Utility Consumer Program Specialist Trainee*, NS or Utility Consumer Program Specialist 1, Grade 14 (NY HELPS) in Buffalo

General Public

Non-Competitive (NY HELPS)**:

Either 1.  two years of experience*** (see substitutions below) in one or more of the following: Investigating customer inquiries and complaints as a customer service representative or responding to customer inquiries in a call center environment; Developing public awareness or consumer education programs relating to utility matters including, but not limited to, presentations to consumers, consumer advocates, regulatory agency personnel, or utility industry representatives; Conducting investigations involving energy, telecommunications, water, or cable service; Analyzing and/or researching information or data related to energy, telecommunications, water, or cable service; Designing survey instruments to measure and track customer satisfaction in utility industries, or analyzing and/or preparing reports on results of such surveys; Conducting inspections or tests of energy or water meters or telecommunications devices; or Analyzing utility customer education programs and/or customer service performance;

Or 2. 30 semester credit hours of college level study and one year of experience in one or more of the areas as described in #1 above;

Or 3. an associate degree or 60 semester credit hours of college level study.

OR

2. 30 semester credit hours of college level study AND one year of experience in one or more of the areas as described in #1 above; OR

3. an associate degree OR 60 semester credit hours of college level study.

In order to be appointed as a Utility Consumer Program Specialist 1, Grade 14, candidates must meet the qualifications listed above, but with three years of experience for number 1, two years of experience for number 2, or one year of experience for number 3:

***Substitutions: an associate degree may substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of specialized experience.

 Duties Description: 

The Utility Consumer Program Specialist 1 (Grade 14), will work in the Office of Consumer Services (OCS), Outreach and Education (O&E) Unit, and will perform duties that include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in the development and implementation of Outreach and Education campaigns on Department programs, policies, and initiatives.
• Working with Outreach staff to identify, evaluate, and develop new outreach opportunities, methods, and programs.
• Participating in outreach events to educate utility consumers, senior groups, service organizations, advocacy groups, etc., and serve as the public face of the Department. This may involve traveling to outreach events in the Capital District, Hudson Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, Central NY, and Western NY as needed.
• Creating, reviewing, and disseminating educational materials such as brochures, tip strips, exhibits, and branded promotional items.
• Assisting with the inventory of all outreach materials for OCS' Albany Office.
• Working with the Public Affairs office regarding public information content on the Department's website and social media channels.
• Assisting in OCS' efforts to disseminate information to residents and consumer leaders through various entities such as libraries, service organizations, municipal officials, and other partner agencies through targeted and mass mailings and email campaigns.
• Assisting with OCS’ fulfillment program which provides thousands of Department brochures about winter preparedness to community leaders and partner organizations across the State
• Maintaining OCS’ database of 6,000+ consumer leaders to ensure contacts are current and accurate and exploring leads to find new contacts.
• Participating in the oversight and review of utility annual Outreach and Education Plans.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders to provide public involvement opportunities including educational forums and public statement hearings, and soliciting input from potentially affected consumers, industries, and government entities regarding Public Service Commission proceedings.

Additional Comments: 

*Successful completion of the one-year traineeship leads to appointment as a Utility Consumer Program Specialist 1, Grade 14.

**This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in an NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified. 

****Candidates are encouraged to access GOT-IT on the Civil Service website (www.cs.ny.gov) to determine transfer eligibility.

This position will require up to 50% travel which will require possession of a valid driver’s license.

The primary location for these positions will be either Buffalo or New York, NY.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The Department of Public Service is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by contacting the Designee for Reasonable Accommodations (DRA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator which can be found under the Accessibility Link on the Department’s webpage at https://dps.ny.gov.

To Apply: 

Please send a resume, cover letter, and proof of meeting the minimum qualifications to recruiting@dps.ny.gov or fax to Human Resources Management at (518)473-9990.  Please reference “UCPS 1, NYHELPS posting 00637 - BUF” when applying.