Generation Development Project Estimator

About the job

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.

Generation Development Project Estimator

Position Summary

The Generation Development Project Estimator role is responsible for creating and managing new power generation project cost estimates, developing and maintaining estimating tools such as complex spreadsheets or commercial project management platforms, maintaining databases of prior cost information, and supporting project managers in creating cost estimates for new billion-dollar-class power generation projects. Project types may include renewable, thermal, and emerging energy technology power plants. The scope of the estimating work involves whole-project development estimates including costs and payment schedules for major equipment contracts, EPC and construction services, interconnection, land and permitting, consultants, indirect and owner’s costs, contingencies, etc., both for total estimate rollups and cash flows integrated with the project master schedule. Work with development project managers to create quantitative risk registers and risk-weighted contingency estimates. The role is not required to perform detailed construction and material takeoff estimates but may be involved in reviewing such estimates provided by 3rd-party EPCs or construction contractors. This position collaborates with development project managers, schedulers, supply chain, vendor representatives, and Generation Development leadership to identify requirements, consider alternatives, and implement best practices. The Generation Development Project Estimator directly supports development of confident, high-accuracy competitive bids for new power generation projects.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provides ongoing support for the optimal performance of project management systems. Demonstrates super user capabilities with project management systems. Maintains a thorough knowledge of new and innovative techniques in the project management, scheduling and cost controls fields. As a business area resource, they shall represent the business area in project management application meetings and in efforts to promote standard project management and controls practices throughout the company. Provides daily system administration activities for specific department project management applications (i.e. Primavera P6, enterprise project portfolio management applications, or specific cost control applications).
• Responsible for project management application launches, training plans and execution, continuous improvement, and change management. Develop quantitative metrics to measure the accessibility, reliability, ease of use, and actual use of the applications.
• Maintains appropriate access to systems through administration of user IDs/passwords roles and views if applicable. Ensure that Xcel Energy remains in compliance with software licensing requirements. Perform user acceptance testing for releases of software enhancements. Troubleshoot and solve system and user problems as possible prior to Technology Services Help Desk/Hotline. Escalate issues to IT personnel as per agreed to support and maintenance roles with Technology Services. Contribute to the Technology Services on-line systems for collecting lessons learned for faster more effective resolution of problem.
• Responsible for project management and controls policies, procedures, guidelines and tool box elements related to project management applications. Develop additional report templates to meet end-user needs for more effective project management and standardized reporting. Provides quality assurance and control to ensure data integrity, including use of the standard work breakdown structure and project template standards. Collaborate with end users of the applications, business unit leadership, and corporate stakeholders. ****

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university, or equivalent relevant experience with knowledge of heavy construction and/or utility project planning, scheduling and cost estimating techniques.
• Minimum of five (5) years related experience including detailed knowledge of project planning, cost estimating, and scheduling methods and practices.
• Proficient to expert in standard server software applications such as e-mail, Microsoft Office applications.
• Proficiency with AACE cost estimating standards and practices.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in project cost estimating for heavy industrial construction projects; utility experience strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with scheduling tools such as Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project.
• Proficiency with commercial project management platforms (such as, but not limited to, InEight).

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: $97,600.00 to $138,600.00 per year

This position is eligible for the following benefits: Annual Incentive Program, 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: 11/08/26

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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.