Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Job description

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

Respect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.

Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Range of Consideration:

The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates’ qualifications within the budgeted salary range of $121,836 - $139,092 annually, within Washington Management Service (WMS) Band 3. However, there is an ability for growth and progression increases within the approved budget.

This recruitment is open until October 13, 2026, at 11:59pm.

UTC reserves the right to make a hiring decision and/or choose to close or extend this recruitment at any given time.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process may contact the recruiter via telephone at or email the UTC HR office at For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Services at 7-1-1 or .

The Opportunity:

The UTC is seeking to fill the role of the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs within Policy and Legislative Division. Reporting to the Policy and Legislative Director, the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs establishes and integrates the commission’s external policy strategy; advises on legislative feasibility; and translates policy strategy into legislative objectives, tactics, relationships, communications, and execution. This position serves as the commission’s lead legislative strategist, tactician, communicator, relationship builder, and principal liaison to the Washington State Legislature, while directing the commission's legislative process. In coordination with the Chief Financial Officer, this role develops and executes legislative strategy for agency budget proposals, decision packages, provisos, and related fiscal matters.

The ideal candidate will have legislative expertise, progressive experience, strategic communications, relationship management and knowledge of utility and transportation regulation.

Hybrid:

Although this is a hybrid opportunity, the successful incumbent must reside within Washington state and must be available to report to the Lacey, Washington headquarters building as needed. The position requires in person work related to legislative session and legislative activities.

Travel:

Local travel, mostly within Thurston County, is required to attend Washington State Capital Campus, Legislative hearings, training, and relevant meetings. Travel may be required throughout the state or nation for business needs.

Who We Are:

Our mission is to protect the people of Washington by ensuring that investor‑owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, available, reliable, and fairly priced.

We protect consumers by regulating the rates, services, and practices of private or investor‑owned utilities and transportation companies to ensure they are safe, equitable, reliable, and affordable. The UTC is continually recognized for its excellence and integrity as a regulatory agency, as we challenge the status quo and ourselves to ensure equitable outcomes for our customers and the people of Washington State.

We recognize that our employees are the key to the agency’s success. We are committed to our work but value balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth, and offers continuing learning opportunities, meaningful work, and a comprehensive benefits package. For more information about our benefits or working at UTC, please visit our website.

What We Offer Our Employees:

UTC fosters an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while striving to hire and retain a workforce from the communities we serve.

We place importance on a healthy balance between personal and professional lives; offering flexible work schedules, wellness programs, and mobile/telework opportunities.

Through the state, our employees (and their families) are offered options for medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance.

We offer enrollment into the state retirement programs and a deferred compensation plan.

Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.

For more information about our benefits or working at UTC, please visit our website.

Some of what you’ll do:

This role serves as the commission’s lead for legislative affairs and government relations, shaping how the agency engages with policymakers and stakeholders at the state and federal levels. The position manages the full lifecycle of legislative activity from developing proposals and building relationships to providing analysis, testimony, and strategic guidance.

The Deputy Director acts as the primary liaison to legislators, the Governor’s Office, legislative staff, other state agencies, and external stakeholders. This position leads the development of the commission’s legislative agenda, coordinates agency-wide input, and guides proposals through the legislative process. The role also supports division leaders and subject‑matter experts in participating effectively in legislative work.

As the commission’s governmental affairs lead, the Deputy Director represents agency positions, negotiates bill language, and ensures that policy decisions align with commission priorities. This position prepares written materials such as testimony, comments, presentation, speeches, and official letters. The incumbent manages bill tracking and ensures timely responses to legislative developments.

The Deputy Director establishes internal coordination processes before, during, and after legislative session and maintains strong communication across division to ensure clear, timely political and strategic insight is provided to commission leadership. This communication includes feasibility assessments, stakeholder views, negotiation risks, and decision pathways.

After each session, the Deputy Director leads implementation planning, coordinates statutory and rulemaking requirements, and conducts after‑action reviews to identify gaps or issues that should shape future policy and legislative priorities.

Required Qualifications:

The commission values diverse career paths and recognizes that competencies may be acquired through a combination of education, training, certifications, research, volunteer service, lived experience, military service, professional practice, or other demonstrated accomplishments.

This position must have demonstrated mastery level expertise with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability with proven success in the following:

Legislative Strategy and Political Judgment - Anticipates political and legislative dynamics; assesses feasibility, risks, tradeoffs, and stakeholder interests; develops executable strategies; and provides candid options and recommendations to leadership.

Institutional Relationship Building and Credibility - Builds durable, bipartisan relationships and operates as a credible, candid, responsive, technically grounded, and nonpartisan representative of an independent regulatory commission.

Strategic Alignment and Accountability - Exercises substantial independent judgment within established policy direction and delegated authority; maintains disciplined communication and documentation; recognizes when escalation is required; and ensures legislative execution remains aligned with commission leadership.

Develop and Execute Legislative Strategy - Steer high‑priority, high‑profile issues involving multiple competing interests toward desired resolutions.

Political and Strategic Judgment - Assess legislative feasibility, identify tradeoffs and risks, and present candid options and recommendations to senior leadership.

Regulatory and Policy Fluency - Develop sufficient understanding of how legislative choices interact with commission jurisdiction, rates, utility finance, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and implementation.

Decision‑Making Prowess - Determine the need for independent strategic advice, tactical execution within delegated authority, and substantive policy decisions requiring leadership direction.

Coordinate Multidisciplinary Teams - Steward internal decision processes under pressure and tight deadlines, with clear assignments, escalation, follow‑through, and documentation.

Effective Written Communication - Writing effectively for targeted audiences, including testimony, bill analyses, fiscal and policy materials, briefings, correspondence, speeches, and legislative communications.

Examples of ways to qualify:

A combination of education and professional experience that demonstrates the competencies required to perform the work. Relevant education may include economics, public administration, public policy, law, business, political science, energy or infrastructure policy, or a related field.

Advanced education with experience in utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission‑regulated sector.

Progressive experience in legislative affairs, public policy, utility or transportation regulation, government affairs, legislative committee staff, consumer advocacy, or comparable work involving complex public‑policy issues.

Advanced experience working within utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission‑regulated sector is strongly valued.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Competencies:

The ability to take action to learn and grow: Takes responsibility for knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and uses their learning to make government programs and processes more efficient and effective to serve all in Washington.

The ability to take action to meet the needs of others: Flexible, adaptable, customer‑service focused, and willing and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of the people they work with and serve.

UTC Core Competencies:

Accountability

DEI Knowledge, Understanding, & Commitment

Self‑Awareness and Commitment to Growth

Cultivating Mutually Beneficial and Trusting Strategic Partnerships

Inclusive Excellence & Allyship

Measuring Success and Improvement

Customer Focus

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

Advanced knowledge and experience within Washington State government and the legislative process.

Exceptional legislative strategy with meaningful regulatory‑policy experience and demonstrates intellectual curiosity about the industries the commission regulates.

Experience in one or more of the following: utility economic regulation; electric or natural‑gas utility policy; electricity markets and transmission; resource planning or resource adequacy; utility affordability and rate design; clean‑energy implementation; transportation regulation; telecommunications; consumer advocacy; or closely related infrastructure regulation. Additional preferred experience includes understanding of the business and consumer interests affected by commission regulation; emerging technologies, market structures, and industry trends; and the interaction among Commission jurisdiction, utility finance, rates, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and legislative policy.

Demonstrate understanding of regulatory theory and practice, the current regulatory environment, federal statutes and regulations, state statutes and regulations, and UTC rules, procedures, policies, goals, objectives and strategies, and the body of UTC precedent and orders related to the affected industries, including energy, water, telecommunications, transportation and pipelines, among others.

Knowledge of public entities and national bodies involved in utility, transportation and other issues and the actions they take that affect their industries. These entities may include the U.S. Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, State Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Washington State University Energy Extension Service, Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, Public Counsel, Northwest Energy Coalition, customer groups and the municipal utilities operating in Washington state.

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY:

The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) limits the UTC's ability to employ any person who owns stock in any company the UTC regulates or is otherwise financially interested in such company. Such interests include those of an employee's spouse.

UTC does not use E-Verify. Therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM‑Optional Practice Training (OPT). For more information, please visit

The UTC is an equal opportunity employer. We want to make sure you have an equal opportunity to join our team. Our commitment is making sure current and future employees are treated fairly and equally without regard to age, sex (including gender identity), race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or religious or political affiliation.

Veterans Preference

For information about YesVets click here.

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach to their application a copy of their redacted DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as Social Security numbers. For further information, contact UTC Human Resources at

For more information about the UTC, please visit:

and

The State of Washington:

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Worksite address

lacey, WA, 98509, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.