PUBLIC UTILITY COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST

BASIC PURPOSE:
Positions in this job family are involved in professional level work in administering statutes and rules pertaining to telephone, gas, water, electric utility companies, or cotton gins.  This includes analyzing applications, investigating complaints, performing quality of service tests and interpreting the results.

TYPICAL FUNCTIONS:
The functions within this job family will vary by level, but may include the following:
•    Assures compliance with federal and state laws and rules concerning the operation of public utilities.
•    Confers with representatives of utilities and governmental agencies or the public seeking advice regarding Corporation Commission rules.
•    Conducts necessary correspondence; maintains appropriate files of reports, applications, petitions and evidence for use in hearings.
•    Investigates complaints of public utility service operations; resolves complaints between customers and utility management.
•    Inspects regulated utilities for compliance with safety regulations, quality of service, plant condition, equipment and adequacy of facilities; examines utility records.
•    Provides education to the public concerning service quality and Commission rules.

LEVEL DESCRIPTORS:

The Public Utility Compliance Specialist job family consists of four levels which are distinguished by the complexity of assignments, the level of expertise required to perform the duties assigned, and the responsibility assigned for providing leadership to others.

Level I                Code:  M41A            Salary Band:  I
This is the basic level of the job family where employees are assigned routine duties in the analysis and investigation of operations of regulated public utilities.  In this role they will receive, review, analyze and make recommendations on applications inspect operations of utilities, investigate service complaints relating to service quality.  Field investigations will include performance measurements using test equipment as well as compliance issues with telecommunications companies and cotton gins.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of the technical and administrative problems involved in governmental regulation of public utility companies; of public utility operation;   of engineering principles and practices in the field of public utilities; of engineering terminology; of mathematics; of methods and techniques of conducting investigations; and of safety standards of public utility companies.  Ability is required to analyze data, prepare charts and graphs, write reports and update and maintain  records; to analyze situations and adopt an effective course of action; to develop and maintain effective working relationships; to make valid and reliable recommendations on technical and administrative problems concerning service; to use a personal computer and to perform necessary tests and measurements.

Education and Experience required at this level consist of a bachelor’s degree in business, education, communications, public administration, public relations, science, computer science; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting one year of experience in public utility engineering, regulation or complaint resolution involving public utilities and regulatory agencies for each year of the required education.

Level II                Code:  M41B            Salary Band:  K
At this level of this job family employees are assigned responsibility for performing a wide range of duties at the full-performance level in the analysis and investigation of regulated public utilities.  This includes independently performing field investigations of regulated utilities at on-site locations analyzing the results of the field investigations and entering the data into a database, preparing the testimony and exhibits for enforcement action and testifying as a witness, monitoring application of rules and recommending proposals for new rules. .  Employees will perform quality of service tests of telephone plants, interpret the results and identify problem areas, determine where and what tests will be performed and may provide guidance training and technical assistance to lower level Compliance Specialists during investigations and inspections.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required at this level include those identified in Level I plus knowledge of laws and rules regulating public utilities   and of the terminology, physical properties and standards of service of public utilities.

Education and Experience required at this level consists of those identified in Level I plus two years of  experience In public utility engineering, regulation or complaint resolution involving public utilities government or regulatory agencies.

Level III            Code:  M41C            Salary Band: L
At this level of the job family employees are assigned responsibility for performing work involving the inspection, investigation and regulation of public utilities and for training  PUCS’s in all aspects of the work.  Employees at this level will review testing of new equipment and testing procedures for service quality standards of regulated utility industries; interface with officials concerning service quality procedures; and conduct follow-up investigations on-site to ensure standards are being met.  Incumbents may provide supervision to lower-level PUCS’s during difficult or long-term field investigations and inspections.  In addition, they may perform administrative duties during the absence of higher level PUCS.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required at this level consist of those identified in Level II plus knowledge of the use of test equipment provided by the division for service quality measurement; and of effective training techniques.

Education and Experience requirements at this level consist of those identified in Level II plus  two  additional years of  experience.

Level IV:                                     Code:  M41D            Salary Band: N
This is the leadership level of this job family where employees are assigned responsibility for performing and supervising work involving the inspection, investigation and regulation of public utilities on a statewide basis to resolve consumer complaints, ensure services meet existing standards and enforce complaints with rules.  The employee will review annual service restoration plans of regulated telecommunications, natural gas and electric utilities.  Incumbents are assigned responsibility for the supervision of other Public Utility Compliance Specialists, including reviewing and assigning work, provided training and evaluating performance, employee development, approving leave and initiating disciplinary actions, as well as performing related administrative functions.  Incumbent may be required to serve as representative of the Corporation Commission by attending meetings to discuss rule-making and/or to make presentations to industry and the general public.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required at this level include those identified in Level III plus knowledge of supervisory principles and practices.  Ability is required to conduct several projects simultaneously; and to supervise the work of others.

Education and Experience Requirements at this level consist of those identified in Level III plus two additional years of qualifying experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
Some positions may require that employees be willing and able to fulfill all job related travel normally associated with the position.  Employees may be subject to being on-call on a 24 hour basis due to the nature of the position.  Some positions may report outages and service restoration of regulated industries to select senior staff members as well as to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management during natural and man-made disasters.