ES NERC Senior Consultant - Operations & Planning

Xcel Energy; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 112,000 - 159,000; Full time

Job summary

Xcel Energy is seeking a NERC Senior Consultant – Operations & Planning to lead compliance programs for the Energy Supply organization. You will oversee regulatory strategies, coordinate audits, and work with cross-functional teams to implement compliance controls and continuous improvement.

The role requires a strong background in NERC standards, project management, and excellent communication. A hybrid work model is available with some on-site collaboration preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Business Administration preferred; combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Knowledge of current NERC requirements and regulations.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in power generation or equivalent industrial power and/or equipment OEM operations and maintenance processes.

Responsibilities

• Direction of the overall Energy Supply Compliance Plan across regulators and contractual responsibilities.
• Development and maintenance of policies and procedures to facilitate compliance.
• Direction of the NERC reliability standards program and coordination of the audit process.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Business Administration

Tools

Power Automate

Power BI

SharePoint

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 SummaryThe Energy Supply (ES) NERC Senior Consultant – Operations & Planning is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction, and project management for regulatory compliance programs impacting the Energy Supply organization. This role serves as a key compliance liaison and advisor on NERC Reliability Standards, federal and state regulatory requirements, and internal compliance obligations. The position partners across Energy Supply and corporate functions to ensure effective compliance governance, implementation of regulatory requirements, continuous process improvement, and audit readiness.The Senior Consultant will lead compliance initiatives, coordinate regulatory program implementation, support standards development activities, and drive integration of compliance requirements into business operations. This position plays a critical role in maintaining Energy Supply's culture of compliance while supporting operational excellence and reliability objectives.Essential Responsibilities-Direction of the overall Energy Supply Compliance Plan. This will include all federal, state, applicable regulatory bodies (e.g. NERC, WECC, MISO, SPP etc.) and contractual compliance filing and data responsibilities for Energy Supply. This will entail project direction responsibility to establish and implement the plan across the organization.-Development and maintenance of policies and procedures to facilitate compliance with applicable requirements. Review and maintenance of required documentation and supporting materials. Oversight of internal processes to ensure compliance and associated reporting.-Direction of the NERC reliability standards program and coordination of the overall audit process for the regulators for Energy Supply. This effort will entail some project direction to establish and implement the updated NERC policies process across the organization.-Coordination of Energy Supply positions on standards development process at NERC and RTOs. Liaison to other internal business units and external workgroups.-Key liaison with the Compliance Governance process as it relates to overall company compliance standard implementation (e.g. Sarbanes Oxley).-Other duties as necessary including:Compliance Control Standard and Roadmap reviewsProcessing Potential Non-ComplianceNew Standard ImplementationNew Facility Compliance Project ManagementInternal ControlsAudit ResponsibilitiesNERC Alerts and Data RequestsTrainingIndustry ParticipationContinuous Improvement ProjectsMinimum RequirementsBachelor's Degree in Engineering or Business Administration preferred; combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge will be considered.Knowledge of current NERC requirements and regulations.Minimum of 8 years of experience in power generation or equivalent industrial power and/or equipment OEM operations and maintenance processes.Comprehensive knowledge of generating facility operations and maintenance processes, with expertise in process control, electrical, turbine-generator/rotating equipment.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Demonstrated large project management skills, and ability to process large quantities of information.Preferred QualificationsDemonstrated experience with NERC Reliability Standards compliance, particularly within Operations and Planning functions.Experience supporting compliance programs within electric generation, transmission, or utility operations.Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, audit processes, compliance controls, and risk management principles.Experience with Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint, or similar process automation and reporting tools.Proven subject matter expertise in NERC compliance programs and regulatory governance.Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management experience.Operations, engineering, or compliance experience at a generation facility.Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder engagement, and organizational skills.Ability to manage multiple priorities, lead cross-functional initiatives, and influence outcomes without direct authority.Our culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.Our ValuesConnected, Committed, Trustworthy, SafeOur Employee CommitmentsWork that makes a differenceA team you can count ofOpportunities to growRewards that help you thriveXcel 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.Non-BargainingThe anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $112,200.00 to $159,400.00 per yearThis position is eligible for the following benefits: Annual Incentive Program, Medical/Pharmacy Plan, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, Health Care Reimbursement Account, Health Savings Account (HSA) (if enrolled in eligible health plan), Limited-Purpose FSA (if enrolled in eligible health plan and HSA), Transportation Reimbursement Account, Short-term disability (STD), Long-term disability (LTD), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Fitness Center Reimbursement (if enrolled in eligible health plan), Tuition reimbursement, Transit programs, Employee recognition program, Pension, 401(k) plan, Paid time off (PTO), Holidays, Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO), Parental LeaveBenefit plans are subject to change and Xcel Energy has the right to end, suspend, or amend any of its plans, at any time, in whole or in part.In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information including but not limited to dates of school attendance and graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.Deadline to Apply: 10/12/26EEO is the Law (PDF) | Equal Opportunity Statement (PDF) | Employee Rights (PDF)All Xcel Energy employees and contractors share responsibility for protecting the company's information and systems by adhering to cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices, recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.Accessibility StatementXcel Energy endeavors to make https://www.xcelenergy.com and https://jobs.xcelenergy.com accessible to any and all users. 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. For any other application related questions, including application follow-ups or technical issues, please use our Recruiting Assistance, Electra, for assistance. Electra can be found in the lower right-hand corner of our Xcel Energy Careers site.