Senior Resource Planning Analyst

About the role

This modeling-focused team is responsible for model development, innovation, testing, and integration with the enterprise data fabric. The team is composed of technical experts in economics, engineering, and mathematics. We are seeking subject matter experts with experience in capacity expansion and production cost analysis, nodal analysis, regional transmission analysis, reliability studies, or operations research related to the electric utility industry.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive plans to obtain or add new capacity and energy resources (e.g. new generation plants) in the most cost-effective manner.
• Project manage development of these resource plans for larger Xcel Energy operating utilities.
• Lead team in preparing and performing the modeling studies required to discover the optimal portfolio of generation resources to meet customer energy and peak demand.
• Interface with regulators, interveners, including political and special interest groups, customers, and power suppliers to obtain consensus, support, and/or regulatory approval of optimal resource plans.
• Prepare and perform expansion and production cost economic modeling of alternative supply plans and resources to develop optimal supply-demand portfolios for each Xcel Energy operating utility, incorporating consideration of various risks (e.g. fuel prices, electric market prices, reliability criteria, environmental requirements, technology development scenarios, etc.).
• Develop new quantitative processes to analyze risk issues.
• Interface and work with Forecasting, Risk Management, Trading, Gas Supply, Coal Supply, Transmission Operations, Regulatory Services, Retail and other Xcel groups to incorporate short-term and long-range considerations into the resource plans, including transmission constraints, growth forecasts, demand side management forecasts, fuel and electricity market price risks, etc.
• Ensure that the expansion plan and production cost modeling of the utility power systems is accurate and current in terms of fuel costs, production capability (heat rates, capacity, starting and variable operating cost, etc.), contract terms (scheduling flexibility, constraints, availability, etc.).
• Be an expert resource for at least one of the Xcel Energy utilities.
• Project manage resource solicitation processes including developing the proposal, overseeing the evaluations conducted by a team of analysts and outside consultants, assuring the process was fair to all parties, recommending and defending winning offers to senior management and defending evaluation processes and recommendations in public and regulatory forums.
• Be a resource for less experienced planning analysts in the areas of modeling, problem analysis, regulatory strategy and system knowledge.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, economics or quantitative analysis.
• At least eight years utility experience in work functions such as plant engineering or operations, forecasting, rates, load research, or similar function that provides candidate with understanding of generation planning and system modeling techniques.
• At least three years modeling experience with expansion or production simulation models.
• Extensive system knowledge of at least one of the larger Xcel Energy utilities.

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Master’s degree or higher preferred.
• Experience in operations research and optimization tools such as Gurobi or similar solvers; nodal analysis tools such as PROMOD or similar platforms; or electric and natural gas markets and price forecasting.
• Strong proficiency in Excel and Python.

Benefits

• Annual Incentive Program
• Medical/Pharmacy Plan
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Account
• Health Care Reimbursement Account
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Limited-Purpose FSA
• 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