Job description
Company Description
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) manages the flow of electricity across the high-voltage, long-distance power lines that make up 80 percent of California’s power grid. We safeguard the economy and well-being of 30 million Californians by operating the grid reliably 24/7.
As the impartial grid operator, the California ISO opens access to the wholesale power market that is designed to diversify resources and lower prices. It also grants equal access to 25,865 circuit-miles of power lines and reduces barriers to diverse resources competing to bring power to customers.
The California ISO’s function is often compared to that of air traffic controllers. It would be grossly unfair for air traffic controllers to represent one airline and profit from allowing that company’s planes to go through before others. In the same way, the California ISO operates independently—managing the electron traffic on a power grid we do not own—making sure electricity is safely delivered to utilities and consumers on time and reliably.
The California ISO is committed to the health, safety, and work/life integration of its employees, and is proud to offer flexible work arrangements. This position is available in a hybrid or fully remote schedule.
Relocation assistance is available.
Job Description
Under the general direction of the Manager, ensures programmatic compliance and audit readiness with NERC reliability standards, ISO Tariff, and FERC obligations through effective interpretation, implementation, and documentation of regulatory requirements. Serves as a primary liaison to regulatory agencies and leads internal readiness efforts. Leverages AI tools to increase efficiency and accuracy in compliance assessments, while maintaining human oversight and judgment in regulatory decision-making.
What Will You Be Doing:
- Responsible for assessing and investigating potential compliance violations, including, without limitation, potential violations of federal and state laws, NERC reliability standards, ISO Tariff, or corporate policies. Responsible for the end-to-end change management of compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. Actively participates in the stakeholder engagement phase for standards development and collaborates with Legal and SMEs to ensure the ISO’s interests are protected. Leads and supports implementation and internal readiness activities to ensure compliance with new or revised standards. Responsible for tracking changes resulting from new or revised regulatory requirements. Monitors regulatory changes and assesses impacts to existing compliance procedures and controls. Facilitates the development of the ISO’s position on new and evolving reliability standards. Coordinates internal readiness activities in collaboration with compliance liaisons and business partners. Leverages AI-enabled tools to streamline compliance assessments, evidence collection, and audit preparation across all regulatory areas. Reviews, validates, and supplements AI-generated outputs to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with regulatory expectations. Ensures corrective action plans resulting from assessments and audits are tracked and closed in a timely manner. Utilizes operational tools and data mining to perform independent compliance assessments related to system operational and market events as needed.
- Coordinates submittals to regulatory agencies (e.g. WECC, NERC, and FERC) ensuring accuracy and timeliness, in accordance with established KPIs. Manages NERC Coordinated Functional Registration agreements (CFR) and other external compliance documentation. Represents the ISO in regulatory forums and peer engagement efforts.
- Develops and delivers compliance training and awareness activities, including articles, forums, or targeted sessions. Promotes a culture of regulatory compliance awareness and ownership through education and collaborative discussions. Ensures alignment with the Risk & Controls team on shared requirements and mitigation plans.
- Partners with the Risk & Controls team to optimize use of automation tools in regulatory workflows. Develops prompts, refines data inputs, and enhances the quality of AI-generated compliance assessments and documentation. Supports efforts to evaluate AI accuracy, reduce manual workload, and maintain a strong compliance posture in evolving technology environments.
- Develops and maintains strong collaborative relationships with regulators. Participates in external compliance forums, peer benchmarking, and industry events. Remains current on regulatory trends, internal control standards, and risk mitigation practices.
- Develops and maintains strong collaborative relationships with regulators. Participates in external compliance forums, peer benchmarking, and industry events. Remains current on regulatory trends, internal control standards, and risk mitigation practices.
- May function as a Department Manager and is accountable to Manager for actions taken in Manager’s absence. May be granted additional supervisory authority based on department needs and/or consistent with departmental succession planning.
Qualifications
Level of Education and Discipline:
A Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS) or equivalent education, training or experience in Business, Legal, Information Management, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
Amount of Experience:
Equivalent years of education and training, plus six (6) or more years related experience.
Certifications:
NERC System Operator Certification, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) or Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) strongly preferred.
Type of Experience:
Experience in NERC or FERC regulatory compliance, audit support, or related roles. Experience in leading projects or mentoring team members. Strong working knowledge of NERC mandatory reliability standards, regulatory compliance frameworks, and audit processes required. Experience supporting regulatory filings, audit readiness activities, and compliance monitoring programs. Familiarity with ISO Tariff and FERC regulatory reporting obligations. Demonstrated ability to interpret regulatory requirements and contribute to internal investigations and corrective action plans. Exposure to engineering principles within the energy sector is a plus. Experience using compliance management systems or automation tools is desirable.
Additional Skills and Abilities:
Demonstrates fundamental management and leadership skills with the ability to work effectively in a team environment as a leader, facilitator and team member. Ability to provide practical and feasible solutions to problems, keeping multiple conflicting considerations into account. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills required. Excellent analytical skills are required, including the ability to effectively communicate complex technical and regulatory concepts clearly and in a non-technical manner. Must be able to handle a dynamic and changing work environment, and work independently. Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite. Self-motivated, problem solving skills and the ability to influence others without direct authority. Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to assess complex compliance issues. Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines. Collaborative mindset with a demonstrated ability to work effectively across teams and departments. Commitment to continuous learning and professional development in the regulatory compliance field.
Additional Information
The pay range for the Lead Regulatory Compliance Analyst is $139,575 - $232,625 annually.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
