Public Utilities Engineer II Position Available In Wake, North Carolina

Public Utilities Engineer II 
Salary $67,852.00 – $118,741.00 Annually Location Wake County, NC Job Type Permanent Full-Time Remote Employment Flexible/Hybrid Job Number 25-06224 60081110 UC Department Dept of Commerce Division Utilities Commission Opening Date 05/09/2025 Closing Date 5/23/2025 5:00 PM Eastern Job Class Title Public Utilities Engineer II Position Number 60081110 Section NC Utilities – Energy Salary Grade

NC20 DESCRIPTION

BENEFITS
QUESTIONS
Description of Work Are you a highly skilled Engineer with an interest in learning more about the North Carolina Public Staff? Join our team and make an impact on the work that we do that benefits the consuming public, as it relates to public utilities. The NC Department of Commerce, Public Staff is looking for a Public Utilities Engineer II. This position is assigned to the Energy Division, Electric Section – Operations. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, paid vacation, paid sick time, paid holidays, as well as retirement benefits.

• Salary 

Grade:

 NC20

• Recruitment Range:

  $67,852 – $93,297

• This position requires occasional travel and overtime
• 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 Energy Division and the Director of the Energy 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 electric utility issues.

A PUE II

position is for intermediate to senior level staff position with prior experience in the electric utility industry. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Investigate, review, and analyze periodic filings by the electric utilities including general rate cases; annual fuel, REPS, and CPRE cost adjustments; annual REPS compliance plans and reports; annual integrated resource plans (IRP); biennial avoided cost filings; annual emergency load reduction plans; and special investigations. .Prepare highly technical written expert engineering testimony and orally deliver and defend it before the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). The position is a critical member of the Public Staff team that investigates and analyzes these cases. Major rate case issues include analysis of: depreciation studies; major generation and transmission plant additions and retirements; base fuel factor; coal ash and other environmental costs; and proper levels of operation and maintenance (O&M) expenses.

Additional work will include:

proceedings which require the evaluation of historical and prospective fuel costs; power plant performance, outage management decisions, fuel procurement practices and contract review; review and analysis of highly technical and confidential documentation and reports compiled by the utility as well as outside agencies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; calculation of annual fuel rider charges; review of historical and projected costs associated with competitive procurement of renewable energy program management and implementation; and calculation of annual CPRE rider charges. Play a major role in the development of proposed orders following public evidentiary hearings that fairly and accurately describe the facts of the particular case and persuade the NCUC to adopt the Public Staff’s position based on authentic and convincing writing. Assist customers of the electric utilities and Public Staff Customer Complaint Analysts with various highly technical customer complaints including billing disputes; service disconnects; vegetation management issues; utility service rules interpretation; power quality; and extension, removal, and relocation of service facilities.
Communicating with and, at times, appearing before committees of the North Carolina General Assembly, other State agencies, sister state utility regulatory agencies, federal agencies, and public interest groups to ascertain, relay, and coordinate information pertaining to the electric industry.
Note to Current State Employees
The salary grade for this position is NC20. 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 APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION THAT CLEARLY REFLECTS WORK EXPERIENCE THAT DEMONSTRATES THE FOLLOWING

Knowledge of engineering principles and practices as applied to the day to day operations of electric utilities; ranging topics can be but not limited to distribution, transmission, generation, and bill determinates; Intermediate experience in energy resource or price forecasting in any of the following: solar, wind, battery storage, natural gas, etc.; Data analysis techniques, regression, trending, forecasting and familiarity with Microsoft Excel; Intermediate technical and project management skills to organize task force or stakeholder groups, solve problems and resolve scheduling or staffing conflicts; Ability to conduct research, draw conclusions, and prepare reports on proposals or special engineering projects; Be able to complete tasks in a timely manner with little supervision; Experience communicating effectively both orally and in writing.

• 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.

• Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

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

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. Bachelor’s degree in an applicable field of engineering from an appropriately accredited institution and three (3) years of experience in utility operational or regulatory engineering work; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Supplemental and Contact Information About the Utilities Commission
The North Carolina Utilities Commission is an independent agency of the State of North Carolina created by the General Assembly to regulate the rates and services of all investor-owned public utilities in North Carolina, including electric companies, natural gas distribution companies, water and wastewater companies, passenger carriers by ferry boat, carriers of household goods, and other companies engaged in providing miscellaneous utility services. It is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that North Carolina customers have access to safe, reliable, and affordable utility service. In carrying out its charge, the Commission employs professional staff, which is organized into the Operations Division and the Legal Division. This position is within the Operations Division and works collaboratively with other members of the Operations Division, including financial professionals such as CPAs, MBAs and economists. This position also works closely with members of the Legal Division, which consists primarily of attorneys and paralegals. About the Department of Commerce
The North Carolina Department of Commerce is the state’s lead agency for economic, community and workforce development. The department works with local, regional, national and international organizations to fulfill its mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians. Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer who embraces an Employment First philosophy which consists of complying with all federal laws, state laws and Executive Orders. We are committed to reviewing requests for reasonable accommodation at any time during the hiring process or while on the job. Our