Jobs › Alliant Energy

Engineer I, II, III, or Senior - Grid Planning

Alliant Energy · Madison, WI · Full time

Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Alliant Energy

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about the most complex planning study you've done. What made it hard?

What they are checking: Depth of experience, which helps place them between Engineer I and Senior.

How have you mentored or supported less experienced engineers?

What they are checking: Readiness for senior-level responsibilities in a team built across levels.

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague's technical conclusion.

What they are checking: Whether they can disagree with a colleague using evidence and respect, so the team reaches a better answer.

What part of the energy transition interests you most as a planner?

What they are checking: Real engagement with the changes driving this team's work.

What would you do

How do you balance reliability, cost and speed when recommending a grid solution?

What they are checking: Judgment in trade-offs that affect customers and growth.

Leadership wants a quick answer on whether a site can host a large new load or plant. What do you tell them?

What they are checking: Ability to give useful early guidance while being honest about uncertainty.

About the work

How do you decide where on the grid new wind, solar, battery or gas resources should connect?

What they are checking: Whether they weigh transmission capacity, upgrade costs and reliability together.

Walk me through the MISO interconnection study phases and where projects most often run into trouble.

What they are checking: Practical knowledge of interconnection risks like withdrawals and upgrade cost changes.

How does a growing share of inverter-based resources change what planners need to study?

What they are checking: Awareness of system strength, stability and ride-through issues tied to the energy transition.

Which planning tools and data sources do you rely on, and how do you validate models?

What they are checking: Rigor in model quality, which drives the credibility of every study.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Alliant Energy from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Alliant Energy.

Bring YOUR energy to Alliant Energy! At Alliant Energy, our purpose is to serve customers and build stronger communities. We are passionate about powering beyond the market challenges of today, while powering what's next in energy. When our employees say "I am energy", it means they take pride in the work we do when disaster strikes, as well as all the days in between. We want you to be safe, happy and healthy. That's why we prioritize safety, offer volunteer opportunities and provide competitive pay, comprehensive health and retirement benefits, tuition reimbursement and paid time off. Job Summary As a member of our Grid Planning team, you'll play a key role in determining where and how new generation resources, including wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas, connect to the grid. From early-stage planning through MISO interconnection, you'll influence critical decisions that support reliability, system growth, and the energy transition. In this role, you’ll take on a mix of moderately complex to in-depth engineering work, supporting the planning, design, and development of systems across generation, transmission, and distribution. You’ll collaborate closely with internal teams and industry partners while contributing to high-impact projects. This role offers strong opportunities for continuous learning through hands-on involvement in grid planning studies, exposure to emerging technologies, and collaboration with experienced engineers and industry stakeholders. What you will do • Follows safety rules and practices to identify and correct unsafe conditions for self and team. Strives to identify problems and solutions and makes safety suggestions to assist in maintaining a safe work environment, uses tools and standards to design safety in operating and maintaining equipment. • Maintains an awareness of customer needs and expectations and proposes solutions. Is proactively involved in the identification and solution of problems falling within assigned area of responsibility • Maintains communication and relationships with employees, business unit stakeholders, and contractors. Comfortable discussing technical issues with others from non-technical backgrounds. • Applies regulatory and organizational engineering standards; makes recommendations for changing processes and procedures. • Facilitates meetings and lead discussions with stakeholders in support of system studies with limited guidance provided. • Uses critical thinking skills necessary in the interpretation of governmental regulations, regional or company business practices and the development of recommendations to address system issues or Planning Criteria violations. • Understands risk assessment methodologies or philosophies applying technical knowledge. Makes lot-to-medium risk decisions with limited guidance provided. • Learns the difference between departmental team and cross functional team. Participates as a key team member making positive, supportive contributions addressing moderately complex technical or operational problems. • Actively participates in departmental budgeting and planning processes. Oversees multi-year plan and develops moderately complex scopes of work with cost estimate, sequencing, and prioritization with limited guidance provided. • Understands the property unit catalog and determining the classification between capital investment projects and O&M spend work. • Understands system modeling methodologies and software with limited support. Able to build moderately complex models and perform power flow studies or analysis. • Develops understanding of interconnection agreements or other relevant agreement language, terminology, and technical requirements. Able to support modifications to existing or development of new agreements including cost sharing with limited guidance. • Understands the tools, data, and process for supporting moderately complex technical reviews and studies related to distribution energy resource interconnection applications with limited guidance provided. Understands and applies power quality concepts with limited guidance provided. • Engages in other duties as needed that support Alliant Energy’s Values and helps deliver on our Purpose to serve customers and build stronger communities. Requirements: Engineer I: • Bachelor's Degree Engineering program that is accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission Required Engineer II: • 2 years of related experience and Bachelor's Degree Engineering program that is accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission Required Engineer III: • 5 years of related experience and Bachelor's Degree Engineering program that is accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission Required Senior Engineer: • 7 years of related experience and Bachelor's Degree Engineering program that is accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission Required Key Skills • Cost Optimization • Data Analysis • Feasibility Studies • Grid Interconnection Studies • Power Engineering • Power Flow Analysis and Modeling • Power Systems Performance Monitoring • Power Systems Planning • Short Circuit Simulation and Analysis • Standards Compliance • Transient Analysis Our people are passionate about what they do, the product they sell, and the customers they serve. If you're looking for an opportunity to be a part of a work family that values collaboration, innovation and dedication, we're the right company for you. Alliant Energy offers a comprehensive total rewards package including competitive compensation and benefit programs. Information on these benefit programs is available on our Careers site. Pay Range: This position is eligible to participate in the annual incentive program. The final salary offered will generally fall within this range and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to the responsibilities of the position, experience, skill set, internal pay equity and other relevant qualifications of the applicant. It's not just what we do; it's how we do it. Live Safety. Everyone. Always | Make Things Better | Care For Others | Do The Right Thing | Act For Tomorrow | Think Beyond. Be Bold Alliant Energy and its subsidiaries are committed to creating a culture of belonging and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by law. All candidates selected for employment with Alliant Energy will be required to successfully complete a background check, and a drug screen where applicable. Visa sponsorship not supported. Disclaimer: The above information on this description has been crafted to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not crafted to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Applicants in need of a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please email talent@alliantenergy.com .

Apply at Alliant Energy