Environmental Analyst IV - Aquatic Biologist

Xcel Energy Services Inc; Welch Township (MN); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Xcel Energy Services Inc is seeking an experienced environmental professional to oversee regulatory compliance projects across multiple sites. The role emphasizes coordinating audits, permits, and environmental assessments to ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, while contributing to the company’s environmental strategy.

The position requires collaboration with regulators and internal teams, with hybrid work options and opportunities to advance regulatory excellence within

Responsibilities

• Administers and consults on complex environmental programs to minimize deficiencies and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Negotiates and administers license and permit applications with federal, state, and local agencies.
• Directs data collection, strategic studies, evaluations, and report development to support environmental regulatory requirements.

Job description

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.

Xcel Energy supports a hybrid work model to enable collaboration and flexibility. Many roles are expected to work onsite three days per week (Tuesday-Thursday); however, work location expectations vary based on role, team, and business needs.

Position Summary

Plans, supervises, provides expertise/consultation, reviews progress, and evaluates results on projects and programs involving engineering, permitting, licensing, auditing, regulatory compliance, and/or environmental assessments to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental statutes and regulations. Possesses comprehensive knowledge of theories and principles and applies it in creative and effective ways to a broad range of very difficult and complex assignments. Under consultative direction and with substantial latitude for unreviewed actions and decisions conducts important investigations requiring the application of new approaches in the field. Routinely serves on special work teams and uses expert technical knowledge to act as lead person or technical advisor on medium to large projects. Assignments are routinely self‑initiated.

Essential Responsibilities

• Administers and consults on complex programs designed to minimize deficiencies and ensure compliance with regulations and permits. Directs site assessment/investigations/remediation projects as necessary. (Major areas may include auditing, air permitting and compliance, water/wastewater permitting and compliance, land quality, radiological, above ground and underground storage tanks, emergency plans, DOT compliance, FAA safety regulations, and hazardous, liquid and solid waste disposal.)
• Negotiates and administers license and permit applications and response actions to ensure compliance with existing federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Performs as a regulatory liaison with federal, state, and local agencies. Presents testimony at environmental hearings to support company position on environmental regulatory development.
• Directs and/or conducts data collection, strategic studies, evaluations, and report development to support environmental regulatory requirements at Xcel facilities. Projects may include proposed legislation and/or emerging public issues, operating permit limits and/or potential environmental regulatory noncompliance.
• Develops training lesson plan content that meet Xcel Academy standards, maintains instructor qualifications, and provides regulatory compliance training to Xcel personnel as is regulatory required and/or customer requested.
• Monitors outcomes of incidents, regulatory inspections and internal audits of company owned facilities, contractors, and/or outside disposal facilities and conducts and/or assesses root cause analysis to ensure corrective actions adequately address the problem, and non‑compliance conditions are not repeated. Provides support for emergency environmental incidents as needed.
• Monitors statutes, regulations, licenses, and/or permits for potential impacts to facility operations. Reviews proposed regulations, licenses, and/or permits to determine potential impacts to facility operations. Serves as the lead reviewer coordinating comments from others into a single company position recommendation.
• Prepares requests for proposals, contract agreements, and project estimates. Supports and/or selects and manages consultants and contractors.
• Assists others in developing, refining and implementing the strategic goals and objectives of Xcel Energy. Contributes to process teams concerning budget and regulatory compliance.

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform environmental sampling and laboratory testing to meet permit and compliance requirements. Collect and evaluate water quality, fisheries, macroinvertebrate, plankton, and sediment data, and prepare reports for regulatory agencies
• Serve as the subject matter expert for water-related regulations, including the Clean Water Act and requirements for industrial wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, dredging, wells and septic and sanitary sewer systems.
• Prepare, negotiation, administer, and implement wastewate