Accounting Rate Analyst

The Public Service Commission seeks an accounting, financial, or economic professional to aid our agency in exercising regulatory oversight of some of the largest essential industries within Montana to ensure fair prices, responsible business practices, and reliable services for Montana customers who rely upon them. This position offers a unique opportunity to work with an innovative state agency. The successful candidate will join our team of Public Utility Rate Analysts who find the work to be interesting, meaningful, and critical to our agency’s goal of serving the citizens of Montana extraordinarily well.

Duties:

• Develops accounting, finance, and business management methods for evaluating and regulating a wide range of public utility matters, including emerging technology.
• Provides advice and recommendations regarding accounting, financial, technical, operational, and policy issues related to the regulation of public utilities.
• Analyzes and evaluates utility rate applications and other regulatory filings, and issues financial, accounting, and business perspectives to determine the reasonableness of revenue requests, capital structures, rates of return, depreciation rates, expense items, rate designs and other proposals.
• Examines rate increase requests and other filings for compliance with utility accounting standards established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).
• Assists in the discovery process as appropriate in contested case proceedings.
• Prepares questions and information for the cross-examination of utility and intervener witnesses for rate hearings.
• Audits utility financial records and information.
• Prepares documents that summarize testimony and issues that may be examined during public hearings; analyzes record evidence; formulates conclusions and recommendations on ratemaking and policy issues; presents the conclusions and recommendations in writing and verbally at Commission business meetings and work sessions.
• Prepares reports to support analysis and assists in preparing Commission orders and notices.
• Assists in the ongoing process of reviewing agency regulations and, when appropriate, implementing revised or new regulations.
• Assesses the regulatory impacts of draft legislation and as directed by the Commission, represents the Commission in outside proceedings.

Special Information:

A completed Montana state application.
A cover letter describing how your professional career, experience, and education prepared you to meet the requirements of this position.
A resume detailing relevant work experience including employer, dates of employment (month & year-start & end), and reason for leaving.
A writing sample demonstrating your ability to communicate technical subject matter information clearly and professionally.
All applicants selected for interviews will be required to submit educational certificates. 

Please know this Public Utility Rate Analyst's work does not involve governmental accounting duties such as recording agency financial transactions, managing agency fiscal programs, or agency budgeting. The work involves a combination of external entity auditing, financial, cost, and tax accounting and allows for critical thinking for solutions to complex issues.

Benefits Provided: 

On the first day of employment, employees and eligible dependents receive health coverage with medical, dental, vision, and prescriptions including free health care provided by the Montana Health Care Center. Wellness programs, life insurance, and retirement plan choices are offered. New employees also receive 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, and paid holidays including a floating holiday. Flexible schedules and telework are offered when feasible as work/life balance is healthy and encouraged.

Agency:

The Montana Department of Public Service Regulation (DPSR) is a small state agency with a big impact. We are headed by 5 elected commissioners (the Commission) representing every region of beautiful Montana. Commonly referred to as the Public Service Commission (PSC), our agency is staffed by a team of approximately 33 professionals in the Legal, Regulatory, and Administrative Services Divisions. The PSC is responsible for supervising monopolistic industries within Montana to ensure fair prices, responsible business practices, and sustainable, reliable service for the Montana customers who rely upon them. Regulated industries currently include privately held power, water, sewer, telecommunications, sanitation, and certain commercial transportation providers. The PSC also plays a vital role in railway and pipeline safety. The agency has a clear and well-defined strategic plan to enhance our operations, work environment, and value to the public. Our team includes seasoned leaders with expertise and institutional knowledge coupled with elected commissioners with innovative ideas for the agency.

Employees enjoy a personable work environment. Staff members are encouraged to cross-train with other positions, providing an opportunity for diversified professional experiences and advancement. The PSC provides ample parking in a private parking lot immediately adjacent to our ground-floor office space, and the building is conveniently located between two of Helena’s least congested thoroughfares -- making the drive, walk or ride to work quick and easy.

Competencies: 

• Knowledge of financial accounting and reporting.
• General knowledge of accounting theory, principles, and practices.
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Strong organizational, analytical, investigative, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Microsoft Office including proficiency creating and managing spreadsheets.
• Flexibility, impartiality, and attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain a strong work ethic and commitment to high standards of professhional integrity. 
• Ability to work independently and with a team.
• Ability to build and maintain good interpersonal relationships with work associates and internal and external constituencies.
• Ability to interpret and analyze accounting records, rules, and policies.
• Ability to learn and apply utility accounting and ratemaking theory and law, stay current with industry events, federal regulatory policies, laws, and PSC policies.
• Ability to provide oral and written presentations of complex topics to non-expert audiences is essential.
• Ability to organize workloads in such a manner that assignments are completed on time with minimal supervision.
• Ability to publicly present information in front of cameras and audiences. 

Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or economics and two years of job-related experience. Consideration will be given to candidates with other college degrees if significant accounting, finance, or economic course-work or analytical skills are demonstrated. Candidates without an accounting, finance, or economics degree may be offered an educational agreement or on-the-job training assignment to acquire desired skills with the agency’s financial support.

A master’s degree or CPA is preferred.