Respect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.

Help protect the consumers of Washington state!

Administrative Law Judge

Salary:

For this position, the starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidate’s qualifications within the budgeted salary range of $109,354 - $118,464, Exempt Management Service (EMS) Band 03. However, there is room for growth and progression increases within approved budgetary resources.

This recruitment is open until January 01, 2026, at 11:59pm.

UTC reserves the right to make a hiring decision or choose to close or extend this recruitment at any given time. Applications may be used to fill future comparable positions that open.

The Opportunity:

As an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), you play a central role in the regulation of utility and transportation companies and directly advancing the UTC’s mission.

You will serve as the presiding officer or mediator in adjudications, resolving legal, policy, and factual issues and you will collaborate with commission staff on rulemakings. You will advise the commissioners on procedural, legal, and policy matters and prepare final orders.

A successful ALJ brings strong legal analysis and writing skills, along with creative and strategic thinking, to matters that carry substantial long-term implications within continually evolving regulatory frameworks.

Hybrid:

Although this is a hybrid opportunity, the successful incumbent must reside within Washington state and must be available to report to the Lacey, Washington headquarters building as needed.

Travel:

Some travel will be required for in-person activities at or around the commission building, this may occur during and/or outside normal work hours throughout the state for business needs.

The duty station for this position is UTC’s Lacey headquarters office. Employees are not compensated for travel time between their residence and the duty station.

Our Mission:

To protect the people of Washington by ensuring that investor-owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, available, reliable, and fairly priced.

Our Vision:

To strive to achieve equitable and fair outcomes as a regulator of utility and transportation services and prioritize inclusion and belonging in the workplace.

For more information about our benefits or working at UTC, please visit our website.

What We Offer Our Employees:

• UTC fosters an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while striving to hire and retain a workforce from the communities we serve.
• We place importance on a healthy balance between personal and professional lives; offering flexible work schedules, wellness programs, and mobile/telework opportunities.
• Through the state, our employees (and their families) are offered options for medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance.
• We offer enrollment into the state retirement programs and a deferred compensation plan.
• Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.

Duties

Some of What You’ll Do:

• You will independently manage both simple and complex adjudicative proceedings, often involving multiple parties, diverse issues, and emerging questions of law and policy.
• You’ll ensure that commission orders and rulemakings are legally sound, well-reasoned, and grounded in strong regulatory principles.
• You may administer oaths, receive testimony and evidence, examine witnesses, and issue subpoenas or other procedural orders.
• You may also assess penalties or make probable cause determinations on behalf of the commission.
• When appropriate, you will help parties resolve disputes through effective, ethically grounded mediation.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Draft clear, legally robust orders that implement law and policy in contested cases, working independently or in collaboration with commissioners and policy advisors.
• Weigh and balance competing interests, translating complex considerations into well-crafted orders and rules.
• Exercise independent judgment in preparing initial orders for cases you preside over and make recommendations to commissioners for matters requiring final orders.
• Maintain accurate case records and manage procedural steps throughout each proceeding.
• Consult with the administrative law director or assistant director on decisions that carry significant implications for the commissioners or the agency.

Required Qualifications:

• A juris doctorate degree from an accredited law school OR successful completion of a law clerk program pursuant to Washington Admission to Practice Rule (APR) 6.
• Experience serving as an administrative law judge, commissioner, attorney, advisor, or other equivalent role in matters involving utility or other regulation, administrative law, or comparable legal issues requiring legal analysis and the application of law to fact.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following:

• Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills.
• Judicial temperament, including the ability to be objective, balance competing interests, manage administrative hearing, and develop and implement policies consistent with applicable law and record evidence.
• Working knowledge of rules governing the admissibility of evidence and procedural issues consistent with pertinent law.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team with commissioners, advisors, staff, parties, and interested people.

Demonstration of:

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Competencies (expected of all employees):

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

UTC Core Competencies (expected of all employees):

• Accountability
• Measuring Success and Improvement
• Customer Focus
• Results Focus
• Communication Skills
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Self-Development
• Continuous Process Improvement

Desired Qualifications:

• Current or inactive membership in good standing of a state bar association.
• Advanced litigation management skills, particularly in complex litigation involving diverse interests advocated by multiple participants.
• Demonstrated understanding of economics, accounting, corporate finance, regulatory rate making, and utility and transportation company operations, as well as public policies that relate to these areas.
• Demonstrated understanding of technical and public policy issues and the ability to achieve policies lawfully and consistently.
• Formal training and experience as a mediator or facilitator of decisions in group settings.

Supplemental Information

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY:

• This position is exempt from civil service rules – Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 357.
• RCW 80.01.020 limits the UTC's ability to employ any person who owns stock in any company the UTC regulates or is otherwise financially interested in such company. Such interests include those of an employee's spouse.

How to Apply:

Interested in joining the UTC team? Apply on careers.wa.gov. In order to be considered for further consideration, ensure you attach the following documents to your completed application:

1. Letter of Interest - describing how you meet the position qualifications and why you believe you are the ideal candidate.
2. Resume - detailing your applicable experience and education.
3. Brief Legal Writing Sample - preferably no more the ten (10) pages that you have written without contribution, assistance, or substantive editing by anyone else demonstrating your professional work.
4. Law School Transcript(s). This does not need to be an official copy.
5. References - at least three (3) professional references with current telephone numbers and email addresses; one (1) contact MUST be your current or most recent supervisor.

The initial screening of candidates will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the application materials including answers provided to the Supplemental Questionnaire, along with the required attachments indicated above submitted as part of the application process.

NOTE, indicating ‘see resume’ will not substitute for completing the "work experience" section or supplemental questionnaire of the application packet and may result in your submission being marked incomplete.

All information may be verified; additional documentation may be required. Candidates may be disqualified if the education and/or work experience does not include information used to meet the minimum qualifications of the job.

The UTC is an equal opportunity employer. We want to make sure you have an equal opportunity to join our team. Our commitment is making sure current and future employees are treated fairly and equally without regard to age, sex (including gender identity), race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or religious or political affiliation.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact humanresources@utc.wa.gov. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

For more information about the UTC, please visit:

www.utc.wa.gov, www.twitter.com/wautc and www.facebook.com/wautc

The State of Washington: 
http://access.wa.gov