Director Rates and Regulatory

Requisition ID: 108587

 

Share Our Purpose. Be Yourself. Feel Valued.

 

People are the heart of our business. As an American Water employee, you will be offered a competitive salary and health benefits package, along with opportunities to develop, grow, and evolve your career. Our benefits packages focus on key areas such as health & wellness, emotional & well-being, and savings for current & future goals.

 

We are Beautifully Different . We strongly believe having diversity across our company makes us more successful and helps us provide essential services to our customers. We are stronger because we embrace different ideas, viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. American Water is the best choice for your next role! Click here for more information on our inclusion, diversity, and equity journey.

 

About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people across 14 regulated jurisdictions and 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

As one of the fastest growing utilities in the U.S., American Water expects to invest $40 to $42 billion in infrastructure repairs and replacement, system resiliency and regulated acquisitions over the next 10 years. The company has a long-standing history of executing its core operations, aligned with sustainable best practices, through its commitments to safety, affordability, customer service, protecting the environment, an inclusive workforce and strengthening communities.

American Water has been recognized on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year, ranked 18th on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2023 List, earned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® Excellence Award, among additional state, local and national recognitions.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

 

 

 

Position Information

$124,800 - $198,900

The base salary range represents a good faith salary range for this position. This position is eligible for annual incentive pay and has the opportunity for continued salary growth. If you are hired at American Water your base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as market, geography, skills, education and/or experience. At American Water, we are committed to pay equity.

In addition to compensation, you will be offered a comprehensive benefits package including 401(k),Defined Contribution Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage, plus disability, paid time off, life insurance, voluntary benefits, health and wellness programs and much more!

American Water is also proud to offer employees learning opportunities and work experiences to grow professionally!

Primary Role

Key member of regulatory services leadership team. Leads a team of geographic resources that provide regulatory services including complex analytics to all divisions and states. The team is responsible for providing complex technical solutions and analysis on national issues. Serves as a subject matter expert involving complex analytical analysis to support issues in base rate cases and alternative mechanisms. Provides supports as a technical advisor on rate matters involving business initiatives to assist AW’s efforts to shape favorable outcomes in regulatory filings. Leads, directs and manages a team comprised of specialized rate professionals across the enterprise, supporting all regulated utility subsidiaries. Assists and helps facilitate solutions provided by teams supporting division/states in regulatory matters. Position is cross disciplinary working with the state operating teams and functional teams at American Water to provide rate support that drives and influences regulatory outcomes. Partners with state operations, policy, finance, and legal to develop complex rate approaches that align with state or national regulatory strategy. Communicates rate matters to key internal and external stakeholders. In conjunction with state teams, provides support on budgeting and long-term planning specific to regulatory strategy and execution. This includes preparation and review of financial analyses centered around utility operating performance. Identifies alternative strategies to mitigate regulatory lag and ensure optimized performance at the state level. Collaborates with accounting to ensure that technical rate issues are in compliance with US GAAP and ensures overall regulatory compliance. Collaborates with treasury to assess state financing needs consistent with regulatory authorization. Provide expert witness services in complex rate matters as required across enterprise.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide regulatory leadership and guidance to drive results across the American Water regulatory jurisdictions.
• Accountable for and manages the preparation and accurate completion of complex regulatory filing requirements to support state rate case filings consistent with corporate objectives which are on time, and in alignment with state filing objectives to optimize performance.
• Accountable to provide expert witness testimony (written and oral) as required on an individual basis, and also manage a team of experts that routinely provide this service on rate matters across all states.
• This role will require travel to support the state teams when necessary.
• Accountable for and manages the preparation and accurate completion of discovery requests in all rate proceedings.
• Accountable to work as a business partner with state leadership, operations, finance, and legal to drive a comprehensive technical approach that supports regulatory initiatives on both a state and national basis with respect to complex rate/finance issues in the rate setting environment and in business activities. This includes the review of the financial plan and identifying ways to mitigate regulatory lag through regulatory execution and alternative strategies.
• Provide leadership and development of regulatory service team members.
• Develop and coach employees to their fullest potential by ensuring that team members are trained and effective in leadership behaviors, effective communication skills, and complex rates and regulatory policies and processes in multiple regulatory jurisdictions.
• Provide leadership support and guidance regarding regulatory strategy and execution.
• Accountable for and manages the preparation and accurate preparation of technical rate data that is used by AW Board, investor relations, disclosure committee, senior leaders, legislative pursuits, and budget process.
• Ability to respond to highly technical questions on short notice that have significant impact on decisions impacting the company.
• Provide technical rate expertise, ad hoc technical advice and analysis to corporate executives, functional areas, subsidiary companies, and finance regarding regulatory implications of potential actions or policies. Includes specialized communication skills that require the need to speak with external stakeholders such as regulators and intervenors.
• Accountable for collaboration with finance and treasury teams to optimize financing needs of the individual states consistent with the organization’s financial objectives.

Knowledge/Skills

Expert knowledge of:

• Economic principles relating to utility rates and cost analysis
• Fundamental accounting concepts and understanding of analytical concepts for financial analysis as well as US GAAP accounting practices
• Data collection, research methodologies, and statistical and cost analysis.
• Business report writing, preparation and delivery of presentations including oral testimony
• Audit, review and analysis of business and financial records
• Execution and analysis using company business technologies and computer simulation programs
• Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams) with particular advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel
• Ability to review complex data and make appropriate decisions regarding public utility operations to project future costs for controversial issues.
• Ability to collaborate with others internally and externally.
• Ability to stay calm under extreme pressure and case deadlines.
• Ability to manage the execution of multiple complex cases in different regulatory jurisdictions at the same time.

Experience/Education

• Seasoned professional with ten plus years of pertinent utility experience including specific experience in a regulated industry.
• Experience in matrixed multi-state utility strongly preferred.
• Experience writing and supporting testimony in regulatory proceedings, including live testimony before regulatory agencies.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and coaching direct reports and establishing career development plans by identifying development goals, milestones, and measures.
• Working knowledge of SAP a plus.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Accounting, Finance, Business or a closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• MBA in Accounting or Finance preferred. CPA, CMA or other technical license a plus.

Travel Requirements

Up to 25%

Competencies

Prioritizes & Role Models Safety

Self-Awareness

Develops Talent

Plans, Aligns, & Directs

Drives Engagement

Decision Quality

Join American Water... We Keep Life Flowing ™

American Water is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based on his or her age, race, color, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, citizenship, or because they are an individual with a disability, protected veteran or other status protected by federal, state, and local laws.