Assistant Director, Administrative Law

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

Respect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.

Help protect the consumers of Washington state!

Assistant Director, Administrative Law Division

Range of Consideration: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates’ qualifications within the salary range of $118,228 – $129,360 annually, Exempt Management Service (EMS) - Band 3. However, there is the ability for growth and progression increases within approved budgetary resources.

This recruitment is open through Tuesday, October 28, 2025, with the initial review of applications beginning on Friday, October 17, and weekly thereafter.

UTC reserves the right to make a hiring decision and/or choose to close or extend this recruitment at any given time. It is in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.

The Opportunity:

The Assistant Director, Administrative Law Division plays a crucial role in advancing the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC)’s mission by providing top-tier leadership and guidance to a team of administrative law judges and legal support staff, cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging in collaboration with the division director.

This position provides direction and guidance on legal analysis and case management, reviews and approves orders, notices, compliance letters and prepares final orders in cases over which the incumbent presides without the Commissioners.

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 business needs require.

The duty station for this position is the UTC’s Lacey headquarters. Employees are not compensated for travel time between their residence and the duty station.

Travel:

This position will require travel during and outside normal work hours throughout the state to meet 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.

Duties

Some of what you’ll do:

• Independently manages and conducts simple and complex adjudicative proceedings that often involve multiple issues, many parties of record, and development or application of novel or unique issues of law and policy. The position ensures that Commission orders reflect sound and lawful policies and principles.
• Responsible for managing adjudications and rulemakings. The position exercises independent judgment and prepares initial orders in cases over which the position presides without the Commissioners.
• Prepares other orders, manages the case record, and makes recommendations for Commissioners' ultimate decision on matters that are the subject of final orders.
• Supervision of administrative law judges and legal support staff. Provides directions on legal analysis and works with administrative law judges with guidance provided to the commission, ensuring it’s practical, lawful, and consistent with public interest. Responsible and accountable for providing timely and sound legal decisions.
• Resolves legal, policy, and factual disputes as the presiding officer or mediator in adjudications and as part of a team of commission staff in rulemakings.
• Advises the Commissioners on procedural, legal, and policy matters, and to prepare final orders.
• Provides advanced legal analysis and writing with creative and strategic thinking, applied in matters having significant long-range impacts in constantly evolving regulatory frameworks.

Additional duties include, but aren’t limited to the following:

• Establishes, implements, and supports procedures for effective management of work within the administrative law section.
• In collaboration with the director, communicates roles and responsibilities among administrative law staff, including roles and responsibilities of administrative law judges.
• In consultation with director, recruit, interview, and hire staff as needed and as vacancies occur. This includes updating position descriptions, working with Human Resources to post positions, developing criteria for scoring applicants, and leading interviews.
• Independently manage and conduct simple and complex adjudicative proceedings that often involve multiple issues, many parties of record, and development or application of novel or unique issues of law and policy.
• Develops tools and web platforms to organize and coordinate the work of the division and manage the workload of the staff under the position's direct supervision.
• Consults with the administrative law director on decisions that may have a substantial impact on the Commissioners and the agency.
• Prepares other orders, manages the case record, and makes recommendations for Commissioners' ultimate decision on matters that are the subject of final orders.

Salary

• Depends on Qualifications

Qualifications

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• Active Washington state Bar or another state Bar Association license, as a lawyer or under judicial status.
• Expert knowledge and work experience serving as an administrative law judge, commissioner, attorney, advisor, or other comparable position within a state or federal utility commission or in matters involving utility or other regulation, administrative law, or comparable legal issues requiring legal analysis and the application of law to fact.
• Excellent analytical and oral and written communication skills.
• Judicial temperament, including the ability to be objective, balance competing interests, manage administrative hearing, and develop and implement policies consistent with applicable law and record evidence.
• Good working knowledge of rules governing the admissibility of evidence and procedural issues consistent with pertinent law.
• Ability to work effectively as a reviewing judge of draft orders, providing constructive feedback to administrative law judges in a thoughtful and helpful manner, with the ability to resolve potential disputes with patience.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team with commissioners, advisors, and stakeholder representatives.
• Demonstrated effective supervisory skills, through effectively supporting or leading a team of individuals.
• Demonstrated strong analytical skills by effectively gathering, interpreting, and evaluating data to support decision making process.
• Proficient ability to convey information clearly and effectively both oral and written communication.
• Exceptional ability to work effectively as part of a team with commissioners, advisors, staff, parties, and interested individuals.
• Effective team management skills, demonstrating conflict management skills, including ability to calmly manage disputes between litigation parties, as well as between participants in agency proceedings.
• Proficient ability to prepare and provide accurate detail-oriented written orders in a complex litigation with multiple parties in a timely manner.
• Proficient organizational skills and attention to detail in ensuring hearings are scheduled promptly and in accordance with established timeframes.
• Demonstrated proficiency in keeping interested parties informed, to include but not limited to the Executive Director/Secretary and Commissioners.

Agency Core Competencies focused on: Customer Focus, Trust and Integrity, Relationship Building and Teamwork, and Achieving Results, and Professional Expertise.

Leadership Principles:

• Challenge Systems of Inequity.
• Set the Example.
• Strengthen Others.
• Recognize Contributions.
• Foster Collaboration.
• Envision the Future.
• Manage Your Program.
• Challenge Your Business Processes.

DEI Competencies for Leadership:

• Advocates and Models our Culture and Values.
• Cultivates a Shared, Strategic Vision for DEI.
• Fosters Learning.
• Makes the commission more accessible to underrepresented and marginalized communities
• Leads and Navigates Change.
• Embraces and Embeds Inclusion in Decision-making.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Competencies (expected of all employees):

• DEI Knowledge, Understanding, & Commitment.
• Self-Awareness and Commitment to Growth.
• Cultivating Mutually Beneficial and Trusting Strategic Partnerships.
• Inclusive Excellence & Allyship.

Demonstration of UTC Core Competencies (expected of all employees):

• Accountability
• Measuring Success and Improvement
• Customer Focus
• Results Focus
• Communication Skills
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Self-Development
• Continuous Process Improvement

Preferred/Desired Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• Current or inactive membership in good standing of a state bar association.
• A juris doctorate degree from an accredited law school OR successful completion of a law clerk program pursuant to Washington Admission to Practice Rule (APR) 6.
• Advanced litigation management skills, particularly in complex litigation involving diverse interests advocated by multiple participants.
• Demonstrated understanding of economics, accounting, corporate finance, regulatory rate making, and utility and transportation company operations, as well as public policies that relate to these areas.

Other Information

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY:

• This position is exempt from civil service rules – Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 357.
• This position is overtime exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• RCW 80.01.020 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.

How to Apply:

Interested in joining the UTC team? Click the Apply button at the top to begin! To be considered for further screening, ensure you attach the following documents to your completed application:

1. Letter of Interest – describing how you meet the position qualifications and why you believe you are the ideal candidate.
2. Resume – detailing your applicable experience and education.
3. References –At minimum, three (3) professional references with current telephone numbers and email addresses must be included with your application; one (1) contact MUST be your current or most recent supervisor.
4. Brief Legal Writing Sample – preferably no more the ten (10) pages that you have written without contribution, assistance, or substantive editing by anyone else demonstrating your professional work.

The initial screening of candidates will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the application, including answers provided to the Supplemental Questionnaire, along with the required attachments - letter of interest, resume, references, and writing sample submitted as part of the application process.

Please note: a resume will not substitute for completing the "work experience" section of the application or vice versa.

All information may be verified, and documentation may be required for verification. Candidates may be disqualified if the education and/or work experience does not include information used to meet the minimum qualifications of the job.

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.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact humanresources@utc.wa.gov. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

For more information about the UTC, please visit:

www.utc.wa.gov, www.twitter.com/wautc and www.facebook.com/wautc

The State of Washington:
http://access.wa.gov

Benefits

More than Just a Paycheck!
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Read about our benefits:
The following information describes typical benefits available for full-time employees who are expected to work more than six months. Actual benefits may vary by appointment type or be prorated for other than full-time work (e.g. part-time); view the job posting for benefits details for job types other than full-time.

Note: If the position offers benefits which differ from the following, the job posting should include the specific benefits.

Insurance Benefits
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.

Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.

To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.

Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.

Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security
All state employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, and meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

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

Note: Employees who are members of certain Unions may be entitled to additional personal leave day(s), please refer to position specific Collective Bargaining Agreements for more information.

Full-time employees who work full monthly schedules qualify for holiday compensation if they are employed before the holiday and are in pay status for at least 80 nonovertime hours during the month of the holiday; or for the entire work shift preceding the holiday.

Part-time employees who are in pay status during the month of the holiday qualify for the holiday on a pro-rata basis. Compensation for holidays (including personal holiday) will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status in the month to that required for full-time employment, excluding all holiday hours. Pay status includes hours worked and time on paid leave.

Sick Leave
Full-time employees earn eight hours of sick leave per month. Overtime eligible employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month, earn a monthly proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Overtime exempt employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month do not earn a monthly accrual of sick leave.

Sick leave accruals for part-time employees will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

Vacation (Annual Leave)
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at the rates specified in WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Full-time employees who are in pay status for less than 80 nonovertime hours in a month do not earn a monthly accrual of vacation leave.

Part-time employees accrue vacation leave hours in accordance with WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on a pro rata basis. Vacation leave accrual will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment.

Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

As provided in WAC 357-58-175, an employer may authorize a lump-sum accrual of vacation leave or accelerate the vacation leave accrual rate to support the recruitment and/or retention of a candidate or employee for a Washington Management Service position. Vacation leave accrual rates may only be accelerated using the rates established WAC 357-31-165.

Note: Most agencies follow the civil service rules covering leave and holidays for exempt employees even though there is no requirement for them to do so. However, agencies are required to adhere to the applicable RCWs pertaining holidays and leave.

Military Leave
Washington State supports members of the armed forces with 21 days paid military leave per year.

Bereavement Leave
Most employees whose family member or household member dies, or for loss of pregnancy, are entitled to five (5) days of paid bereavement leave. In addition, the employer may approve other available leave types for the purpose of bereavement leave.

Additional Leave
Leave Sharing
Parental Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Leave Without Pay

Please visit the State HR Website for more detailed information regarding benefits.

Updated 07-21-2025