Resource Planner III

Resource Planner III

***This job is eligible for relocation assistance to help cover the costs of moving to the Colorado Springs area.      

Colorado Springs Utilities is a four-service municipal utility serving a growing and dynamic community at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Our employees are committed to providing safe, reliable, and competitively priced electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater services while leading the transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy future.

The Energy Resource Planning team plays a critical role in shaping the future of our energy portfolio by evaluating emerging technologies, supporting regional market participation, informing long-term investment decisions, and ensuring reliable and affordable service for our customers.

As aResource Planner III, you will serve as a key policy and analytical resource for Colorado Springs Utilities' participation in Southwest Power Pool (SPP) stakeholder processes. You will prepare CSU representatives and leaders for working group decisions, evaluate the implications of policy and tariff proposals, coordinate organizational positions, and help translate approved changes into actionable internal plans.

 

How You'll Make an Impact

Southwest Power Pool Policy Intelligence

• Support Colorado Springs Utilities' participation in Southwest Power Pool planning, resource adequacy, market development, transmission, and stakeholder policy activities.
• Monitor, track, screen, and evaluate Southwest Power Pool Revision Requests, tariff revisions, business practice changes, market design proposals, and stakeholder initiatives that may affect Colorado Springs Utilities.
• Identify emerging Southwest Power Pool issues and proactively brief leadership on potential strategic opportunities, risks, decision points, and required organizational responses.
• Develop working knowledge of applicable Southwest Power Pool tariff provisions, criteria, protocols, governing documents, and stakeholder governance processes.
   

Working Group and Committee Preparation

• Lead preparation for assigned Southwest Power Pool working groups, task forces, committees, and stakeholder forums by reviewing agendas, meeting materials, staff reports, presentations, Revision Requests, and stakeholder comments.
• Prepare concise meeting briefs that identify key issues, impacts, recommended questions, decision points, voting considerations, and follow-up actions.
• Coordinate pre-meeting discussions with subject matter experts and stakeholder representatives to confirm objectives, technical concerns, and recommended positions.
• Support Colorado Springs Utilities representatives participating in Southwest Power Pool stakeholder forums, including resource adequacy, markets, transmission planning, cost allocation, and other policy-focused groups.
   

Position Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop policy recommendations, technical comments, position papers, presentations, executive briefings, decision memoranda, and recommended voting positions.
• Evaluate stakeholder positions and alternatives to identify areas of alignment, disagreement, negotiation, or potential coalition-building.
• Represent Colorado Springs Utilities professionally in assigned industry workgroups, technical conferences, and regional planning forums, as appropriate.
   

Impact Analysis and Strategic Recommendations

• Assess the reliability, operational, financial, market, resource adequacy, transmission planning, customer, and governance implications of proposed Southwest Power Pool policy changes.
• Develop quantitative and qualitative analyses that compare policy alternatives, implementation approaches, and potential outcomes for Colorado Springs Utilities.
• Integrate Southwest Power Pool policy developments into load forecasting, resource adequacy planning, generation and storage evaluation, demand response strategy, large-load planning, integrated resource planning, and long-term investment analysis.
• Use sensitivity analysis, probabilistic modeling, scenario analysis, and risk assessment to evaluate uncertainty and inform recommendations.
• Translate complex technical and policy information into concise, actionable guidance for technical staff, executives, governing boards, regulatory agencies, and stakeholder representatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning and stakeholder processes through automation, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence applications.
   

Implementation and Organizational Readiness

• Translate approved Southwest Power Pool policy, tariff, and market changes into actionable implementation plans for affected business units.
• Develop or support business requirements, process updates, internal controls, data needs, reporting changes, and operating procedures associated with new Southwest Power Pool requirements.
• Monitor implementation progress, dependencies, risks, and compliance obligations; elevate unresolved issues or schedule concerns to appropriate leaders. 

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Five years of progressively responsible experience in electric utility planning, power systems analysis, energy markets, integrated resource planning, utility economics, stakeholder policy analysis, or related analytical functions.
• Experience applying quantitative and qualitative analysis to support business, policy, or operational decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to organize complex information, manage multiple concurrent issues, meet deadlines, and coordinate input from diverse stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation communication skills. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Economics, Energy Systems, Mathematics, Data Analytics, Operations Research, Business, Finance, Public Policy, or a related.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing Southwest Power Pool tariff provisions, Revision Requests, market design initiatives, and stakeholder policy processes.
• Experience supporting or participating in Regional Transmission Organization stakeholder groups, committees, task forces, or governance processes.
• Knowledge of Southwest Power Pool resource adequacy, transmission planning, generator interconnection, market design, cost allocation, and market operations frameworks.
• Experience developing policy recommendations, technical comments, position papers, meeting briefs, voting guidance, or executive briefings.
• Knowledge of integrated resource planning practices, resource adequacy concepts, wholesale electricity markets, and utility regulatory frameworks.
• Understanding of generation technologies, battery energy storage systems, transmission planning, renewable resources, demand response, distributed energy resources, and large-load integration.
• Experience developing dashboards and data visualizations using Power BI.
• Experience with SQL, Python, R, or other data analytics tools. 

What Will Make You Successful

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical capabilities with a deep interest in energy policy, market design, and stakeholder engagement. Success in this role requires the ability to quickly understand complex regulatory and market issues, evaluate impacts across multiple business functions, and translate technical information into actionable recommendations for decision-makers.

The successful candidate will proactively monitor emerging Southwest Power Pool developments, prepare CSU representatives and leaders for key stakeholder discussions, build organizational alignment around policy positions, and help ensure approved market and tariff changes are incorporated into CSU processes. Strong organization, intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, collaborative leadership, and the ability to manage multiple concurrent policy initiatives are essential.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (1/3 of the time), and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, or pull objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary only if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other criteria are met.
• Positions in this class typically require talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions within an office working environment.

Our Commitment to Our Employees…
Our people are the heart and soul of Colorado Springs Utilities.  They keep the lights on, gas flowing, water coming in, and wastewater leaving.  We don't just say people are important – we prove it!  That’s why we are honored to invest in protecting the health and financial security of our employees and their families through our rich benefits program.

Time Offto Recharge

• Vacation – Start with 13 days annually, increasing to 24 days with tenure
• Personal Leave – 3 days per year
• Paid Holidays –12 paid holidays per year
• Sick Leave – 12 days per year for personal or family health needs
• Vacation Buy – Option to purchase up to 40 additional hours annually

Health & Wellness – Benefits elected are effective the first of the following month

• Medical Plans: Three comprehensive options, including a $0 premium High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility
• Zero Health: Access to hundreds of medical services at no cost
• Dental & Vision: Two dental plans and one vision plan
• Family Building-Benefits: Support for fertility, preservation, adoption, and surrogacy
• Wellness Program: A voluntary program that rewards you for prioritizing self-care! If you're enrolled in a our medical plan, you and your spouse can earn up to $600 in HRA or HSA contributions by completing healthy activities
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Pre-tax contributions for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Health Savings Account (HSA): Available with HDHP

Financial & Retirement Security

• Pension Plan: Colorado PERA provides retirement benefits and peace of mind
• Supplemental Retirement Plans: PERAPlus 401(k), MissionSquare Roth IRA, and 457 plans
• Disability Coverage: Short-Term and Long-Term Disability insurance available
• Life Insurance: Employer-paid coverage with optional supplemental plans

Additional Support

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential support for mental health, stress, legal, financial, and work-life balance
• Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $5,250  annually to support continued education
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: As a qualifying employer, your student loan payments may be eligible for loan forgiveness