Public Utilities Engineer I

Description of Work

Are you a highly skilled Engineer looking to find meaningful work and positively impact the lives of the residents of North Carolina?  If your answer is yes, then we want you to join our team at the Public Staff - North Carolina Utilities Commission and make a difference.
 
The NC Department of Commerce, Public Staff - North Carolina Utilities Commission is looking for a Public Utilities Engineer.  This position is assigned to the Water & Sewer section within the Public Staff.

 
This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, as well as retirement.  

 Salary Grade: NC17

**Recruitment Range: $56,906 - $78,246**

The primary purpose of this regulatory engineering position is to fulfill the Public Staff’s legislative mandate by providing technical engineering expertise and expert opinions to the Director of the Water, Sewer, and Telephone Division, as well as to the Public Staff’s Executive Director and other division directors and staff within the Public Staff, regarding a wide range of water and sewer utility issues.
 
Responsibilities include review of utility companies’ proposals for changes in operation or rates; utilities response to federal and state regulations; reviews and special studies; preparation and delivery of expert engineering testimony at hearings before the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) on major portions of utility companies’ proposals.

At the Public Utilities Engineer I level, the engineer performs responsibilities on utility filings of a limited to moderate degree of complexity and scope with a moderate to high level of supervision by the Division Director. 

Note to Current State Employees
The salary grade for this position is NC17.  State employees are encouraged to apply for positions of interest even if the salary grade is the same as, or lower than, their current position. If selected for this position, a new salary will be recalculated taking into consideration the quantity of relevant education and experience, funding availability, and internal equity. Based upon those factors, a pay increase MAY result.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies

Qualified candidates must document on the application that they possess all of the following:  

In order to receive credit for the supplemental questions in which you answered yes, you must provide supporting information within the body of the application, to support your answer. Your application should also reflect all education and all professional work experience acquired including high school and all degrees. It is critical to our screening and salary determination process that applications contain comprehensive candidate information. 

 

• Demonstrated basic knowledge of engineering principles and practices as applied to the design, permitting, construction, operation, maintenance, and expansion of wells, water treatment plants, water distribution systems, wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
• Demonstrated basic knowledge of rates and rate structures of public utilities.
• Ability to critically analyze technical filings of public utilities and formulate discovery to better understand the filings.
• Demonstrated experience or ability to communicate, in written and oral expert testimony, detailed engineering information, guidelines, and standards/statutes/codes/regulations to various audiences.
• Ability to conduct research, draw conclusions, and prepare reports on water or wastewater utility filings and proposals.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationships with fellow employees, regulators, utility representatives, other state and federal officials, and utility customers.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience”. If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for details. 

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT AND ALL KSAs IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.      

Bachelor's degree in an applicable field of engineering from an appropriately accredited institution and two (2) years of experience in utilities operation or regulatory work; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Necessary Special Qualification

May require registration as a professional engineer by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.

*If there are no qualified candidates remaining in the applicant pool who meet the minimum Education and Experience or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position, the agency may consider for this position, a trainee who does not meet the minimum requirements. Salary for a trainee may be set at a lower level than the classification salary range and recruitment range that is listed in the posting with the salary being adjusted up accordingly when the trainee has obtained the necessary additional education and experience to fully meet the minimum qualifications as outlined in the classification specification.