Director of Legal Services

Location

Joplin, MO | United States

Job description

Our purpose is sustaining energy and water for life, and it is demonstrated in everything we do as a business, and as an employee team.

At Liberty, we hire passionate people who care about doing the right thing for our customers. We are entrepreneurial, creative, and outcome-focused. Here, your natural talent and achievements will flourish in an inclusive environment of teamwork, trust and continuous learning. We are always pursuing excellence to exceed our ambitions goals, rewarding both the goal outcome and how we achieve it. 

Purpose

Liberty Utilities Co. owns and/or operates regulated water, wastewater, natural gas and electric transmission and distribution utilities in thirteen states, one Canadian province, Bermuda and Chile delivering responsive and reliable utility services to over 1,000,000 customers. Liberty currently operates utilities in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma and Texas and New Brunswick, Canada. This position is for Director of Legal Services for our regulated utilities in the Liberty Central Region, which are located in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

This position reports directly to the Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Liberty Utilities and is responsible for providing and managing necessary legal services relating to our operating companies in the Central Region, which include a vertically integrated electric utility, gas and water utilities. This position will work daily with leadership, regulatory teams and other business group leaders in our Central Region and leadership in our Legal Department. This position will be part of a growing Legal Department providing legal services to all of the Liberty operating companies in the United States, our corporate office in Oakville, Ontario and internationally.

Accountabilities

• Act as in-house subject matter expert on regulatory, business and operational legal issues impacting lines of business in a dynamic and changing industry, particularly within the vertically integrated electric utility industry. Knowledge of gas and water regulation desirable but not required. Work closely with the Central Region Leadership Team and the regulatory, operations, accounting, customer service, engineering, and finance, departments in our Central Region. Also will work closely with the President, Liberty (Central Region) and corporate leadership.
• Handle complex legal issues and provide advice and counsel related to utility regulation, including utility generation, transmission and distribution; state and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission matters; tariff review, litigation, and customer complaints; provide research and writing as to regulatory requirements; assist in the preparation of filings and assist in the drafting and preparation of testimony in regulatory proceedings, including rate cases, while developing close relationships with and representing our regulated utilities before various regulatory commissions.
• Develop legal and business strategies relating to capital projects, regulatory filings, operational matters and other business decisions.
• Review decisions of courts and regulatory agencies to determine precedent in regulatory and legal matters.
• Draft and review legal opinions, regulatory filings, and rules and regulations, including explaining and defending company goals and objectives.
• Provide legal advice on probable legal or other impacts of proposed changes in rules, regulations, and applicable laws.
• Review files, records and briefs and perform research on legal questions. 
• Manage outside legal counsel.
• Complete and/or coordinate with other departments relating to accurate and timely reports required for regulatory filings and compliance.
• Represent Liberty before state and federal regulatory commissions and other organizations.
• Manage execution of rate cases, including preparing witnesses before and during proceedings and hearings before the regulatory commissions.
• Support corporate governance functions for affiliates in multiple United States jurisdictions, assist with due diligence relating to mergers and acquisitions, finance transactions and provide advice and assistance to the finance, treasury, customer service, operations, engineering and regulatory teams. 
• Provide legal advice and representation in connection with general business matters (commercial transactions, real estate, contracts, pole attachments, etc.).
• Monitor and manage outside counsel handling litigation proceedings involving Liberty.
• Provide, upon request and contingent on availability of time, assistance to other similar utilities owned or controlled by Liberty. 
• React and respond to external and internal queries and requests relating to various legal issues.
• Assist in corporate initiatives in creating and implementing of governance and corporate policies. 

Education and Experience

• Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited law school with at least seven (7) years of experience in utility regulatory law 
• Must be licensed to practice law or eligible to obtain licensure in a Central Region state (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri or Oklahoma). 
• Prior legal experience in government and/or the regulated utility environment required (including experience handling rate cases and other regulatory matters before regulatory commissions) as well as experience in operational matters preferred.
• Understanding of key business issues and requirements of regulated utilities and resulting implications for specific legal issues. 
• Proficient with computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite and the internet.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Flexible with traveling within the U.S. and Canada required.
• Valid driver’s license and passport required.

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. is a growing renewable energy and utility company with over $15 billion of assets across North America and internationally.

For more than 30 years, Algonquin has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to delivering clean energy and water solutions. Our rapid growth has led both our regulated utility services and renewable energy business groups into different geographies and commodities, but our purpose remains unchanged – Sustaining Energy and Water for Life.

Through our operating business (Liberty), we provide regulated electricity, water, and natural gas utility services to over 1 million customer connections, primarily in North America. And, our growing portfolio of clean, renewable wind, solar, hydro and thermal power generation facilities represent over 3 GW of renewable generation capacity in operation and under construction.

With our robust, diversified, and growing presence in communities across North America and internationally, we are continually demonstrating our “Think Global, Act Local” business model.

What we offer

Company funded Pension program

401k with Company match

Full insurance benefits (health/dental/vision/life)

Collaborative environment with a genuine flexible working policy

Share purchase/match plan

Defined Contribution savings plan

Top Talent Program

Volunteer paid days off

Employee Assistance Program

Achievement fund

We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are excited about this role and are not certain you meet the all the qualification requirements, we encourage you to apply to further investigate the opportunity.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value each person’s unique background, diversity, experiences, perspectives and talents. Full participation of all employees in a safe, healthy and respectful environment is key to individual and company success. We are committed to fully utilizing the abilities of all of our employees and expect each of our employees to honor this commitment in their daily responsibilities.

Job tags

Salary