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Technology System/Platform Engineer (contract)

Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy

Software Engineering, IT
Denver County, CO, USA
USD 46-61 / hour
Posted on Apr 4, 2026
Position Overview

We are seeking a Platform Engineer with a strong Data Engineering focus to support a large-scale granular load forecasting initiative. This role will be instrumental in building and maintaining the data infrastructure and pipelines that power forecasting and analytics across the organization.

You will work within a highly collaborative environment, partnering with IT, data analysts, and business stakeholders to enable reliable, scalable data ingestion and processing—particularly from non-standard and non-API sources.

This role combines hands-on engineering, cross-team coordination, and platform ownership, with a strong emphasis on Databricks and ETL pipeline development.

Key Responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain data pipelines and ingestion frameworks in Databricks
  • Develop and manage ETL/ELT workflows to support forecasting datasets
  • Work with cross-functional teams to ingest non-standard data sources (e.g., reports, manual data inputs, legacy systems)
  • Partner with IT to ensure alignment with data governance, security, and platform standards
  • Serve as a technical liaison between engineering, IT, and business teams
  • Support data discovery efforts by translating business inputs into structured pipeline requirements
  • Perform data cleanup, validation, and quality assurance to ensure integrity of forecasting data
  • Manage code deployment, version control (Git), and Databricks asset bundles (DBX)
  • Monitor and troubleshoot pipelines and platform performance across dev, test, and production environments
  • Contribute to infrastructure automation, deployment pipelines, and platform optimization (cloud/on-prem hybrid)

Required Qualifications

  • 5–7 years of experience in Data Engineering, Platform Engineering, or DevOps
  • Strong hands-on experience with Databricks (core platform focus)
  • Proven experience building ETL/ELT pipelines and data workflows
  • Proficiency in Python and SQL
  • Experience working with data ingestion from non-standard or legacy sources
  • Strong understanding of data quality, validation, and cleanup processes
  • Experience with Git, CI/CD, and deployment pipelines
  • Solid knowledge of enterprise data architecture, scalability, and security principles
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience supporting data migration or conversion efforts (e.g., SAP IS-U or similar systems)
  • Familiarity with data governance and metadata management frameworks
  • Exposure to integration patterns (API, batch, middleware platforms)
  • Experience working with data validation and profiling tools
  • Basic exposure to ML pipeline development (not a primary focus)
  • Experience in utility, energy, or forecasting domains (nice to have)

Key Skills & Competencies

  • Databricks Expertise – primary platform ownership and development
  • Data Pipeline Development – strong foundational engineering skills
  • Data Integration – especially across ambiguous or non-technical sources
  • Critical Thinking – ability to operate in ambiguous, discovery-heavy environments
  • Collaboration & Communication – working across IT and business teams
  • Problem Solving – troubleshooting across data and platform layers

What Success Looks Like

  • You can take loosely defined data inputs and turn them into structured, reliable pipelines
  • You effectively bridge the gap between business users and technical systems
  • You ensure data entering the platform is accurate, validated, and usable for forecasting
  • You become a trusted partner to IT and analytics teams in a high-visibility capital project

Interview Process

  • Single-round panel interview (2–3 interviewers)
  • Focus on technical depth, real-world pipeline experience, and stakeholder collaboration

Nice-to-Know Context

  • This is part of a large capital project with high visibility
  • The environment is highly collaborative and less rigid than traditional IT structures
  • Strong emphasis on coordination, communication, and practical engineering execution

Pay Rate Range

46 - 61 USD hourly