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.

 

Director, Large Load Program Management

Position Summary

Xcel Energy’s Enterprise Growth and Commercialization group aims to modernize and expand the energy grid while driving economic growth and sustainability to meet the evolving energy needs of the communities it serves, including large load customers such as data centers. This role will support Xcel’s growth initiatives as a cross-company focused program management initiative lead, driving deal execution and programmatic initiatives to ensure deal throughput and meet the market demand for large load growth and also benefit all customers. 

Provides strategic leadership and executive-level direction for program and project management activities supporting large-load growth. Owns the end-to-end deal lifecycle across workstreams, coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and ensuring consistent use of governance, tracking, and reporting tools across the initiative. Accountable for navigating business and regulatory processes, advising senior leadership on program strategy, and ensuring quality and schedule requirements are met across all workstreams. Reviews and prioritizes resourcing requests across the initiative’s workstreams to inform phased staffing decisions. Defines program governance and charter, sets strategic direction and business alignment across workstreams, prioritizes resourcing requests, oversees scope and risk mitigation, builds relationships with internal stakeholders, and delivers executive reporting on program status.

Essential Responsibilities

• Program Governance: Define and maintain program charter, organization structure, and governance model; own governance meeting cadence and reporting to senior leadership.
• Strategic Oversight & Business Alignment: Provide executive-level direction across the program’s workstreams and establish business plans, goals, and objectives in line with enterprise growth strategy.
• Resource Planning: Review and prioritize resourcing requests across the program; advise leadership on phased resourcing decisions.
• Scope & Risk Management: Oversee processes related to scope, cost control, change management, and risk mitigation across workstreams.
• Relationship Management: Establish effective, collaborative working relationships with internal organizations and senior leadership to maximize program efficiency.
• Reporting & Communication: Prepare executive reporting and communicate program status, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Perform special projects and other duties as required.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, construction management, project management, or related field preferred; Master’s or MBA a plus. 
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in program/project management, including leadership of cross-functional teams. 
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in large-scale capital or growth initiatives; utility experience preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior leadership and manage matrixed, multi-disciplinary teams. 
• Strong change leadership, communication, and executive presentation skills. 
• Demonstrated experience with large-load or data center growth initiatives preferred. 
• PMP or equivalent certification preferred.

 

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: $148,400.00 to $210,733.00 per year

 

This position is eligible for the following benefits: Annual Incentive Program, Long Term Incentive, Medical/Pharmacy Plan, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Care Flexible Spending 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: 11/30/26

 

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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.