{"id":2123104,"url":"https://alion.io/job/xcel-energy-ai-architect","title":"AI Architect","company":{"id":1754815,"name":"Xcel Energy","domain":"xcelenergy.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/xcelenergy","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Minneapolis, United States","Denver, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":118000,"max":142500,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":142500},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"BigQuery","optional":false},{"name":"Copilot","optional":false},{"name":"Databricks","optional":false},{"name":"FinOps","optional":false},{"name":"GCP","optional":false},{"name":"Google BigQuery","optional":false},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"RAG","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-08","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T16:27:36Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":6,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":6},"description":"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. \nXcel 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.\nXcel 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.Position Summary\nThe AI Architect is a mid-level, delivery-oriented solution architect responsible for designing AI solutions for assigned initiatives and supporting their implementation. The role translates validated business needs into secure, scalable, supportable, and cost-conscious architectures across generative AI and predictive machine learning. Working primarily through product owners and business analysts, the architect defines solution requirements, evaluates build-versus-buy options, establishes measurable success criteria, and validates business and technical fit.\nThe AI Architect develops solution designs, proofs of concept, and technical validations using Google Cloud Platform (GCP), BigQuery, Databricks, and Microsoft Copilot capabilities, with limited coding where needed to reduce delivery risk. The role contributes to enterprise architecture patterns for AI assistants, Copilot integration, enterprise knowledge integration, and AI-ready data products. It collaborates with data architects on data flows, retrieval patterns, vector stores, feature pipelines, metadata, and lineage. The role applies established enterprise architecture, security, privacy, responsible AI, data governance, and model risk controls, and coordinates required reviews. Senior architects and review boards retain approval authority for material decisions, standard exceptions, and higher-risk designs.\nThe role defines nonfunctional requirements, deployment patterns, observability, model monitoring, production-readiness criteria, and support expectations, then transitions implementation and ongoing operational ownership to engineering and operations. It also documents reusable AI patterns and lessons learned and recommends updates to enterprise standards.\nEssential Responsibilities\nLeadership: Lead architecture work for assigned initiatives through coaching and feedback, and through significant interactions and influence with delivery teams and leaders. Guide work efforts to ensure alignment with reference architecture, IT strategy and policy. Collaborate cross-organizationally to influence alignment on and adoption of enterprise architecture standards.\nTechnical Expertise: Provide consultation and direction to delivery and operational teams on optimal architecture for AI solutions, including proofs of concept and technical validation. Maintain state-of-the-art expertise in enterprise architecture technologies, AI and machine learning frameworks, and industry innovations.\nArchitectural Operations: Review projects and work efforts and prepare recommendations regarding compliance with architectural standards. Identify and escalate exceptions to senior architects or review boards. Continuously improve operational processes. Assess, report, and make recommendations to reduce operational risk related to technology or architecture.\nMinimum Requirements\n\nSeven years of related functional experience.\nBachelor's degree in Technology, Science, Business or related field, or 4 years of experience equivalent to the position.\nExposure to diverse systems, technologies and processing environments in a large Corporate setting.\nProject solution architecture experience.\nKnowledge of core aspects of architecture (Software, Hardware, Network, Integration, Data, hosting models, platform types, etc.).\nStrong analytical, problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.\nExtensive knowledge of future technology trends within area of expertise.\nExcellent communication skills, effective with varying organizational levels and skill sets.\nExcellent Relationship Management and collaboration skills, with a track record of working as one team cross-organizationally to drive innovation and business results.\n\nPreferred Requirements\n\nExperience architecting and governing Microsoft Copilot and enterprise AI solutions, including AI control planes, enterprise data access, security, governance, and AI-ready data products.\nWorking experience designing cloud-based AI and machine learning solutions, supported by strong cloud solution architecture fundamentals. \nExperience with generative AI and predictive machine learning patterns, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agents, model serving, evaluation, and monitoring. \nExperience with MLOps practices, including model lifecycle management, experimentation, deployment, observability, performance monitoring, and operational transition. \nExperience with GCP, BigQuery, and Databricks for AI, machine learning, analytics, or data engineering solutions. \nExperience creating proofs of concept, performing technical validation, and using limited coding to test architecture decisions and reduce delivery risk. \nExperience defining measurable solution success criteria, evaluating model and solution quality, validating business and technical fit, and supporting build-versus-buy decisions. \nExperience designing AI-related data flows, retrieval patterns, vector stores, feature pipelines, metadata, lineage, and governed access in collaboration with data architects. \nWorking knowledge of responsible AI, cybersecurity, privacy, data governance, and model risk practices, including identifying risks, incorporating established controls, and coordinating required reviews. \nExperience defining nonfunctional requirements, deployment patterns, scalability, latency, resiliency, observability, model monitoring, production-readiness criteria, and support expectations. \nExperience collaborating with engineering and FinOps on model and service selection, consumption forecasting, performance, scalability, and cost optimization. \nAbility to translate business needs provided through product owners and business analysts into architecture requirements, evaluation criteria, and implementable solution designs. \nExperience documenting reusable AI architecture patterns, capturing lessons learned, and recommending improvements to standards and reference architectures. \nRelevant GCP, Databricks, cloud architecture, machine learning, or AI certifications are preferred but not required. \nOur culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.\nOur Values\nConnected, Committed, Trustworthy, Safe\nOur Employee Commitments\nWork that makes a difference\nA team you can count of\nOpportunities to grow\nRewards that help you thrive\nXcel 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.\nNon-BargainingThe anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $118,000.00 to $142,500.00 per yearThis 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\nBenefit 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.\nIn 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.\nDeadline to Apply: 10/16/26EEO is the Law (PDF) | Equal Opportunity Statement (PDF) | Employee Rights (PDF)\nAll 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.\nAccessibility Statement\nXcel 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. 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