Manager/Regulation

The Manager/Regulation is responsible for providing oversight for all rate changes, tariffs, and regulatory initiatives, as well as developing, recommending, and implementing regulatory solutions that maximize the Company’s opportunity to recover its authorized margin amounts and earn its authorized rate of return.  Responsibilities may include maintaining a detailed understanding of the Company’s tariffs, relevant statutes and regulations, commission orders, Company policies, procedures, and standard practices, and is able to convey that information to various Company employees and outside entities, as necessary. This position may also be considered a technical subject matter expert on regulation and may serve as a subject matter expert witness in regulatory proceedings.  The results of these efforts have a direct effect on the Company’s authorized rate of return and realized earnings.

POSITION DIMENSIONS

This position may be directly responsible for up to seven exempt personnel and regulatory compliance related oversight and technical analyses of certain Energy and Efficiency activities.  This position is responsible for representing Southwest Gas, its’ interests, Company values, mission and image to the public at all times including maintaining positive relationships with regulatory commission staff, governmental agency staff, other utility service providers, advocacy groups and community based and energy-related organizations while supporting the position and interests of Southwest Gas.

QUALIFICATIONS

There are clear precedents and practices that the incumbent uses as guidelines to determine how this job is performed. This position requires a minimum of eight to ten years of relevant work experience plus a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the technical preparation and review of all regulatory filings, testimony and supporting schedules to ensure work products effectively advance the Company’s regulatory strategies, including providing direction to internal departments to develop analyses on topics related to regulatory issues
• Manage the development and implementation of technical programs designed to execute corporate policy and strategy
• Manage the development of regulatory proposals, and review the work of internal personnel and external parties critically and ask challenging questions, to ensure the Company is achieving its regulatory objectives
• Manage the preparation and review of financial and operational analyses conducted by department analysts in each rate jurisdiction to ensure recorded and statistical information is completed and maintained in a timely and accurate manner to provide the analytics necessary to support cost recovery initiatives, regulatory filings and regulatory strategy
• Manage the preparation and development of complex and technical analyses of multiple components of the Company’s cost of service and rate design allocation models in each rate jurisdiction and identify variances, trends or issues that may impact cost recovery or regulatory initiatives
• Manage the development and review of forecasted results of operations by ratemaking jurisdiction to develop recommendations to senior management in support of corporate financial and regulatory goals
• Maintain awareness of activities companywide and consult with internal departments as appropriate to identify changes that may impact regulatory strategy
• Ensure that execution of regulatory strategies achieves desired business results by regularly reviewing achieved results and directing adjustments to strategies accordingly
• Manage, coordinate, and facilitate the proactive monitoring and communication of emerging regulatory issues and the potential impact on the Company’s operations and cost of service
• Manage the performance of the departments’ calculations and source documentation that is provided to internal groups in support of required updates to customer information billing components to ensure customers are accurately and timely billed and the Company recovers all amounts authorized by its regulatory commissions, including the reporting or and making recommendations when changes to the billing system are required
• Manage the performance and review of various components of the annual preparation of the budgeted margin and ensure operational changes or commission decisions are accurately reflected, as appropriate
• Manage and perform the review of complaints, briefs, statutes, regulations, proposed regulations and other regulatory documents for the purpose of analyzing and formulating appropriate regulatory response or action
• Manage and prepare data requests and responses to data requests
• Manage and coordinate the performance of all internal and external regulatory monthly, quarterly, and annual compliance, tariff, and rate adjustment filings
• Manage and perform the development of department procedures and documentation prepared by others to ensure they are appropriately updated and maintained
• Advise internal departments of compliance requirements and regulatory impacts ordered by Commissions and recommend alternative business practices, as appropriate
• Assist and manage other departments in carrying out their responsibilities by directing the preparation of analyses, projections, reports or other data, as requested

Technical Knowledge:

• Act as the technical regulatory subject matter expert for special projects and manage related analyses to support the project objectives while ensuring alignment with the Company’s regulatory strategy
• Develop and maintain a subject matter expert knowledge level of technical issues involved in ratemaking and regulation
• Maintain an acute awareness and expertise of Commission approved tariffs, statutes, regulations, and pertinent Commission decisions
• Maintain an acute awareness of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Uniform System of Accounts
• 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
• Attend and participate in various conferences, workshops and hearings related to regulation and on-going proceedings or issues of interest to the corporation
• Manage and assist in the development of the Company’s 5-year margin budget, including incremental rate relief and all surcharges for all of the Company’s state and federal rate jurisdictions
• Manage the departments’ annual operating budget process
• Interact with various stakeholders to resolve and narrow issues to obtain satisfactory outcomes for the Company in regulatory proceedings
• Actively identify, implement and encourage potential enhancements to current processes that may streamline or increase efficiencies
• Attract and retain a highly motivated and engaged workforce by effectively contributing to the ongoing development and training of the Regulation team
• Perform related 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, Phoenix, and Tempe: $121,700 - $182,600

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.

Salary : $121,700 - $182,600