Senior Operations Planning Lead – Scheduling & Readiness

Xcel Energy; Sterling (CO); On-site; USD 51,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Pharmacy Plan

Dental

Vision

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Xcel Energy in Colorado is seeking an Operations Planner Team Lead to serve as a subject matter expert for planning, scheduling, and coordinating operational work across regions. The role provides strategic oversight of multi-week scheduling, ensures readiness, optimizes resources, and upholds safety and regulatory standards.

You will mentor planners, drive process improvements, and act as a liaison between field operations, design, and external stakeholders while promoting collaboration and

Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in construction, design, maintenance, or operations (utility experience preferred).
• 3 years in a senior planning role (e.g. Sr Operations Work Coordinator).
• Mastery in scheduling, planning, and operational coordination in utilities or construction.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with cross-team collaboration.
• Proficiency with Excel and other spreadsheet tools; ability to retrieve/manipulate data from reporting tools.
• Valid Driver’s License.

Responsibilities

• Oversee development and maintenance of a rolling 0–12+ week schedule for designated regions or commodity areas.
• Coordinate readiness prerequisites (permits, locates, traffic control, vegetation management) for projects.
• Mentor and train planners; drive process improvements and adherence to standards.
• Forecast personnel, equipment, and material needs; optimize resource allocation.
• Analyze scheduling performance and lead standard work practices and improvements.
• Coordinate with supervisors, field leaders, and external stakeholders; communicate scheduling/outage updates.
• Ensure timely job closeout, documentation, and financial stewardship of O&M and capital work.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Excel

Data retrieval

Scheduling tools

Education

Associate’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Work management tools

Scheduling/PM tools

Mapping tools

Job description

Xcel Energy in Colorado is seeking an Operations Planner Team Lead to serve as a subject matter expert for planning, scheduling, and coordinating operational work across regions. The role provides strategic oversight of multi-week scheduling, ensures readiness, optimizes resources, and upholds safety and regulatory standards.

You will mentor planners, drive process improvements, and act as a liaison between field operations, design, and external stakeholders while promoting collaboration and