Transmission Planning Engineer, Senior or Principal

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a leading energy provider and Fortune 500 company, dedicated to serving millions of electricity and natural gas customers across eight states: Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. We make energy work better for our customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar - delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy. 

Xcel Energy is a place where you’ll have opportunities to grow, expand your skills, and help lead the clean energy transition. We offer meaningful rewards, recognition, and support to help you build your career and make an impact - both on the job and beyond. Most importantly, it means you’ll be joining a company that knows employees are the driving force behind its success and is committed to helping you be your best.

Position Summary:

Applies extensive technical expertise and has full knowledge of other related disciplines. Performs as a staff advisor and consultant in a technical specialty, a type of facility or equipment, or a program function. Carries out complex or innovative assignments requiring the development of new or improved techniques and procedures. Work is expected to result in the development of new/improved techniques and procedures or new/refined equipment, materials, processes, products, and/or scientific methods. Represents the organization as the prime technical contact on contracts and projects and interacts with senior external personnel on significant technical matters often requiring coordination between organizations. Work is performed without appreciable direction and considerable latitude is exercised in determining technical objectives of assignment. Guidance relates largely to overall objectives, critical issues, new concepts and policy matters. Completed work is reviewed from a relatively long- term perspective, for desired results. May assign tasks to and direct engineers, technicians, craft personnel and administrative staff, including coordination and review of work assignments. Responsible for (and may lead) multiple projects of moderate to large size or portions of major projects. This role requires a balance of technical acumen and strong communication skills, as the senior engineer will need to convey technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Communication will occur in various formats, including in-person meetings, virtual discussions, presentations to leadership, and written reports.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Power systems studies engineer: Leads and performs modeling and analysis activities for steady state and stability simulations
• Transmission planning engineer: Develops scopes for studies to guide long-range transmission system plans and coordinates with other Integrated System Planning departments to ensure assumptions align across subdisciplines
• Effectively communicates the results of studies and department endeavors to a wide range of audiences through written and verbal means
• Improves Integrated System Planning procedures and techniques through largely self-directed work. Resolves difficult technical and business problems
• Implements, without substantial direction, NERC and FERC compliance activities as an SME. Activities are coordinated through the Integrated System Planning department and with external entities
• Assigns tasks to lower-level engineers, interns and technicians. Mentors and provides training materials for less experienced engineers to ensure group development

Senior Minimum Requirements (Salary Range: $97,000-$145,500)

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and/or Physics from ABET accredited curriculum, electrical engineering degree preferred.
• 5+ years with nationally recognized certification, 7+ years without certification.
• Experience with multiple power system transmission analysis tools such as PSSE, TARA, EMS, ASPEN, CAPE, PROMOD, PLEXOS, PowerWorld, PSCAD or other similar analysis software.
• EIT/FE (Engineer in Training/Fundamentals of Engineering and/or PE (Professional Engineer) registration preferred.
• Graduate degree in fields above preferred.

Principal Minimum Requirements (Salary Range: $112,000-$178,900)

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and/or Physics from ABET accredited curriculum (or recognized equivalency).
• 9 + years of demonstrated experience with PE (Professional Engineer) registration, 15+ years of demonstrated experience without PE (Professional Engineer) registration.
• Experience with multiple power system transmission analysis tools, such as PSSE, TARA, EMS, ASPEN, CAPE, PROMOD, PLEXOS, PowerWorld, PSCAD or other similar analysis software.
• EIT/FE (Engineer in Training/Fundamentals of Engineering and/or PE (Professional Engineer) registration preferred.
• Graduate degree in fields above preferred.
• PE (Professional Engineer) registration preferred.

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Experience with Python programming
• Proficiency in conducting transient stability studies and analysis.
• Experience with EMT modeling and studies using PSCAD, ETAP or other similar tools

Our culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.

Our Values

Connected, Committed, Trustworthy, Safe

Our Employee Commitments

• Work that makes a difference
• A team you can count of
• Opportunities to grow
• Rewards that help you thrive

Xcel Energy provides job applicants reasonable accommodations for disabilities throughout the application process. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the Applicant Accommodation Request Form. 

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