STEM OPT Substation Design Engineer Jobs

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. The job summary below and responsibilities reflect the entry engineer level role. The successfully chosen candidate will be placed at a level that is commensurate with their skills and experience as different skills and/or experience will be required at the staff, senior, or principal engineer levels.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A Substation Design Engineer is responsible for the planning, design, and delivery of electric transmission and distribution substation projects, developing safe, reliable, and cost-effective engineering solutions while ensuring compliance with company standards, industry codes, and regulatory requirements. This role includes creating physical and/or protection and control designs for new substations and modifications to existing facilities, performing engineering analyses to validate design assumptions, and applying established design criteria to maintain consistency and safety. The engineer collaborates closely with cross-functional teams—including civil, structural, protection and control, construction, and operations—to integrate complete and constructable solutions, while reviewing and approving drawings, specifications, and material requirements to support project execution. Additionally, the role involves managing project deliverables, schedules, and technical scope, supporting construction by resolving field issues and design conflicts, and evaluating trade-offs to deliver practical, cost-effective solutions that balance engineering standards, risk, and constructability.

Position Summary

This position is designed to develop technical expertise in a particular area of specialty. Performs work that involves conventional types of plans, investigations, surveys, structures or equipment with relatively few complex features for which there are precedents. Activities are of limited scope requiring knowledge of principles and techniques commonly employed in the specific narrow area of assignments. May lead small-medium, non-critical projects and/or provide field oversight of critical projects under direction of higher level engineer or supervisor. Work is reviewed for soundness of technical judgment, overall adequacy and accuracy. As proficiency is gained, may work on portions of larger projects. Works under supervision and follows established procedures. May supervise or coordinate the work of interns, drafters, craft personnel, technicians and/or others.

Essential Responsibilities

• Uses and applies technical standards, principles, theories, concepts, and techniques to perform activities/assignments of limited scope.
• Supports the development of technical documentation (including but not limited to designs, testing, calculations, reports, standards, etc.). Utilizes and may assist with the development of procedures.
• Provides ongoing technical support for project activities within areas such as Operations, Maintenance, Testing/diagnostics, Regulatory, etc. May provide field engineering oversight for activities such as commissioning, testing, inspections etc. under direct supervision.
• Coordinates/leads projects or portions of projects (including phases such as research, design, equipment selection, procurement support, installation and commissioning), under the direction of a higher level engineer or supervisor.
• Under the direction of a higher level engineer/supervisor, supports bid/evaluation processes by performing basic analysis and calculations on existing documentation and materials that support the preparation of bid documents. In completing segments of technical evaluations for proposals may need to effectively communicate with other business areas of the company following appropriate processes.
• Effectively exchanges information in all formats, on matters having a wide range of importance and complexity both inter-organizationally and with outside customer/vendors.
• May coordinate the work of interns, drafters, technicians, and/or others and provides guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers. Responsible for continuous self development of technical skills and competencies.
• May perform activities such as budgeting, estimating, forecasting, accounting, work order management, in support of engineering projects.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Entry Engineer Level (Salary Range: $70,000-$88,667)

• Required bachelor's degree in engineering from ABET accredited curriculum. Preferred Electrical Engineering degree.
• 0+ years relevant engineering experience. Ability to demonstrate the unique technical skills and core competencies for this engineering level established & documented by the organization.
• Preferred EIT/FE (Engineer in Training/Fundamentals of Engineering) preferred.

Staff Engineer Level (Salary Range: $81,000-106,267)

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from ABET accredited. Preferred Electrical Engineering degree.
• 2+ years relevant engineering experience. Demonstrated broad knowledge & proficiency in specialty area, knowledge of related specialties, & general knowledge of other related disciplines.
• Ability to demonstrate the unique technical skills & core competencies for this engineering level established & documented by the organization.
• EIT/FE (Engineer in Training/Fundamentals of Engineering) strongly preferred.

Senior Engineer Level (Salary Range: $97,000-$129,267)

• Required bachelor’s degree in engineering from ABET accredited curriculum. Preferred Electrical Engineering degree.
• 5+ years relevant engineering experience with EIT/FE (Engineer in Training/Fundamentals of Engineering) required; 7+ years relevant engineering experience without EIT/FE.
• Ability to demonstrate the unique technical skills and core competencies for this engineering level established & documented by the organization.
• Preferred PE (Professional Engineer) registration may be required depending on business need.

Principal Engineer (Salary Range: $112,000-$156,600)

• Required bachelor’s degree in engineering from ABET accredited curriculum, Preferred Electrical Engineering degree.
• 9+ years relevant engineering experience with PE (Professional Engineer) registration required; 15+ years relevant engineering experience without PE.
• Ability to demonstrate the unique technical skills and core competencies for this engineering level established & documented by the organization.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in Substation physical or controlled design

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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: $70,000.00 to $156,600.00 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: 10/22/26

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