HEARINGS OFFICER (Job ID 53091)

About the role

The State of New Hampshire, Department of Agriculture, Office of the Commissioner has a part-time vacancy for Hearings Officer.

Responsibilities

• Presides over all administrative disciplinary hearings for the Department of Agriculture.
• Rules on motions, including the relevance of testimony and admission of exhibits.
• Renders administrative decisions.
• Conducts pre-hearing conferences to define issues, qualify exhibits, and explore areas of potential agreements between the parties to a disciplinary action.
• Drafts and revises legal orders.
• Explains proposed recommendations to the commissioner and directors within the Department of Agriculture.
• Conducts legal research by reviewing decisions of New Hampshire state courts, other state courts, and the federal government to determine precedent in legal matters.
• Reviews files, records, and motions.
• Administers the rulemaking process for the Department to ensure that the regulations have been promulgated in compliance with requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act and are in accordance with the Department’s statutory authority and consistent with Department policy and administrative practice.
• Informs and answers questions regarding the rulemaking process, legislative changes, new proposals and drafting of rules, as well as researching and informing of similar legislation, proposals or like information from other states.
• Monitors legislation and recommends specific bills for tracking, prepares testimony for legislative hearings, monitors all legislation including bills which might have an impact on the Department.
• Performs research on legislative issues, develops the Department’s legislative response in coordination with Commissioner and/or Director, and prepares speaking points for testimony.
• Drafts new and revises existing departmental rules to ensure proposed rules are within the scope of the Department’s authority and process them through the formal rulemaking process.
• Drafts legislation and amendments to state statutes and coordinates with respective Divisions pertaining to such modifications and/or rulemaking.
• Coordinates the administrative rulemaking process for the department to ensure regulations comply with the requirements and timetable for the Administrative Procedures Act.
• Reviews, approves, and supervises adoption of all proposed programmatic rules to ensure that the rules will be valid and enforceable.
• Researches, analyzes, and interprets state and federal statutes and rules to guide decisions of Department staff when formulating, changing, or modifying new or existing rules or legislation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience OR equivalent combination of 9 years of education and experience after completion of high school.
• Education and experience must include legal practice or legal or legislative research, or hearings administration or in a related field.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Current bar membership is not required so long as the person shall never have been dismissed from a state bar for cause.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of rulemaking and the legislative process.
• Public speaking, as well as the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with state agency heads and elected officials.

Trainee Option

Candidates with an equivalent combination of 8+ years of relevant education and experience after completion of high school may be considered and hired in trainee status for this position.