Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst (State Energy & Climate Policy

The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County’s air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities.

DEP is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and values diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and cultures. DEP encourages BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), immigrants, women, LGBTQIA+, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has unveiled a Climate Action Plan that will guide the County toward its goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2027 and by 100 percent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. The Climate Action Plan will also increase resilience in the face of climate hazards, and is one of the most ambitious climate plans in the nation for a local government.

Energy policy in Maryland is extremely complex, involving a range of laws, regulations, and procedures, many of which are formulated by the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Public Service Commission and implemented by the regulated energy utilities, including four electricity and natural gas utilities serving Montgomery County, MD. Approximately $20 billion per year is spent on energy in Maryland, so there are significant financial implications associated with the State’s energy policies, which leads to a wide variety of interests engaging in the issue. The infrastructure necessary to deliver energy to end users is vast – from power plants to wires and pipes into individual buildings – and has been developed over many years. As a result, changing a particular energy policy affects the interests of many entities, from large corporations that produce and deliver energy to the individual resident who uses it.

Changing state policies related to clean energy production and use is a critical component of meeting the County’s ambitious and important GHG reduction goals. Laws, regulations, policies, and practices formulated and implemented by the General Assembly, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), State agencies, and electric and gas utilities operating in the State significantly dictate the level of GHGs emitted by the energy sector.

Position Overview

DEP is seeking an Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst to join the Energy, Climate and Compliance Division of DEP. Working in conjunction with the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR), this position will serve as the County’s primary technical lead interacting with and influencing the actions of State entities to promote a decarbonized energy system for Montgomery County. This position will work with elected officials in the Maryland General Assembly, officials at the PSC and State agencies, and utility and other stakeholder representatives on laws, regulations, policies, and practices governing energy supplied to and used by the County’s residents, businesses, and institutions.

This position will navigate the competing policy objectives of a variety of stakeholders across a range of State climate and energy policies, seeking to find solutions to enable passage of legislation, adoption of regulations, or adoption of operating procedures and practices that support the County’s energy efficiency and clean energy objectives.

• Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst
• (State Energy & Climate Policy) Grade N28
• Montgomery County Government
• Department of Environmental Protection, 2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, Maryland 20902
• Salary Range: $83,052 to $134,500

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and maintaining a Clean Energy Action Plan for Montgomery County outlining priorities for state policy change.
• Building a knowledge base on legislation, regulations, and other processes governing energy policy and programs in the state of Maryland including, but not limited to, the EmPOWER Maryland program, the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), net energy metering, community solar, and Community Choice Energy programs.
• Coordinating with multiple internal and external stakeholders at the local and state level to implement the County’s Clean Energy Action Plan, including those with diverse opinions, interests, and backgrounds.
• Developing cross-departmental relationships within County Government, including with the Office of the County Attorney, Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Climate Leadership Team, and various County Departments that focus on energy issues.
• Drafting, analyzing, and advocating for clean-energy-focused legislative and regulatory change in conjunction with County and State officials.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with members and staff of the General Assembly, representatives of the Maryland Public Service Commission, utilities serving Montgomery County residents and businesses, and other key stakeholders in order to advance the County’s clean energy agenda.
• Engaging with other Maryland jurisdictions to build coalitions and consolidate support for state-level clean energy legislation consistent with the County’s goals.
• Informing County policy and programmatic initiatives by researching and sharing State policy context with County colleagues.
• Identifying, procuring, and managing consultant and budget needs to support policy and program elements of the Clean Energy Action Plan, particularly those that require specific technical, financial, legal, or other specific expertise not available within the County Government.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will have considerable knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies related to energy, climate and/or utility sectors, as well as experience in decarbonized energy and climate programs, stakeholder relationship development, and coalition building.
• The successful candidate must have the ability to work in a collaborative environment within a large organization with multiple priorities, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. The ideal candidate will also be highly organized and detailed oriented, and have the ability to deal tactfully, effectively, and equitably with people.
• This position requires the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office, including in Montgomery County, Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington D.C., and other places in the Washington Metropolitan region.
• Occasional evening or weekend work outside of normal business hours may be required.
• To ensure a positive workplace and to comply with federal, state and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience: Thorough (5 years) professional experience in energy and/or utility policy and regulation.
• Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree.
• Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

As part of the application process, please submit two writing samples where the candidate is the sole author. The writing samples should reflect the applicant’s expertise as listed in the preferred criteria.

After completing the job application and uploading your resume/cover letter in the Montgomery County iRecruitment system, please email your writing samples as PDF documents to Nancy Frechette, DEP Human Resources Liaison, at Nancy.Frechette@montgomerycountymd.gov with the subject line “Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst – First Name Last Name.”

To be considered for this position, you must 1) apply for the position at the Montgomery County iRecruitment Home and 2) email the writing samples as indicated above. This must be completed no later than the Closing Date of the job announcement.

• IMPORTANT: Applications submitted without writing samples will not be considered for interview.

Preferred Criteria:

There are NO Preferred Criteria Assessments.  All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified”, placed on the eligible list, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications of the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as a “Transfer” candidate and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with the following:

• Content of the writing samples provided. *** Please see instructions below ***
• Direct experience with a state utility regulatory organization.
• Experience in legislative work within the energy or climate change fields.
• Knowledge of general strategies and approaches to decarbonizing energy supplies.
• Demonstrated coalition-building experience with elected officials, government agencies representatives, utility officials, and/or stakeholders involved in the energy industry.
• Experience in developing or lobbying for legislation, regulations, or policies collaboratively with various and diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the organization, structure, and operation of State and County government.

REQUIRED WRITING SAMPLES:

As part of the application process, please submit two writing samples where the candidate is the sole author. The writing samples should reflect the applicant’s expertise as listed in the preferred criteria.

After completing the job application and uploading your resume/cover letter in the Montgomery County iRecruitment system, please email your writing samples as PDF documents to Nancy Frechette, DEP Human Resources Liaison, at Nancy.Frechette@montgomerycountymd.gov with the subject line “Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst – First Name Last Name.”

To be considered for this position, you must 1) apply for the position at the Montgomery County iRecruitment Home and 2) email the writing samples as indicated above. This must be completed no later than the Closing Date of the job announcement.

• IMPORTANT: Applications submitted without writing samples will not be considered for interview.

Note: If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Compensation:

• Salary Range: $83,052 to $134,500
• For information about Montgomery County Government’s comprehensive benefits package, please visit the MCG Total Rewards webpage and check out our competitive benefits!
• Montgomery County Government offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

To Apply:

• To view the complete job announcement and to apply, please click "Apply on Company Website" below to visit our website and click on the “Search Jobs and Apply” tab.
• Read the full job description under the “General Professional” Job Category.
  Interested candidates must create an online account in order to apply.
• The requisition number is IRC61391
• This Recruitment is Open Until Filled.
• All resume submissions must address the preferred criteria for the position,
  which are listed in the full advertisement, preferably in a separate section of the resume.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Resume Preparation Tips
  listed under the “Career Resources” tab on the Office of Human Resource’s WORK4MCG  webpage.

EOE. M/F/H