State of Colorado is hiring: Technical Editor (Administrator III): DORA/Public U

Hybrid Workplace Arrangement:

Although this position will be designated under the department’s hybrid workplace program, it will still be required to report to the department office on a scheduled basis and at the discretion of the supervisor, based on business needs.

This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the marketplace and is committed to promoting a fair and competitive business environment in Colorado.

Consumer protection is our mission.

DORA values and promotes diversity, supporting a workplace that is inclusive of people from different backgrounds and experiences; creating an environment that is reflective of our communities; promoting positive relationships; and putting forth unique perspectives to fulfill our mission.

• Employer-sponsored RTD EcoPass, with offices located at Civic Center Plaza, above the RTD Civic Center station and just a few blocks from RTD light rail.
• Extensive work-life programs such as flexible schedules, training and professional development opportunities on a wide variety of subjects, and more!
• Employee wellness programs, including the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP), which provides free, confidential counseling services.
• Bike-to-work programs, including access to storage lockers and bike racks.
• Flexible retirement benefits, including a choice of the PERA Defined Benefit Plan or the PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans.
• Medical and Dental Health Insurance for employees and optional coverage for their dependents.
• Life Insurance for employees, and optional coverage for their dependents.
• Paid Time Off, including 11 paid holidays.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Tuition assistance program.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) serves the public interest by effectively regulating utilities and facilities so that the people of Colorado receive safe, reliable, and reasonably priced services consistent with the economic, environmental, and social values of our state.

The Fixed Utilities work unit of the Commission provides technical expertise in the areas of energy and water policy, as applied to Colorado’s regulated electric, gas, steam, water, and thermal utilities. Fixed Utilities includes economists, rate financial analysts, engineers and administrative support staff, supplemented by outside experts. The staff within these sections work together as a team to challenge, develop, present and recommend complex economic, financial, accounting, engineering and policy approaches in utility regulation. The staff functions both in uncontested proceedings as well as in formal litigated proceedings before the Commission.

An increasingly important function of the work unit is to assist in the evolution of new regulatory structures and policies as the State of Colorado, and the country, transition to an energy system more heavily reliant on carbon-free sources of energy. This transition presents new challenges and opportunities in utility regulation, such as an increased focus on consumer protection and disproportionately impacted communities; integration of new and emerging technologies; increasing competition in many areas of utility operations previously offered exclusively by monopoly utilities; and heightened consideration of environmental impacts and other costs of traditional utility services.

All positions within the unit work as members of multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, financial analysts, economists and support staff to analyze all aspects of rate requests or applications or to perform investigations or audits. The work frequently involves ongoing contact with industry and utility representatives, consumer advocates, and other interested parties to coordinate positions on issues or to negotiate disagreements, as well as presentations before the Commission and Administrative Law Judges.

Along with technical subject matter experts, the Fixed Utilities work unit includes a team of support Staff reporting to the Deputy Director who provides support across all technical areas in Fixed Utilities. This team manages discovery in litigated proceedings, processes routine filings such as advice letters and applications to determine compliance with Commission decisions and procedures, tracks non-litigated proceedings, and coordinates across the entire agency to address compliance issues. This support team also provides technical writing support to all subject matter experts in drafting and editing expert witness testimony, discovery questions and responses, information sheets, investigatory reports, and draft orders.

Position: SGA 5075

The Administrator III position provides technical editing support to Fixed Utilities Staff to improve the overall quality and consistency of written work products with a primary emphasis on improving drafts of pre-filed testimony in litigated proceedings. This position also can be requested by a member of Fixed Utilities Staff, including the Staff member’s supervisor, to review specific written work products including pre-filed testimony, discovery questions and responses, information sheets, draft orders, investigatory reports, proceeding comments or other documents as required. This position reviews and edits the organization, clarity, persuasive arguments, technical and analytical support, and grammatical style of written work product for Fixed Utilities engineering, economics, and financial analysis sections.

As requested by Fixed Utilities Staff, including the Staff member’s supervisor, this position provides training to individual Fixed Utilities staff members to improve the overall quality of written communication. This position works in collaboration with Fixed Utilities Management to develop and maintain document templates and style guides across Fixed Utilities written work products. This position identifies the need for a template or style guide and works with management to define the scope of use. This position develops the template or style guide with input and approval from management. This position disseminates the information to the appropriate Fixed Utilities Staff and provides training in the use of the template and guide when appropriate.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Providing feedback on the flow of written arguments, grammar, argument and sentence structure, adequacy and formatting of citations for technical information, overall organization, etc. for testimony written by other members of Fixed Utilities;
• Developing and maintaining templates for various forms of written communication including, but not limited to, protest letters, testimony, requests for counsel, litigated and non-litigated proceeding comments, information sheets, investigatory reports, and internal administrative documents;
• Reviewing testimony to determine consistency with established templates, formatting, and grammatical standards;
• Determining when updates to templates are required or when additional templates need to be developed for different forms of communication;
• Editing various documents that are written by the Fixed Utilities Staff to decide if the document is organized properly, is consistent with appropriate templates, provides adequate procedural and technical background, analysis and support, is grammatically correct, spelling is correct, and punctuation is correct.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (MQs):

There are two ways to qualify for this position:

Option 1: Experience

• Six (6) years of relevant full-time professional work experience providing technical writing/editing support. This experience must include at least two (2) of the following four (4) areas:
• Conducting a thorough analysis of various documents or records to assess the readability/understanding of information and its sufficiency;
• Editing, standardizing, and/or making changes to material prepared by other writers;
• Preparing documents and reports to reflect pertinent facts and/or information in a clear, concise, objective, and persuasive manner;
• Organizing the content and/or material within pieces of white papers, and/or writing testimony, and/or completing writing assignments according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.

Option 2: A Combination of Education AND Experience

• Associate’s Degree and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with an associate's degree in business, business administration, communications, English, journalism, law, psychology, public administration, public policy, public relations, or a field of study related to the work assignment; AND

• Four (4) years of relevant full-time professional work experience providing technical writing/editing support. This experience must include at least two (2) of the following four (4) areas:
• Conducting a thorough analysis of various documents or records to assess the readability/understanding of information and its sufficiency;
• Editing, standardizing, and/or making changes to material prepared by other writers;
• Preparing documents and reports to reflect pertinent facts and/or information in a clear, concise, objective, and persuasive manner;
• Organizing the content and/or material within pieces of white papers, and/or writing testimony, and/or completing writing assignments according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.

OR

• Bachelor’s Degree and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in business, business administration, communications, English, journalism, law, psychology, public administration, public policy, public relations, or a field of study related to the work assignment; AND

• Two (2) years of relevant full-time professional work experience providing technical writing/editing support. This experience must include at least two (2) of the following four (4) areas:
• Conducting a thorough analysis of various documents or records to assess the readability/understanding of information and its sufficiency;
• Editing, standardizing, and/or making changes to material prepared by other writers;
• Preparing documents and reports to reflect pertinent facts and/or information in a clear, concise, objective, and persuasive manner;
• Organizing the content and/or material within pieces of white papers, and/or writing testimony, and/or completing writing assignments according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.

Document this experience in your application IN DETAIL, as your experience will not be inferred or assumed. Part time experience will be prorated.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• Partial credit toward the degree requirement will be given for completed college/university coursework that did not result in a degree. A master's or doctorate degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study related to the work assignment will substitute for the bachelor's degree requirement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience working in the public sector, including a government body preparing and/or maintaining quasi-legal documents;
• Demonstrated experience working in a state government position reviewing public records;
• Demonstrated experience working in a high-volume, fast-paced environment;
• Demonstrated professional experience engaging with individuals involved in legal or quasi-legal processes to provide direction and/or clarification on editing and/or formatting written documents;
• Demonstrated professional experience in providing tactful feedback to various audiences;
• Demonstrated professional experience reviewing, evaluating, and/or editing publications such as manuals, white papers, and/or other documents submitted by regulated entities;
• Experience reviewing and analyzing documents for accuracy, clarity, completeness, readability, and persuasiveness;
• Project management experience, including experience tracking, monitoring, and meeting strict deadlines.

Required Competencies: The following knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics are required competencies and may be considered during the selection process (including examination and/or interview):

• Demonstrated written communication skills, including the ability to convey information to various stakeholders in a clear, accurate, and concise written manner;
• Demonstrated verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively convey information to audiences in a concise manner;
• Demonstrated attention to detail;
• Demonstrated critical thinking and analytical skills, including having the ability to evaluate information in order to apply knowledge and to decide on the most appropriate course of action;
• Demonstrated prioritization skills, including planning, organizing tasks, and managing work assignments;
• Interpersonal skills, including the ability to work with a variety of different stakeholders, both internal and external;
• Demonstrated time management skills, including the ability to multi-task to effectively manage competing and constantly changing priorities in order to meet tight deadlines;
• Interpretation Skills, including the ability to present information to various audiences;
• Demonstrated coordination skills, including the ability to organize and synchronize people, resources, and activities to achieve a common goal;
• Demonstrated ability to understand and abide by workplace principles, practices and behaviors as internally identified and defined by the division and department;
• Demonstrated ability to read, understand, interpret, apply, and explain laws, rules, policies, and procedures;
• Sound judgment and the confidence to make decisions on a routine basis;
• Ability to travel independently, including work in-office, as required by business needs and scheduled by the supervisor;
• Integrity and high ethical standards;
• Accountability, reliability, including attendance;
• Ability to maintain confidential, controversial, or sensitive information;
• Self-starter, including the ability to work independently, learn new processes, utilize own knowledge and that of supervisor, and complete work with minimal supervision;
• Demonstrated professional demeanor;
• Knowledge and understanding in the use of PC software applications including Microsoft Office (Access, Word, Excel, etc.), and Google Suite (Doc’s, Sheets, Slides, etc).

Conditions of Employment: Candidates who fail to meet the conditions of employment will be removed from consideration.

• The successful passing of a reference check and/or, if required, a background check.
• Ability to travel independently, including work in-office, as required by business needs and scheduled by the supervisor.
• Effective September 20, 2021, employees will be required to attest to and verify whether or not they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees who have not been fully vaccinated may be required to submit to serial testing in the future.

PLEASE READ - Required Application Materials:

Interested individuals must submit the following online:

1. A completed State of Colorado Application (log-in to your current NeoGov account or create a NeoGov account to complete the online application). Note: Incomplete applications, including incomplete work history sections or "see résumé," "see attachment," or "see addendum" statements, will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application form.
2. A current email address on your application, as all communication pertaining to this position will be conducted via email. Please set up your email to accept messages from info@governmentjobs.com and ‘@state.co.us’ addresses, and check your email often. Note: The department cannot guarantee the successful delivery of email, including incorrect filtering into junk mail folders.
3. A detailed cover letter, explaining how you meet the required competencies and how your accomplishments, qualifications, skills, areas of expertise, personal characteristics, etc. make you a good fit for this position; you may also attach additional documents that demonstrate this.

Comparative Analysis Process: Structured Application Review: Part of, if not the entire, comparative analysis process for this position will involve a review of the information you submit in your application materials; Therefore, it is paramount that in the experience portion of your application and cover letter, you describe the extent to which you possess the education, experience, and competencies outlined in the job announcement as well as the required and/or preferred qualifications/competencies. You are also encouraged to attach additional documents to that effect.

Veterans’ Preference: Candidates who wish to assert Veterans’ Preference should attach a copy of their DD214 to their application. Failure to do so will result in being denied Veterans Preference.

PLEASE NOTE: Former State Personnel System employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose this information on the application. Colorado Revised Statutes require that all state employees be hired and promoted through competitive examination of merit and fitness.

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them.

ADAAAAccommodations: DORA is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL MULTIPLE VACANCIES

While a salary range is posted for this position, an eventual salary offer is determined by a comprehensive salary analysis, which considers multiple factors including but not limited to education and experience compared to others in the organization doing substantially similar work.