Wildfire Command Center Specialist

Xcel Energy; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Incentive Program

Medical/Health Plan

Pension

Job summary

Xcel Energy is seeking a Wildfire Command Center Specialist to monitor wildfire activity, organize data, and support leadership with real-time information. The role collaborates with Meteorological, PSPS, and Investigations teams to prepare for PSPS events and wildfire responses.

The position is full-time with a hybrid schedule, requiring coordination across multiple teams and states as needed to ensure robust wildfire preparedness and response capabilities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in emergency or disaster management or related field.
• Strong verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of NIMS/ICS/EOC/IMT operations.

Responsibilities

• Monitor wildfire information from multiple resources that impact XE.
• Develop and implement Wildfire Mitigation and WCC plans, playbooks, SOPs.
• Provide support for ICs during exercises and real-world incidents.
• Coordinate with emergency management partners and PSPS teams.
• Deliver real-time wildfire data and dashboards to leadership.

Skills

NIMS

ICS

EOC operations

IMT operations

Driver's license

Communication skills

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Associate’s degree in Emergency or Disaster Management

Advanced GIS degree or relevant focus

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

Google Earth Engine

Landsat imagery

R

Python

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

The Wildfire Command Center (WCC) Specialist will conduct monitoring of wildfire activity and threat across XE service territory. The WCC Specialist will monitor multiple electronic sources/feeds that relate to wildfires, wildfire conditions, wildfire threat, wildfire staffing constraints, fuels conditions, and weather conditions. This data will then be contextualized to form a picture of overall wildfire threat to XE. Data will be organized and displayed for larger visualization and informational briefings. Data will be tracked and recorded and then analyzed, evaluated for risk threat, confirmed and passed along to leadership. The WCC specialist will also display, post, share wildfire data collected and disseminate to internal operations and leadership. The WCC specialist will work closely with the Meteorological team and PSPS teams for potential wildfire EPSS/PSPS events. The WCC Specialist will work closely with the Investigations team and Public Safety Specialists during events, wildfires, PSPS or as needed to address wildfire threat. As needed communication with Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response partners is an ongoing job duty. WCC Specialist will support PSPS events with updates from all sources and provide real time wildfire information to DCC/ECC and other emergency XE functions that initiate and coordinate operational wildfire action or response. This includes the development and management of day-to-day wildfire command activities including creating standard operating procedures, planning, organizing, exercising and training, to ensure the center is prepared to track and respond to catastrophic incidents.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain partnerships, build and maintain external relationships with internal and external emergency management and wildfire partners.
• Assist training and develop of company personnel on emergency management concepts.
• Monitor wildfire information from numerous resources that impact XE.
• Monitor and visualize Wildfire Mitigation and Response program activities.
• Maintain familiarity with specialized software, tools and processes.
• Maintain and implement Wildfire and WCC response plans, playbooks, standard operating procedures and job aids and support the development of emergency operations plans.
• Provide support for ICs during exercises and real-world incidents.
• Routinely communicate with external partners to ensure stakeholders are aware of and understand the company's Wildfire Mitigation or response strategy. Interface with state/county emergency management officials.
• Facilitate training and exercises consistent with Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation program (HSEEP) as they relate to WCC operations.
• Participate in state, county, federal, industry and peer meetings, workshops, briefings, events, training, and facilitate company participation in external exercises.
• Work with internal business areas to ensure operational alignment around emergency preparedness for WCC operations, Wildfires and PSPS events consistent with National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Incident Command Structure (ICS) fundamentals.
• Maintain exceptional interpersonal and liaison skills.
• Maintain and document Wildfire and PSPS event response information to include developing incident action plans and situational awareness briefings and dashboards.
• Maintain awareness of current and potential wildfire risks to the company.
• Deliver tactical departmental goals to achieve overall Wildfire group strategic plans, objectives.
• Comply with internal and sector policies and regulatory requirements.

Minimum Requirements

• 5+ years experience working in emergency or disaster management, fire science, homeland security or related field or equivalent education and experience required.
• Strong verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
• Strong ability to work across organization boundaries and influence others.
• Strong investigative, analysis, conflict resolution, and negotiation skills.
• A valid state driver’s license is required.
• Knowledge and experience with National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command Structure (ICS), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operations, and Incident Management Team (IMT) operations.
• Self-directed and comfortable navigating ambiguity.
• Ability to work well across teams in high stress environments.
• Ability to build relationships and manage multiple opinions.
• Ability to understand complex technical and/or business information.
• Ability to define and manage internal projects and milestones.
• Associate’s degree in emergency or Disaster Management, Fire Science, Homeland Security or related field is desirable.
• Emergency Management, Wildfire, and Energy Sector related professional certifications are desirable.
• Experience in Wildfire Response is desirable.
• Experience is dispatch or control center is preferable.
• Experience in Energy Sector at a large Western utility provider is desirable.

Candidates should be comfortable supporting a flexible scheduling model.

This is a full-time salaried position supporting the weekday operations of the 24/7, 365-day Wildfire Command Center. Scheduled shift assignments rotate and vary based on team needs, preferred schedules, individual strengths, and development goals.

• Standard weekday shifts are 8 hours and are staggered between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Shifts may adjust during periods of elevated wildfire risk or active response operations. Weekend and PM shifts are covered by dedicated PM and Weekend staff.
• This position supports limited rotational weekend on-call coverage, typically one weekend every two months. Weekend support is traditionally remote and focused on providing oversight and backup to the dedicated weekend monitoring team.
• Staff support occasional holidays in coordination with the team and external staffing support if available.
• The Wildfire Command Center uses a hybrid staffing structure. Staff may work in the office or remotely depending on their weekly role, fire risk, and operational needs, after demonstrating the ability to follow virtual operations procedures.
• The schedule expectations outlined above reflect normal operating conditions; however, salaried staff may be expected to remain available when wildfire risk, active incidents, or other operational needs require additional support, including increased hours outside of normal schedules during escalated operations.

Under normal staffing conditions, the team maintains meaningful schedule flexibility, and adjustments are made collaboratively to balance operational coverage with individual needs while maintaining effective command center coverage.

Preferred Requirements:

• Expertise in wildfire impacts, vegetation recovery, fuels management, and landscape-scale environmental analysis.
• Firefighting Experience
• Advanced GIS and remote sensing experience using ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine, Landsat imagery, and spatial modeling techniques.
• Proficient in R and Python for data analysis, statistical modeling, and environmental data visualization.
• Advanced Degree in GIS with relevant focus or thesis/capstone project to wildfire

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.

Non-Bargaining

The anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $84,900.00 to $120,567.00 per year

This 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 Leave.

Benefit 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: 09/28/26

EEO 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 Statement

Xcel 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.