General Counsel

Job Location: Bismarck
Hiring Salary: $7,360-$11,300 per month depending on experience

Benefits:
The North Dakota Public Service Commission offers challenging work opportunities, a full range of employee benefits including a comprehensive employer-paid health plan, paid leave, a retirement plan, flexible work hours, a stable work-life environment and more. For more information, go to our website at www.psc.nd.gov.

Summary of Work

The North Dakota Public Service Commission has an opportunity to work in the highly dynamic energy field. This position would join a team of specialists to investigate economic, financial, scientific, and engineering information submitted by utilities for impact on rates, reliability, and the environment. Additionally, they will advise on state, regional and national energy policy, electric grid integrity, infrastructure development, and utility matters.

Other responsibilities of the Public Service Commission include varying degrees of engagement with regional transmission organizations, and regulation of investor-owned electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities; siting of energy conversion and transmission facilities; permitting coal mines and overseeing coal mine reclamation; abandoned mine land reclamation; weights and measures compliance, rail and gas safety; and underground damage prevention enforcement.

This position provides general counsel services to the Public Service Commission including legal advice, research, analysis and consultation on all substantive areas of the commission's jurisdiction, and on administrative law and procedure, open meetings and records requirements, conflict of interest and ethics standards, and human resource, contract, and fiscal administration for the agency.

Duties and Tasks

• Review and advise the commission on federal energy policy relative to agency jurisdictions on national, regional, and state organizations dealing with energy reliability, production, transportation, regulation and state and federal energy policy, and work with a multidisciplinary staff to guide in the implementation of state and agency policy.
• Provide legal advice to agency staff and three elected officials regarding agency responsibilities, anticipating legal challenges, and providing options to avoid or manage legal challenges.
• Represent advocacy staff or advise the commission in adjudicative administrative proceedings before the commission, civil proceedings and proceedings before other federal and state administrative agencies.
• Handle appeals of agency decisions to state courts.
• Manage and oversee the legal division to include case management and administration.
• Advise on procurement and contract administration, advise and assist in handling inquiries from the public, regulated industry, members of the legislature, and other stakeholders regarding the application of statutes and regulations, and the interaction between customers or other stakeholders and regulated industry.
• Draft legal memoranda, briefs, orders, settlements, contracts, other legal documents, administrative rules, proposed legislation, rule and bill testimony, and other rule and bill documents.
• Manage the agency's rulemaking proceedings and legislative response during legislative sessions.
• Investigate or assist in the investigation of alleged or potential violations of applicable laws and rules and prosecute enforcement actions and negotiate settlements and consent orders.

Minimum Qualifications

Requires a Juris Doctorate degree, license to practice law in North Dakota or able to obtain a license to practice in North Dakota, and four years of work experience as an attorney that includes administration or management experience, or experience directly related to Public Service Commission programs or operations.

Candidates must be eligible for appointment as a Special Assistant Attorney General.

Preferred Qualifications

Legal work experience:

• In a regulatory environment related to business or environmental regulation.
• Representing clients in administrative or judicial proceedings.
• Drafting letters, memos, complaints, notices, orders, briefs, testimony, contracts, and settlement documents.
• Examining lay and expert witnesses and preparing and delivering oral arguments at hearings.
• Working with case management and administration.
• Drafting administrative rules, proposed legislation, and rule and bill testimony.
• Presenting information or testimony at public meetings, administrative proceedings, and legislative hearings; serving as hearing officer in administrative proceedings; and prosecuting administrative enforcement actions.
• Directing and managing the work activities of other legal staff.

Expertise in utility and environmental regulatory issues:

• Expertise in legal issues specific to the process and administration of state government including open records and meetings, due process and procedures, or public sector procurement, finance, budgeting and human resource management.
• Work experience using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

About Team ND

"Far and away the best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt

More than 7,500 talented, hard-working people across sixty-three agencies have come together as Team North Dakota. At Team ND, we are driven to succeed through gratitude, humility, curiosity and courage. Our purpose is to empower people, improve lives, and inspire success. Join us in being legendary.

Total Rewards: The State of North Dakota is committed to providing team memberswith a strong and competitive rewards package that support you, your health and your family.

Considering a new position on Team ND? How does your current position stack up? Use our Total Rewards Calculator to estimate.

Application Procedures

Application Procedures:

Applications will ONLY be accepted online through the ND PeopleSoft System.

• In addition to the online application, applicants must upload the following documents:
  • Resume;
  • Cover letter which includes a summary of how the applicant's education and work experience are related to the minimum and preferred qualifications;
  • College transcripts; and,
  • The name, address, and phone number of three (3) professional references (no letters of reference please).
• Candidates will be scored on a 100-point candidate questionnaire to be considered for interviews. Application materials, including resumes and attachments, are not considered in the 100-point candidate questionnaire. Applicants must provide detail in their responses to the questionnaire.
• Application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the closing date.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorships will not be considered.
• Applicants who are residents of North Dakota and eligible to claim veteran's preference must upload Form DD214 or certification from the applicant's unit command that the individual is expected to be discharged or released from active duty in the uniformed services under other than dishonorable conditions not later than one hundred twenty days after the date of the submission of the certification. Claims for disabled veteran's preference must also include a current statement of disabled status from the Veteran's Affairs Office that is less than one year old.
• For more information about the position or if you need accommodation or assistance in the application or interview process, contact Sheila Zacher at (701) 328-4083, TTY 1-800-366-6888, or 711.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The State of North Dakota and this hiring agency do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), genetics, religion, age or disability in employment or the provisions of services and complies with the provisions of the North Dakota Human Rights Act.

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. 23-12-10.