Meteorology Project Manager (PM III)

Xcel Energy•Denver, CO

17h•$112,200 - $159,400•Onsite

About The Position

Standard Operations Position. Provide end-to-end project management, leadership, and coordination for multiple large, complex scientific technology projects or foundational wildfire meteorology and fire science project work streams with responsibility for project initiation, approval, scope, schedule, cost, resource planning, and risk management. Manage alignment of financial, compliance, operational, and wildfire risk goals between and among projects, the business unit, and the broader wildfire risk organization. Lead project teams to achieve critical financial, timing, operational, and change management metrics, including strategic sequencing, detailed milestone schedules, cost tracking, reconciliation, and project closure. Ensure effective sourcing, management, and engagement of internal and external resources needed to deliver scientific, modeling, infrastructure, and operational outcomes.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years work experience in operations, technology, finance, or comparable function; utility experience preferred
BS Engineering, Construction, Business, Information Technology or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
10 years' experience in project management and process improvement; project management certification preferred
Demonstrated ability to facilitate, train, lead and influence others, and adapt to change quickly
Experience with providing work direction to diverse/distributed work
Understanding of core business processes/industry trends with ability to interpret/apply ongoing changes
Knowledge of project planning and business need justification process and methodology
Vendor/contract management experience preferred

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management experience.
Experience leading complex, cross-functional projects involving scientific, technical, operational, or technology-focused initiatives.
Experience managing complex operational projects, including weather station deployments and other field-based initiatives, ensuring delivery on scope, schedule, budget, and business objectives.
Experience using MS Project, JIRA, SharePoint, Confluence, MS Office or other equivalent project management tooling.
Manage projects through the full software development life cycle (SDLC) using hybrid Waterfall/Agile methodologies, including requirements gathering, sprint planning, backlog prioritization and agile ceremony facilitation.
Experience developing and managing project budgets (in excess of $5 million dollars), budget forecasting, and contracting, including creation of purchase requisitions/orders; financial tracking using SAP or comparable financial systems.
Experience with vendor management, contract negotiation/administration, procurement processes, and RFP development.

Responsibilities

Function as project controller for multiple large, complex scientific, infrastructure, and modeling projects. Manage project financials including budgeting, forecasting, actuals tracking, and cost/benefit analysis.
Facilitate RFP and contract management processes with vendors, consultants, contractors, and research partners.
Review actuals versus planned budget throughout the project lifecycle to identify variances and recommend corrective action.
Ensure timely project closure, payment, reconciliation, and alignment with financial, compliance, and project governance requirements.
Identify quality project options, develop business cases, and secure required approvals.
Lead requirements gathering and the planning process while engaging key stakeholders across meteorology, wildfire risk, operations, technology, field execution, finance, supply chain, and external partners.
Define appropriate project scope for initiatives such as advanced modeling systems, research partnerships, data integration efforts, and weather station deployment and maintenance programs.
Align work with corporate strategies and key wildfire risk initiatives, ensuring dependencies, permitting needs, compliance requirements, and data integration requirements are identified and addressed.
Define deliverables, success metrics, key milestone schedules, work plans, budgets, and cost/benefit analysis.
Ensure successful delivery of committed project benefits and operational metrics in a dynamic and complex environment that includes field execution, scientific uncertainty, evolving technology requirements, and cross-functional dependencies.
Independently manage detailed project plans to approved scope, schedule, and budget, and provide cross-functional tracking as needed across field, data, modeling, research, and operational efforts.
Define and manage a regular status reporting process to monitor progress and resolve risks to goal.
Identify plan gaps, develop closure plans, and continually identify opportunities for innovation and improvement across wildfire meteorology and fire science initiatives.
Forecast, schedule, and manage resources, both internal and external, including vendors, contractors, consultants, construction or field support, data and technology teams, and academic partners.
Manage assigned contracts and associated payments, deliverables, service levels, and performance requirements.
Develop and adapt a comprehensive resource plan for a matrixed team of technical, scientific, operational, and business talent to maximize skills, meet project commitments, and minimize cost.
Provide training, mentoring, and coaching to less experienced project team members.
Manage the scope change process for large, complex, or transformational projects and support best practices for the business area in addition to assigned projects.
Identify risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle, including field execution constraints, data quality, permitting, supply chain, technology delivery, budget, safety, compliance, and external partner dependencies.
Create mitigation strategies, contingency plans, and escalation paths to support continuity of critical systems, clear decision-making, and delivery of committed project outcomes.
Communicate project status to all levels of the organization, including senior leaders.
Establish effective, collaborative working relationships across meteorology, wildfire risk, operations, technology, finance, supply chain, regulatory, field teams, and external research or vendor partners to maximize project efficiency, responsiveness, and resource allocation.
Lead alignment among stakeholders to support scientific credibility, operational adoption, and delivery of wildfire risk reduction outcomes.
Maintain project documentation and records necessary to support audits, regulatory inquiries, compliance reporting, and defensibility of wildfire risk mitigation investments.