Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Salary

Depends on Qualifications

Location

Thurston County - Lacey, WA

Job Type

Full Time - Permanent

Remote Employment

Flexible/Hybrid

Job Number

2026-08040

Department

Utilities and Transportation Commission

Division

Policy

Opening Date

09/29/2026

Closing Date

10/13/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

Respect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.

Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Range of Consideration: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates' qualifications within the budgeted salary range of $121,836 - $139,092 annually, within Washington Management Service (WMS) Band 3. However, there is an ability for growth and progression increases within the approved budget.

This recruitment is open until October 13, 2026, at 11:59pm.

UTC reserves the right to make a hiring decision and/or choose to close or extend this recruitment at any given time.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process may contact the recruiter via telephone at (360) 664-1130 or email the UTC HR office at humanresources@utc.wa.gov. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Services at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

The Opportunity:

The UTC is seeking to fill the role of the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs within Policy and Legislative Division. Reporting to the Policy and Legislative Director, the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs establishes and integrates the commission's external policy strategy; advises on legislative feasibility; and translates policy strategy into legislative objectives, tactics, relationships, communications, and execution. This position serves as the commission's lead legislative strategist, tactician, communicator, relationship builder, and principal liaison to the Washington State Legislature, while directing the commissions legislative process. In coordination with the Chief Financial Officer, this role develops and executes legislative strategy for agency budget proposals, decision packages, provisos, and related fiscal matters.

The ideal candidate will have legislative expertise, progressive experience, strategic communications, relationship management and knowledge of utility and transportation regulation.

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 needed. The position requires in person work related to legislative session and legislative activities.

Travel:

Local travel, mostly within Thurston County, is required to attend Washington State Capital Campus, Legislative hearings, training, and relevant meetings. Travel may be required throughout the state or nation for 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.

For more information about our benefits or working at UTC, please visit our website.

Duties

Some of what you'll do:

This role serves as the commission's lead for legislative affairs and government relations, shaping how the agency engages with policymakers and stakeholders at the state and federal levels. The position manages the full lifecycle of legislative activity from developing proposals and building relationships to providing analysis, testimony, and strategic guidance.

The Deputy Director acts as the primary liaison to legislators, the Governor's Office, legislative staff, other state agencies, and external stakeholders. This position leads the development of the commission's legislative agenda, coordinates agency-wide input, and guides proposals through the legislative process. The role also supports division leaders and subject-matter experts in participating effectively in legislative work.

As the commission's governmental affairs lead, the Deputy Director represents agency positions, negotiates bill language, and ensures that policy decisions align with commission priorities. This position prepares written materials such as testimony, comments, presentation, speeches, and official letters. The incumbent manages bill tracking and ensures timely responses to legislative developments.

The Deputy Director establishes internal coordination processes before, during, and after legislative session and maintains strong communication across division to ensure clear, timely political and strategic insight is provided to commission leadership. This communication includes feasibility assessments, stakeholder views, negotiation risks, and decision pathways.

After each session, the Deputy Director leads implementation planning, coordinates statutory and rulemaking requirements, and conducts after-action reviews to identify gaps or issues that should shape future policy and legislative priorities.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

The commission values diverse career paths and recognizes that competencies may be acquired through a combination of education, training, certifications, research, volunteer service, lived experience, military service, professional practice, or other demonstrated accomplishments.

This position must have demonstrated mastery level expertise with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability with proven success in the following:

• Legislative Strategy and Political Judgment - Anticipates political and legislative dynamics; assesses feasibility, risks, tradeoffs, and stakeholder interests; develops executable strategies; and provides candid options and recommendations to leadership.

• Institutional Relationship Building and Credibility - Builds durable, bipartisan relationships and operates as a credible, candid, responsive, technically grounded, and nonpartisan representative of an independent regulatory commission.

• Strategic Alignment and Accountability - Exercises substantial independent judgment within established policy direction and delegated authority; maintains disciplined communication and documentation; recognizes when escalation is required; and ensures legislative execution remains aligned with commission leadership.

• Develop and Execute Legislative Strategy - Steer high-priority, high-profile issues involving multiple competing interests toward desired resolutions.

• Political and Strategic Judgment - Assess legislative feasibility, identify tradeoffs and risks, and present candid options and recommendations to senior leadership.

• Regulatory and Policy Fluency - Develop sufficient understanding of how legislative choices interact with commission jurisdiction, rates, utility finance, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and implementation.

• Decision-Making Prowess - Determine the need for independent strategic advice, tactical execution within delegated authority, and substantive policy decisions requiring leadership direction.

• Coordinate Multidisciplinary Teams - Steward internal decision processes under pressure and tight deadlines, with clear assignments, escalation, follow-through, and documentation.

• Effective Written Communication- Writing effectively for targeted audiences, including testimony, bill analyses, fiscal and policy materials, briefings, correspondence, speeches, and legislative communications.

Examples of ways to qualify:

• A combination of education and professional experience that demonstrates the competencies required to perform the work. Relevant education may include economics, public administration, public policy, law, business, political science, energy or infrastructure policy, or a related field.
• Advanced education with experience in utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector.
• Progressive experience in legislative affairs, public policy, utility or transportation regulation, government affairs, legislative committee staff, consumer advocacy, or comparable work involving complex public-policy issues.
• Advanced experience working within utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector is strongly valued.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Competencies:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow: Takes responsibility for knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and uses their learning to make government programs and processes more efficient and effective to serve all in Washington.

• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others: Flexible, adaptable, customer-service focused, and willing and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of the people they work with and serve.

UTC Core Competencies:

• Accountability

• DEI Knowledge, Understanding, & Commitment

• Self-Awareness and Commitment to Growth

• Cultivating Mutually Beneficial and Trusting Strategic Partnerships

• Inclusive Excellence & Allyship

• Measuring Success and Improvement

• Customer Focus

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge and experience within Washington State government and the legislative process.

• Exceptional legislative strategy with meaningful regulatory-policy experience and demonstrates intellectual curiosity about the industries the commission regulates.

• Experience in one or more of the following: utility economic regulation; electric or natural-gas utility policy; electricity markets and transmission; resource planning or resource adequacy; utility affordability and rate design; clean-energy implementation; transportation regulation; telecommunications; consumer advocacy; or closely related infrastructure regulation. Additional preferred experience includes understanding of the business and consumer interests affected by commission regulation; emerging technologies, market structures, and industry trends; and the interaction among Commission jurisdiction, utility finance, rates, reliability, infrastructure investment, consumer protection, and legislative policy.

• Demonstrate understanding of regulatory theory and practice, the current regulatory environment, federal statutes and regulations, state statutes and regulations, and UTC rules, procedures, policies, goals, objectives and strategies, and the body of UTC precedent and orders related to the affected industries, including energy, water, telecommunications, transportation and pipelines, among others.

• Knowledge of public entities and national bodies involved in utility, transportation and other issues and the actions they take that affect their industries. These entities may include the U.S. Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, State Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Washington State University Energy Extension Service, Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, Public Counsel, Northwest Energy Coalition, customer groups and the municipal utilities operating in Washington state

Supplemental Information

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY:

• The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 80.01.020 limits the UTCs 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 employees spouse.
• UTC does not use E-Verify. Therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM-Optional Practice Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

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:

• Letter of Interest - describing how you meet the position qualifications and why you believe you are the ideal candidate.
• Resume - chronological detailing your applicable competencies, experience and education.
• 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.

The initial screening of candidates will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the application materials, including answers provided to the 'Supplemental Questionnaire', along with the additional application materials submitted as part of the application process. NOTE, indicating 'see resume' will not substitute for completing the "work experience" section or supplemental questionnaire of the application packet and may result in your submission being marked incomplete.

If you are viewing this recruitment on any website other than www.careers.wa.gov, please note the recruitment title and apply through Washington state's official portal. Your application may be received incomplete when using a third-party website. If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.

If you have gotten this far and are thinking you do not qualify, consider again! Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At the UTC, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may just be the candidate needed for this or other roles.

All information may be verified; additional documentation may be required. 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.

Veterans Preference

For information about YesVets click here.

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach to their application a copy of their redacted DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as Social Security numbers. For further information, contact UTC Human Resources at humanresources@utc.wa.gov.

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

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. Thats 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 01-07-2026

01

Have you attached the required materials for consideration to your application? This includes your letter of interest, chronological resume, and three (3) professional references, one (1) being your current or most recent supervisor. Failure to attach the requested materials may result in your application being marked incomplete.

• Yes, I have attached a cover letter, resume, and provided three (3) professional references as indicated.
• No, I have not attached a cover letter and a resume. I understand my application may be marked incomplete.

02

Which of the following statements best describes how you are qualified for the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs position?

• I have a combination of education, certifications, and professional experience that meets the required qualifications and competencies outlined in this job posting. My education and experience are related to legislative affairs, economics, public administration, public policy, law, business, political science, energy or infrastructure policy, or a related field.
• I have an advanced degree with some experience in utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector.
• I have substantial professional experience working within legislative affairs, public policy, utility or transportation regulation, government affairs, legislative committee staff, consumer advocacy, or comparable work involving complex public-policy issues.
• I have leadership experience working within utilities, energy, transportation, infrastructure, economic regulation, or another commission-regulated sector.
• None of the above apply, although I am willing to learn.

03

Please briefly describe your experience, knowledge, and or/education related to question two (2) above. Provide dates, agency/company, and position/role held. Please indicate N/A if none.

04

Briefly describe your experience working within Washington State Legislature or another legislative body. Include your role, types of legislative proposals you worked on, and the outcome of your work.

05

Describe a time when you developed or contributed to a legislative strategy to advance an agency, organization, or issue in response to political dynamics, stakeholder concerns, or new information. Please include the following: o How you identified the objective; o How you assessed the legislative environment; o How you determined the appropriate options to present to leadership, what tradeoffs you identified and; o The overall end result.

06

Describe how you monitor legislation, policy developments, hearings, amendments, stakeholder positions and other developments that may affect a government agency. Include what methods or tools you have used to identify issues early and ensure leadership had the information needed to respond. Please provide any experience you have with Lobbygov.

07

Describe how you have built and maintained effective working relationships with individuals who disagreed with you, your agency, or your organization on significant policy issues. How did you remain open, honest, responsive, and credible while representing an agency's position?

Required Question

Employer State of Washington

Address View Job Posting for Agency Information

View Job Posting for Location, Washington, 98504

Website http://www.careers.wa.gov