Manager, Benefits Administration / HR Operations

Are you looking for an exciting job where you can put your skills and talents to work at a company you can feel proud to be a part of? Do you want a workplace that will challenge you and offer you opportunities to learn and grow? A position at Xcel Energy could be just what you’re looking for.

Position Summary

Manage the day-to-day HR operational service delivery, ensuring timely, accurate, consistent, high-quality HR processes and employee support. Ensure reliable HR services are delivered in a shared services model. Manage benefits administration, HR vendor file integrations, HR vendor relationship management, HR special projects, optimizing HR processes, ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws & regulations, and driving operational excellence in administering HR processes.

Essential Responsibilities:

HR Administration & Service Delivery - Oversee and manage HR operations, including benefits administration, annual benefits enrollment, time away from work policies, I-9 verification, and other employee lifecycle processes. Develop, maintain, and enforce HR standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, job aids, templates, and knowledge base content to support service delivery. Ensure HR transactions are executed accurately and consistently in the HRIS and related systems. Champion a proactive approach to scaling and streamlining HR administrative tasks, driving operational excellence.

Shared Services Collaboration – Serve as the point of contact for HR Operations workflows and Shared Services coordination. Collaborate with HR Service Center, Benefits, HR Technology, Payroll, Compensation, Talent Acquisition, Workforce Relations, Legal, and other functions to ensure HR Operations tasks are performed seamlessly. Support the resolution of HR Service Center escalations. Identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, and automate HR administrative processes. Lead process improvement initiatives to enhance HR service delivery and efficiency.

Vendor Management - Develop and maintain a close working relationship with vendors for HR services to ensure efficient delivery of services. Meet with vendors to review performance metrics and take corrective action when needed. Ensure accurate and timely data transmission. Review and approve vendor invoices for payment.

Process Governance, Compliance, & Controls - Ensure HR administration practices comply with federal, state, and local laws, company policies, collective bargaining agreements, and audit needs. Identify HR operational risks and implement preventive controls. Maintain appropriate internal controls for sensitive HR data, documentation retention, and data accuracy. Implement corrective action when necessary.

Partnership with HR Technology - Partner with HRIS and IT to maintain data integrity, troubleshoot issues, and improve HR system workflows and user experience. Provide operational requirements and test scenarios for HR operational changes to be implemented. Coordinate testing, data validation, and change management for HR system updates impacting HR operations.

Metrics - Develop dashboards, operational reporting, and metrics for HR Operations. Regularly review and analyze data to inform continuous improvement opportunities.

Leadership & Team Development – Lead, coach, and develop the HR Operations staff. Foster a positive employee experience and continuous improvement mindset with the team. Manage workload distribution, capacity planning, and cross-training to meet project due dates and SLAs. Monitor and manage the budget for the department. Stay current on HR trends, best practices, and legislative changes affecting HR Operations.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field.

• At least eight years of progressive HR experience, with at least 2 years of leadership experience (may include demonstrated ability to lead through influence in an HR operations environment).

• Strong working knowledge of HR processes, policies, federal/state laws & regulations, HR compliance, data governance, and internal controls.

• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, analyze operational data, and drive process improvements.

• Demonstrated experience with HRIS systems (e.g. Workday, UKG, ServiceNow, etc.) and proficient in MS Office tools, with advanced Excel skills.

• Strong attention to detail, along with excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.

• Strong communication and team-building skills. Ability to handle sensitive information appropriately.

Preferred Requirements

• Master’s degree in HR, Business Administration, or closely related field.

• HR certification (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP).

• Experience building or scaling HR shared services delivery models.

• Experience supporting geographically dispersed employee populations across different states.

• Broad HR administrative experience, including supporting a large organization with a wide range of benefit program offerings across union and non-union populations.

As a leading combination electricity and natural gas energy company, Xcel Energy offers a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.4 million electricity and 1.9 million natural gas customers across eight Western and Midwestern states. At Xcel Energy, we strive to be the preferred and trusted provider of the energy our customers need. If you’re ready to be a part of something big, we invite you to join our team.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Individuals with a disability who need an accommodation to apply please contact us at [email protected] .

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 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: 08/31/26

EEO is the Law (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/posters) | EEO is the Law Supplement (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/posters) | Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/posters) | Equal Opportunity Policy (PDF) (https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe/Corporate/Corporate%20PDFs/Equal\_Opportunity\_Policy.pdf) | Employee Rights (PDF) (https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe-responsive/assets/images/Content/Careers/Xcel-Energy-Careers-Employee-Rights.pdf)

All Xcel Energy employees and contractors share responsibility for protecting the company's information and systems by adhering to cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices, recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Xcel Energy endeavors to make https://www.xcelenergy.com/ accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Xcel Energy Talent Acquisition at [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.