced level of technical writing ability.

A clear understanding of the regulatory and ratemaking process is critical to this position. Contacts and relationships within regulatory and administrative agencies and governments are imperative for the incumbent's successful performance.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Direction:

• Direct and coordinate the preparation of all regulatory filings for the Company's three California state rate jurisdictions, testimony and supporting schedules to ensure work products effectively advance the Company's regulatory positions, including providing direction to internal departments to develop analyses on topics related to regulatory related issues
• Direct and coordinate the implementation of programs designed to execute corporate policy and strategy
• Coordinate the assignment and facilitate the development of timely responses to data requests from state regulatory commissions and intervenors, including critical review, advice, and management of responses prepared by others
• Advise and assist senior management in developing corporate regulatory strategy, regulatory policy, philosophy and objectives
• Act as the regulatory subject matter expert for special projects and direct special projects to support the project objectives while ensuring alignment with the Company's regulatory strategy
• Maintain awareness of activities companywide and consult with internal departments as appropriate to identify changes that may impact the cost of service or regulatory strategy

Relationships and Communication:

• Direct and manage the Company's ongoing working relationship with regulatory commissions, consumer advocate offices, and other regulatory stakeholders to facilitate their understanding of and acceptance of the Company's regulatory positions
• Develop, direct and implement programs to enhance the Company's relationships with all regulatory stakeholders
• Maintain regular contact with regulatory commissions, consumer advocate groups, and other interested parties on regulatory matters to ensure that the Company's best interests are accurately and appropriately presented
• Timely communicate regulatory actions and activities to senior management and other management of the Company
• Direct and manage the Company's collaboration with other California utilities to ensure the Company's best interests are accurately and appropriately presented in joint regulatory filings submitted to the commission

Technical Knowledge:

• Coordinate and review the development of all technical regulatory matters, and review the work of internal personnel and external parties critically and ask challenging questions, to ensure the Company is maximizing its opportunity to earn its authorized rate of return
• Serve as a subject matter expert witness in regulatory proceedings by sponsoring written testimony, responses to discovery requests, and testifying persuasively at hearing in support of any or all regulatory proposals before state and federal regulatory bodies, at times under adverse conditions, to defend the Company's position or to defend against positions that the Company finds objectionable
• Maintain an acute awareness and expertise of the Commission approved tariffs and ensure tariff conditions are properly interpreted and adhered
• Direct the coordination and assist in the preparation and maintenance of tariffs to add or revise terms and conditions, as necessary, consistent with regulatory, legal and corporate requirements for all jurisdictions
• Maintain working knowledge of technical issues involved in ratemaking and regulatory affairs as well as the legal requirements for tariff and certificate filings
• Maintain awareness of activities across all jurisdictions and departments, and consult with internal resources as appropriate, to identify changes that may impact the Company's regulatory strategy
• Review forecasted results of operations to develop recommendations to senior management in support of corporate financial and regulatory goals
• Facilitate and coordinate the proactive monitoring and communication of emerging regulatory issues to keep management informed as to the potential impact on the Company's operations and cost of service
• Monitor regulatory commission applications, hearings and decisions of other utilities as they may relate directly or indirectly to the corporation
• Attend and participate in various conferences, workshops and hearings related to regulation and on-going proceedings or issues of interest to the corporation
• Review complaints, briefs, statutes, regulations, proposed regulations and other regulatory documents for the purpose of analyzing and formulating appropriate regulatory response or action and informing senior management of such activity

Project Management:

• Ensure execution of regulatory strategies achieves desired business results by regularly reviewing achieved results and directing adjustments to strategies accordingly
• Manage the preparation and presentation of all regulatory filings, including advising internal departments in the preparation of regulatory filings to ensure consistency with rate case strategy
• Ensure the corporation's compliance with commission decisions and timely filing of reports and other required compliance, advising affected departments, as necessary
• Advise internal departments of compliance requirements and cost of service impacts ordered by commissions and recommend alternative business practices, as appropriate
• Assist and manage other departments in carrying out their regulatory related responsibilities by directing the preparation of analyses, projections, reports or other data, as requested
• Coordinate with assigned counsel in representing the Company in all regulatory proceedings
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned
• Regular and predictable attendance is a condition of employment and is an essential function of the job

SALARY DETAILS

Las Vegas: $121,700 - $182,600

Victorville: $133,870 - $200,860

At Southwest Gas, attracting the best talent is key to our strategy and success as a company. We use flexibility to develop competitive compensation offers to ensure we are able to hire the best candidates. The quoted salary range represents the minimum and maximum of the pay range for the position. It is provided as a good faith estimate as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect, as we tailor our offers within the range based on the selected candidate's experience, industry knowledge, location, technical and communication skills and other factors that may prove relevant during the interview and selection process.