Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst – Climate Policy (Grade 28)
Montgomery County Government
Department of Environmental Protection
2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, Maryland 20902

Salary Range: $77,035 to $128,483

The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)is to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County’s air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has unveiled the Climate Action Plan that will guide the County toward its goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2027 and by 100 percent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. The Montgomery climate plan, which will increase resilience in the face of climate hazards, is one of the most ambitious climate plans in the nation for a local government.

Energy policy in Maryland is extremely complex, involving a range of laws, regulations, procedures, which are formulated by the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Public Service Commission and implemented by the regulated energy utilities, including 4 electricity and natural gas utilities serving Montgomery County, MD. In addition, roughly $20 billion per year is spent on energy in Maryland, so there are significant financial implications associated with the State’s energy policies, which leads to a wide variety of interests engaging in the issue. Finally, the infrastructure necessary to deliver energy to end users is vast – from power plants to wires and pipes into individual buildings – and has been developed over many years. As a result, changing a particular energy policy affects the interests of many entities, from the large corporations that produce and deliver energy to the individual homeowner that uses it.

Changing state policies related to clean energy production and use is a critical component of meeting the County’s aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. Laws, regulations, policies, and practices formulated and implemented by the General Assembly, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), and electric and gas utilities operating in the State dictate the level of GHGs emitted by the energy sector.

DEP is seeking an Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst to join the Office of Energy and Climate in order to develop and lead the implementation of Montgomery County’s Clean Energy Action Plan (CEAP). This position will be working with elected officials in the Maryland General Assembly, officials at the PSC, and utility representatives on laws, regulations, policies, and practices governing energy supplied to and used by the County’s residents, businesses, and institutions. This position will be navigating the competing policy objectives of a variety of stakeholders across a range of State climate and energy policies.

Within the guidelines of the CEAP, the position will seek to find solutions to these competing policy objectives to allow passage of legislation, adoption of regulations, or adoption of operating procedures and practices that support the County’s energy efficiency and clean energy objectives. This position, in conjunction with the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR), will serve as the County’s primary technical lead to promote a decarbonized energy supply for Montgomery County.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing and maintaining a Clean Energy Action Plan for Montgomery County.
  • Building a knowledge base on legislation, regulations, and other processes governing energy policy and programs in the state of Maryland including, but not limited to, the EmPOWER Maryland program, the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), net energy metering, community solar, and Community Choice Energy programs.
  • Coordinating with multiple internal and external stakeholders at the local and state level to implement the County’s Clean Energy Action Plan, including those with diverse opinions, interests, and backgrounds.
  • Developing cross-departmental relationships within County Government, including the Office of the County Attorney, Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Climate Leadership Team, and various County Departments that focus on energy issues.
  • Drafting clean-energy-focused legislation in conjunction with County and State officials.
  • Establishing and maintaining relationships with members and staff of the General Assembly, representatives of the Maryland Public Service Commission, and utilities serving Montgomery County residents and businesses, in order to advance the County’s clean energy agenda.
  • Engaging with other Maryland jurisdictions to build coalitions and consolidate support for state-level clean energy legislation consistent with the County’s clean energy goals.
  • Identifying, procuring, and managing consultant and budget needs to support policy and program elements of the Clean Energy Action Plan, particularly those that require specific technical, financial, legal, or other specific expertise not available within the County Government.

The ideal candidate will have considerable knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies related to energy, climate and/or utility sectors, as well as experience in decarbonized energy and climate programs, stakeholder relationship development, and coalition building.

The successful candidate must have the ability to work in a collaborative environment within a large organization with multiple priorities, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. The ideal candidate must also be highly organized and detailed oriented, and have the ability to deal tactfully, effectively, and equitably with people.

This position requires the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office, including Montgomery County, Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington D.C., and other places in the Washington Metropolitan region.

Occasional evening or weekend work outside of normal business hours may be required.

To ensure a positive workplace and to comply with federal, state and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.

NOTE: Effective August 30, 2021, all new hires will be required to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus prior to their first date of employment. Individuals who are unable to be vaccinated should contact OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov to discuss possible accommodations.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

As part of your application, please submit two writing samples where the candidate is the sole author. The writing samples should reflect the applicant’s expertise as listed in the preferred criteria below.

Email your writing sample attachments as PDF documents to Nancy Frechette, DEP Human Resources Liaison, at Nancy.Frechette@montgomerycountymd.gov with the subject line “Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst – First Name, Last Name.”

To be considered for this position, your email attachment must be received by the Closing Date of the job announcement.

IMPORTANT: Applications submitted without writing samples will not be considered for interview.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Thorough (5 years) professional experience in legislative liaison or lobbying work.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

PREFERRED CRITERIA

All applicants will be reviewed by OHR for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified,” placed on the Eligible List, and may be considered for interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

  • Content of the writing samples provided. *** Please see instruction below ***
  • Experience in legislative work within the energy or climate change fields.
  • Knowledge of general strategies and approaches to decarbonizing energy supplies.
  • Direct experience with a state utility regulatory organization.
  • Demonstrated coalition-building experience with elected officials, government agencies representatives, utility officials, and/or stakeholders involved in the energy industry.
  • Experience in developing or lobbying for legislation, regulations, or policies collaboratively with various and diverse stakeholders.
  • Knowledge of the organization, structure, and operation of State and County government.

REQUIRED WRITING SAMPLES:

As part of your application, please submit two writing samples where the candidate is the sole author. The writing samples should reflect the applicant’s expertise as listed in the preferred criteria below.

Email your writing sample attachments as PDF documents to Nancy Frechette, DEP Human Resources Liaison, at Nancy.Frechette@montgomerycountymd.gov with the subject line “Intergovernmental Relations Legislative Analyst – First Name, Last Name.”

To be considered for this position, your email attachment must be received by the Closing Date of the job announcement.

IMPORTANT: Applications submitted without writing samples will not be considered for interview.

Montgomery County Government offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

To view the complete job announcement and to apply, please visit our website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Recruitment/MCGCareers.html
and click on the “Search for Jobs at MCG” tab.  Read the full job description under the “General Professional” Job Category.  Interested candidates must create an online account in order to apply.

The requisition number is IRC50966.

This Recruitment Closes October 21, 2021.

All resume submissions must address the preferred criteria for the position, which are listed in the full advertisement, preferably in a separate section of the resume.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Resume Preparation Tips listed under the “Resources” tab on the Office of Human Resource’s MCG Careers webpage.

EOE. M/F/H.