Hearing Examiner

PowerLines; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

New York State Public Service Commission seeks Hearing Examiners to manage hearings and related proceedings under the OHADR. Duties include setting milestones, overseeing the case record, and presiding over public hearings to gather input from diverse stakeholders.

Qualified candidates will hold a law degree, NYS Bar admission, and at least eight years of post‑bar experience in regulatory matters or adjudicative roles. The role advances regulatory policy and written recommendations.

Qualifications

• Law degree and admission to New York State Bar.
• Eight years of post-bar experience as an attorney or judge.
• Experience in governmental regulatory agencies or regulatory proceedings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish procedural milestones and schedules; issue rulings addressing scheduling, discovery, party status, and motion practice.
• Oversee development of the official case record through a formal, litigated process.
• Preside over public hearings to gather public comments.
• Use alternative dispute resolution techniques when assigned as a settlement judge in a proceeding.
• Analyze arguments and evidence to advise on issues to be resolved by the Commission and the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES).
• Draft Commission and ORES orders.
• Present recommendations formally at Commission sessions.

Skills

Organization skills

Written and oral communication

Critical thinking

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent

Job description

Duties Description

Hearing Examiners are assigned to all proceedings in which hearings are held and to some other matters before the New York State Public Service Commission (Commission). Under the direction of the Director of the Office of Hearings and Alternative Dispute Resolution (OHADR), duties include, but are not limited to:

• Establishing procedural milestones and schedules; issuing written rulings addressing various issues, including scheduling, discovery, party status, and motion practice.
• Overseeing development of the official case record through a formal, litigated process.
• Presiding over public hearings to gather public comments.
• Using alternative dispute resolution techniques to help parties settle issues when assigned as a settlement judge in a proceeding.
• Analyzing arguments and evidence presented by parties to offer advice about how issues should be resolved by the Commission and the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES), including in the form of written Recommended Decisions.
• Drafting Commission and ORES orders.
• Presenting recommendations formally at Commission sessions.

About the nature of the cases: Matters set for hearings or facilitation include 1) prospective rates, proposed budgets, and other activities, of electric, gas, steam, and private water utilities, 2) siting of gas and electric transmission lines and wind, solar, and fossil-fuel generation facilities within New York State, and 3) utility mergers and other policy or regulatory matters, which could encompass the telephone or cable industries as well. Cases involve multiple, diverse parties and technical engineering, accounting, finance, economics, consumer, and environmental issues, among others. A typical case before a Hearing Examiner takes about a year. Direct testimony is often written and filed in advance, followed by in-person cross‑examination of witnesses in a trial‑type hearing that can last from one day (where a case has settled) to three weeks or more.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates will possess a law degree, admission to the New York State Bar, and eight years of post‑bar experience as an attorney or judge in any combination of the following:

• In a governmental regulatory agency as an: Administrative Law Judge, Attorney, Hearing Officer, or official with policy responsibilities.
• As an attorney litigating and/or negotiating matters in governmental regulatory proceedings and/or court proceedings involving complex technical facts or policies.
• As a judge or judicial clerk or in a similar adjudicative capacity.
• As a legislator, legislative staff, lobbyist, or similar position requiring analysis of laws or regulations.
• As a mediator or arbitrator in cases involving complex financial and technical issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Organizational ability to set and enforce procedural milestones and to monitor extensive filings by multiple parties.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills to explain and adjudicate procedures and policies to the parties and general public and to articulate technical and policy matters in recommended decisions and orders.
• Strong critical thinking and sound judgment to render well‑grounded decisions in the public interest.