Engineering Director Jobs in Minnesota

INTRODUCTION

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

Provides strategic leadership and technical direction for all engineering oversight functions supporting the Major Projects Group, across all Xcel Energy operating companies. Accountable for the safety, quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness of engineering deliverables for the company's most complex, critical and high-value capital projects.

Serves as the enterprise engineering authority for major projects, with responsibility for overseeing an internal team of engineers and directing a significant complement of professional engineering consultant resources across multiple disciplines — civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and controls acting as Owner’s Engineers on behalf of the company. Ensures engineering designs comply with all applicable codes, company standards, and regulatory requirements while supporting safe, reliable, and cost-effective project execution across the full project lifecycle, from feasibility through commissioning and close-out.

This role anticipates and positions the engineering organization to meet future business requirements in a dynamic environment, while leading critical partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the attainment of corporate and business unit goals and objectives.

Essential Responsibilities

• Engineering Oversight & Technical Direction. Accountable for all engineering and design activities and standards across the major projects portfolio, spanning fixed and linear assets. Ensures engineering deliverables — including certified designs, drawing packages, specifications, models, and procurement support — are delivered safely, on time, within budget, and in full compliance with applicable codes, standards, and regulations.

• Consultant & Resource Management. Directs and manages a team of engineers, including internal engineers and a significant complement of professional engineering consultants. Ensures consultant and vendor personnel are qualified to perform work in accordance with accepted Xcel Energy standards and processes. Establishes performance expectations, assesses the quality of engineering deliverables delivered by construction partners, and holds all internal and external resources accountable for results.

• Standards & Specifications. Accountable for establishing and maintaining uniform engineering standards, specifications, and design criteria for major capital projects across all operating companies. Ensures standardization of design practices while accommodating regional and asset-type-specific requirements. Partners with the Central Program Office, construction partners and Business Unit engineering organizations to ensure enterprise alignment.

• Capital Portfolio Engineering Support. Provides engineering leadership across a multi-billion-dollar capital portfolio of projects, including scope development, EPC engineering deliverable reviews, design/material standard deviation requests, constructability reviews, design optimization, value engineering, and technical risk assessment. Ensures engineering deliverables satisfy stage-gate requirements as well as contractual deliverables, and are aligned with approved project scope, schedule, and budget.

• Cross-Functional Coordination. Communicates with and establishes effective working relationships with internal organizations outside the span of control — including regional Capital Directors, Business Unit Engineering leadership, Internal standards organizations, EPC Partners, MPG Construction leadership, Project Controls, Integrated System Planning, Supply Chain, Operations, Regulatory, and Legal — to maximize efficiency.

• Regulatory & Compliance Support. Prepares and supports regulatory filings (CPCNs, route permits, rate case filings) as they relate to engineering scope, design, and technical requirements. Ensures compliance with NERC/FERC reliability standards, Bulk Electric System requirements, and all applicable federal, state, and local codes and regulations. Non-compliance with BES rules can result in substantial fines; this role is accountable for maintaining vigilance and adherence to established standards.

• Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement. Accountable for engineering QA/QC across the major projects portfolio. Ensures a robust review process for all engineering deliverables produced by internal and external resources. Implements a structured lessons-learned and feedback process to drive continuous improvement in engineering quality and execution.

• Technology & Innovation. Accountable for researching, evaluating, and facilitating the selection of technological alternatives and equipment for improved system, environmental, and safety performance. Maintains awareness of leading-edge technology and potential applications that facilitate the company's strategic objectives, including evolving requirements for inverter-based generation, new generating facilities, renewable generation, carbon reduction, and high-voltage systems (up to 765kV).

• Talent Development & Workforce Management. Develops leadership, selects, and retains a multi-functional, diversified, well-trained, motivated, and empowered workforce. Models innovative approaches. Promotes employee involvement in continuous learning, career planning, enhancing job and industry knowledge and skills, and professional engineering registration. Builds internal engineering capability to support the organization's long-term workforce strategy.

• Industry Representation. Represents the company nationally and locally through participation in industry and professional forums to stay abreast of emerging industry changes, issues, and technologies applicable to linear asset engineering.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, or Structural preferred) from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of 12 years of combined experience in engineering, design, construction, and/or project management.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in engineering leadership or management positions, including oversight of multi-discipline engineering teams and external engineering consultants.
• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable codes, standards, and regulations, including NESC, NEC, NERC/FERC, OSHA, DOT, and EPA.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Up to 50% Travel between regions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with EPC, EPCM, and/or CMAR delivery models for large capital projects.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Experience with utility capital project governance processes (e.g., stage-gate).
• Demonstrated experience managing large portfolios of professional engineering consultant resources.
• Experience supporting regulatory filings, rate case proceedings, or CPCN applications.

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 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: 10/16/26

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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.