Manager - System Planning

Summary of Responsibilities:

At American Transmission Company (ATC), transmission planning is essential to preparing the electric grid for evolving customer needs, emerging technologies, and long-term reliability requirements. We are seeking a Manager, System Planning to provide strategic, technical, and people leadership for the team responsible for planning ATC's transmission network.

This is an opportunity to influence critical infrastructure investments, advance planning excellence, strengthen compliance, and develop highly technical professionals whose work will shape the future of the grid.

Essential Responsibilities:

You will connect technical planning, enterprise strategy, and people leadership to help ATC make informed decisions about the future of the transmission system. Your leadership will support system studies, project development, capital forecasting, regulatory activities, customer needs, and compliance with reliability standards.

THE LEADERSHIP IMPACT

Coach and empower technical professionals, align priorities and resources, and foster accountability, collaboration, innovation, and succession readiness.

THE SYSTEM IMPACT

Guide planning programs and studies that support transmission reliability, project decisions, regulatory needs, and long-term grid strategy.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Lead and Develop a High-Performing Team

• Inspire, coach, mentor, and develop transmission planning professionals.
• Set clear priorities, align internal talent and external consultants, and balance workloads and financial resources.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, high performance, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Support the ATC Strategic Engineering Experience and Development (SEED) program.

Drive Grid Strategy and Planning Excellence

• Oversee the design, execution, evaluation, compliance, and continuous improvement of planning programs and processes.
• Direct system planning studies and project development activities, including support for regulatory approval and technical testimony.
• Advance planning criteria, guidelines, tools, technologies, processes, and documentation.
• Support capital forecast development and the prioritization of transmission investments.

Protect Reliability and Compliance

• Maintain strong governance for planning-related NERC reliability standard compliance.
• Identify planning and compliance risks early and guide appropriate corrective action.
• Ensure planning work responds to changing customer needs and transmission system reliability requirements.
• Provide leadership before, during, and after an ATC Ready event when called upon.

Influence Enterprise and Industry Outcomes

• Represent System Planning in enterprise-wide discussions and champion organizational initiatives.
• Partner across engineering, operations, asset management, project management, interconnection solutions, customer engagement, and regulatory affairs.
• Communicate credible planning recommendations to executives, board members, customers, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience in transmission planning or power systems.
• Eight or more years of experience in transmission system planning, transmission design, engineering, operations, maintenance, or another related technical area.
• Demonstrated ability to set priorities, manage resources, balance workloads, coach employees, and guide technical programs and projects.
• Strong understanding of electric power system reliability standards, compliance procedures, and relevant regulatory organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Progressive responsibility leading engineers, technical specialists, consultants, or complex cross-functional work.
• Experience directing transmission planning studies and supporting project justification or regulatory approval.
• Ability to explain complex technical matters clearly to executives, board members, customers, regulators, and industry stakeholders.
• Experience developing capital forecasts, allocating financial resources, or prioritizing technical portfolios.
• Exposure to FERC, NERC, MISO, PSCW, IEEE, EPRI, CEATI, EEI, NATF, or similar organizations.

Why ATC

• Purpose-Driven Work: We’re energized by meaningful and challenging work that contributes to the greater good, from powering everyday life to grid modernization.

• People-Centric Culture: We are difference makers. We lead with trust, value collaboration, and foster a supportive environment where people grow, contribute openly, and make a difference.

• Flexibility & Balance: Our work environment encourages autonomy, connection, and choice with accountability.

• Growth & Development: Curiosity, coaching, and engagement fuel careers. We invest in our people through cross-functional opportunities, skill-building, and assignments that stretch potential and build careers.

• Comprehensive Rewards: Compensation, benefits, and well-being offerings are thoughtfully and competitively designed to support employees’ unique needs.

• Reliable Innovation: Grounded in the communities we serve, we play a critical role in powering the grid, with the agility to innovate, lead, and drive progress in a time of transformational change in the industry.

• A Shared Future: We commit to creating an environment where people can do their best work, thrive, and drive success for our customers and stakeholders, delivering a lasting impact for all.

Join our Great Place to Work, where we build and operate the power grid that enables modern life, and where every role contributes to something bigger than any one of us.

The targeted base pay for this position is $171,600 to $200,200 annually.* Base pay is one component of our comprehensive total rewards package which includes an annual incentive bonus, employer-sponsored pension plan, 401(k) match, HSA contribution, life & disability insurance, health care benefits, generous time off plans, flexible work arrangements, and much more.

*The pay range is a general guideline. Employment offers are evaluated individually and consider qualifications, experience, academic achievements, internal equity, and business needs. Pay exceeding the posted range is considered for uniquely qualified candidates. Interested internal candidates, with questions, please consult your Human Resources Business Partner.

Number of Openings Available:

Posting Date:

Time Type:

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Applicants have rights under employment laws.

ATC is an equal opportunity employer that seeks to foster diverse teams of talented people working safely together. We respect and embrace diversity of all aspects and hire, train and promote employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage women, minorities, veterans and individuals with a disability to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster | U.S. Department of Labor

Family and Medical Leave Act Poster

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster | U.S. Department of Labor

ERD-10861 Poster Honesty Testing poster

WISCONSIN FAIR EMPLOYMENT LAW