Full-Time
Manager – PMO Project Controls
Dairyland Power Cooperative
201-500 employees
Wholesale electricity generation and transmission cooperative
Compensation Overview
$135.4k - $203.1k/yr
Winona, MN, USA
In Person
 Business & Strategy (2) |
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- BS degree with 8 or more years of progressive experience in project management, and project controls, preferably in a utility/industrial construction environment
- Must have experience with PMI project management principles and process areas
- Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
- Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels
- Strong organizational, time, project and change management skills with proven ability to multi-task and manage complex projects
- Proficient computer skills in Microsoft Office Power BI, project scheduling and other related software systems
- Experience with Microsoft D365 desired
- Excellent analytical thinking, investigative and problem-solving skills with the agility and flexibility to deal effectively with ambiguity and change
- Strong business acumen and proven leadership ability
- Self-starter with the ability to work independently
- Effective change agent, with the ability to challenge conventional thinking, approaches and methodologies to drive breakthrough results, with a process focused, continuous improvement mindset
- General understanding of accounting principles
- Provides direct oversight and leadership to the PMO Project Controls group and is responsible for their operating budget.
- Facilitates the development of the annual capital budget and is responsible for accurate real time tracking of the same.
- Acts as the business process owner (BPO) for project management activities with the organization’s ERP system, which is currently D365.
- Ensures that resources are managed to ensure the most effective and cost-efficient deployment to support high quality and predictable project delivery.
- Provide oversite and support for contracted workforce, equipment and services engaged in PMO support. This includes working with the supply chain on contract negotiations and forming alliances with outside business partners.
- Provides oversight for the format and content of project status and performance reports.
- Monitors project performance against schedules, budgets, and established milestones. Partners with the Manager, PMO Project Execution as necessary to address gaps in project and portfolio performance
- Provides coordination and acts as a resource to assist with non PMO, divisional projects.
- Coordinates and monitors the professional development of PMO Controls staff to ensure competencies are developed in support of high-quality project management efforts.
- Ensures governance, process descriptions, guidelines and procedures are maintained accurately.
- Other duties as assigned.
- PMP certification desired
- Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365) or related enterprise resource planning systems
Dairyland Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit generation and transmission utility that supplies wholesale electricity to 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois, serving about 750,000 people. It generates power from a diverse mix—coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, solar, and biogas—and delivers it over more than 3,700 miles of transmission lines to its member utilities, which then serve end users. The company is governed by a board representing its member-owners and has operated since 1941 to advance rural electrification in the Midwest. Its goal is to provide reliable, affordable electricity to its member-owners and their communities by maintaining a stable, multi-source generation and transmission system.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Founded
1941
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- New ERA grant accelerates renewable transition while establishing G&T cooperative model.
- AI-as-a-service positions Dairyland as early-mover in rural utility technology.
- Elwood Energy acquisition provides critical peaking capacity during decarbonization transition.
What critics are saying
- MariBell 765kV transmission project faces 70-90% regulatory denial within 12 months.
- State legislation mandates underground burial or highway routing, blocking rural corridors.
- Accelerated coal retirement strands assets amid rising natural gas demand pressures.
What makes Dairyland Power Cooperative unique
- Secured $595M New ERA grant for 1,000 MW wind/solar PPAs across Midwest.
- Deployed VoltWrite AI platform and Jarvis agent for rural cooperative monetization.
- Acquired 450 MW flexible natural gas capacity to balance renewable intermittency.
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Your Connections
People at Dairyland Power Cooperative who can refer or advise you
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Flexible Work Hours
Remote Work Options
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Hybrid Work Options
401(k) Retirement Plan
Tuition Reimbursement
Wellness Program
Pension Plans
New Flexible Work Program
Company News
Vernon County continues to explore options to join legal fight against proposed transmission line. 27 minutes ago April 9, 2026 By TIM HUNDT VERNON COUNTY, Wis. - Vernon County officials are actively exploring a joint legal defense with neighboring counties to fight a massive high voltage transmission line proposed to cut through the Driftless region. The Vernon County General Government Committee used its April 1 meeting to hear updates from the county attorney on the feasibility of pooling resources with Crawford and Richland counties to hire expert legal counsel. The discussion builds on momentum from the March 19 Vernon County Board of Supervisors meeting where the full board unanimously passed resolutions formally opposing the 765 kilovolt project known as the Maribell line. The project is being developed by Dairyland Power Cooperative and NextEra Transmission. Because local governments cannot simply pass an ordinance banning the utility project county officials are preparing to formally intervene in the upcoming Public Service Commission hearings. During the April 1 meeting Corporation Counsel Nikki Swayne updated the committee on her progress reaching out to neighboring legal counsels about retaining an expert attorney to represent their shared interests. Swayne reported that she had contacted both Crawford and Richland counties to pitch the idea of an initial joint consultation. "I have reached out to them and one has confirmed that they will talk with their county and circle back to me," said Swayne. "The other has not gotten back to me yet but I expect probably will relatively soon". Swayne warned the committee that while a joint legal effort makes financial sense it could complicate matters if the Public Service Commission approves a route that benefits one county while heavily burdening another. Swayne explained that if the interests of the counties diverge they would need to sign conflict waivers or potentially hire separate legal representation down the road. "Where that could become concerning theoretically is if say there is a route that Vernon County sees that the Commission may approve that would narrow the impact on Vernon County but enhance the impact on a neighboring county," said Swayne. "Then that is going to be the kind of conflict where we are not going to have the same attorney representatives for purposes of an initial consultation". Supervisor Wayde Lawler shared that he had recently spoken with a local resident who has extensive experience dealing with utility interventions and learned that the counties face specific legal limitations on how they can file their opposition. "The three counties would not be able to officially intervene as one unit," said Lawler. "We would need to do so as legal entities". Despite the requirement to file as separate entities Lawler argued that sharing the consultation process and appearing before the state regulators together would send a powerful message that the region stands united against the utility developers. "If the three counties were to intervene officially that would be rather unprecedented in the state before the PSC and in a good way," said Lawler. "That would be a significant demonstration of public will in opposition to the project". Swayne confirmed that while they cannot legally join together to qualify for intervener status it does not prevent the counties from being highly productive by joining forces outside of the formal filings. General Government Committee Chair Alycann Taylor fully supported the aggressive multi-layered approach to fighting the transmission lines. The push to intervene formally stems from discussions held during the March 4 General Government Committee meeting. During that prior meeting Swayne advised the committee that filing public comments is often the least impactful way to influence the Public Service Commission. Swayne strongly recommended that the county file a motion to intervene to gain standing as an official party to the case. "File a formal request after the application is submitted and this case is created with the Commission," said Swayne. "When you do that you become a party to this action that gives you a lot of ability that you do not otherwise have". Swayne noted during the March 4 meeting that intervening allows the county to file sworn testimony, engage expert witnesses and demand that developers produce documents through the legal discovery process. The General Government Committee agreed to keep the potential joint legal venture on their future agendas as Swayne waits to hear back from the neighboring county attorneys regarding their willingness to share the costs of the legal consultation. Oh, hi there. Vernonreporter is so glad you found Vernonreporter. If you like its content maybe you want to sign up for its daily email. It's free and you won't miss any stories. One email a day with two or three top stories. It's like having your own personal newspaper. And Vernonreporter won't overload your inbox. Promise. Vernonreporter don't spam!
Viroqua mayoral candidates to share visions at March 22 community forum. 10 minutes ago March 17, 2026 VIROQUA, Wis. - Viroqua voters will have the opportunity to hear directly from the city's two mayoral candidates at an upcoming community forum on Sunday, March 22. The event, titled "Shaping the Future of Viroqua," will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Viroqua VFW, located at 751 S. Washington Ave. Hosted by Threefold Driftless, a non-partisan volunteer group, the forum will center on the theme of what "Growing Forward" looks like for the city. The format will include questions from moderators, a listening session to hear resident priorities, and a Q&A segment with the audience. The mayoral race features candidates Krista Browne and Roger Call, who are competing for the seat left open by incumbent Mayor Justin Running. Running filed a notification of non-candidacy in December and chose not to seek re-election. The Candidates Krista Browne is a Wisconsin native, UW-Madison graduate, mother of three, and a local small business owner. She is also a licensed and certified interior designer with a passion for "community-based third places," such as parks, libraries, and coffee shops. Browne frequently attends city council meetings, advocating for issues related to parks, streets, zoning, and comprehensive planning. She states she is running for mayor because Viroqua is a rare place worth protecting, preserving, and enhancing. Her campaign is focused on building the city's long-term "Staying Power," and she has advocated for an inclusive approach of "potlucks over partisanship". More info at Krista Browne for Mayor. Roger Call is a retired plant operator and manager for Dairyland Power Cooperative who has lived in Viroqua for the past 30 years. Raised on a small dairy farm in Vernon County, his diverse professional background includes experience in farming, electrical power generation, computer systems administration, nuclear decommissioning, and real estate. Call previously served on the Vernon County Board of Supervisors from 2018 to 2022 and recently resigned as the chairman of the Vernon County Republican Party to run for the non-partisan mayoral office. A member of the local Eagles and Lions clubs who helped build the original Dragon Park, his platform emphasizes controlling taxes, completing local construction projects, bringing new businesses to the city, rebuilding the Eckhart Park Dragon playground, and opening a new Information Center. More info at Roger Call for Mayor. Election Information The mayoral race will be decided during the spring general election on Tuesday, April 7. Residents looking to register to vote, check their registration status, or find their polling place can visit myvote.wi.gov or contact the Viroqua city clerk. To vote in the election, residents must be U.S. citizens, be at least 18 years old on Election Day, and have lived in their election district for at least 28 consecutive days prior to the election. Voters will also be required to present a valid photo ID at the polls. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m... Oh, hi there. Vernonreporter is so glad you found Vernonreporter. If you like its content maybe you want to sign up for its daily email. It's free and you won't miss any stories. One email a day with two or three top stories. It's like having your own personal newspaper. And Vernonreporter won't overload your inbox. Promise. Vernonreporter don't spam! Loading... January 8, 2026 In "Local News" July 26, 2024 In "Local News" March 30, 2025 In "Local News"
Vernon County committees advance resolutions to fight proposed mega power line. 7 hours ago March 15, 2026 By TIM HUNDT VERNON COUNTY, Wis. - The Vernon County Conservation and Education Committee unanimously approved a resolution Thursday, March 12 formally opposing the construction of the MariBell Transmission Project in the Driftless Area. The proposed project is a joint venture between Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance Heartland to build a massive high voltage transmission line. The line would carry 765 kilovolts of electricity on steel towers up to 200 feet tall from Marion Minnesota to Bell Center Wisconsin. Developers expect to submit a formal application to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin by the summer or fall of 2026. The state commission holds the ultimate authority to approve or deny the project and select the final route. At the Vernon County Board of Supervisors meeting on March 19 the board is expected to review up to three different resolutions representing different strategies for how local government should fight the utility companies. DRAFT OF PROPOSED RESOLUTION VERNON COUNTY, WISCONSIN RESOLUTION NO. 2026-15 A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE PROPOSED HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE THROUGH VERNON COUNTY AND THE DRIFTLESS AREA WHEREAS, Vernon County lies within the nationally recognized Driftless Area, a uniquely fragile landscape defined by steep ridges, cold-water trout streams, karst geology, and highly erodible soils that are particularly vulnerable to large-scale infrastructure disturbance; and WHEREAS, the proposed high-voltage transmission line would require extensive clearing, construction corridors, blasting, and long-term maintenance that would fragment wildlife habitat, disrupt agricultural lands, and permanently alter the natural character of the region; and WHEREAS, Vernon County's agricultural economy depends on productive farmland, livestock operations, and regenerative farming systems that could be adversely affected by land fragmentation, easement restrictions, soil disruption, and concerns regarding electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure to livestock; and WHEREAS, Vernon County is home to one of the largest Amish communities in Wisconsin, whose farms and homesteads lie within the proposed transmission corridor and whose religious practices do not utilize electricity, and the placement of a high-voltage transmission line across their properties would impose infrastructure from which they receive no benefit while restricting land use and disrupting traditional agricultural operations; and WHEREAS, property owners face potential declines in land value and long-term uncertainty, and Vernon County's tourism economy - driven by its scenic beauty, trout streams, outdoor recreation opportunities, and rural character - would be negatively affected; and WHEREAS, Vernon County is currently engaged in watershed restoration and dam decommissioning efforts within the Coon Creek and West Fork watersheds, and the cumulative impacts of additional large-scale infrastructure development must be carefully considered; NOW. THEREFORE. BE IT RESOLVED, That the Vernon County Board of Supervisors formally and unequivocally opposes the high-voltage transmission line within Vernon County and the Driftless Area, finding that this region is not suitable for such development and that the project poses substantial risks to public health, safety and welfare, as well to the environmental integrity, agricultural viability, economic stability and cultural resources. Supervisor Mary Henry authored the resolution presented to the conservation committee which unequivocally opposes the project. Her draft states that the region is not suitable for the development and that the project poses substantial risks to public health environmental integrity and the agricultural and tourism economies. During the meeting Henry detailed her efforts to lobby state officials and warned that rural areas are being targeted to feed power hungry tech developments. "I brought up those concerns," said Henry. "Locals have gotten involved and they have been able to stop some of these data centers from popping up when that land has already been bought." Henry argued that officials need to look at the entire picture of environmental degradation including the risk of herbicide runoff from the cleared utility corridors entering local watersheds that are currently undergoing dam decommissioning. "When you are looking at one you better think of the whole big picture because it is a huge problem that we are being faced with in our state," said Henry. "They want what we value so highly, our resources and our beauty and our four seasons." Henry also announced she had been working with state lawmakers Tara Johnson and Brad Pfaff on a legislative bill to establish new siting priorities for mega transmission systems. The bill would force utilities to maximize the use of existing highway and railroad corridors or bury the lines underground before cutting new paths through rural landscapes. "I feel like we have got to get something is better than nothing to be proactive," said Henry. "If we wait for every county to get something on the books we might be too late." Supervisor Dave Eggen expressed support for Henry's aggressive approach noting it was a more polished version of his own desires. "Getting back to preventing this power line," said Eggen. "My resolution was stay the hell out of Vernon County. Mary's used much more finesse." The outright opposition approach contrasts with a separate strategy developed during recent General Government Committee meetings. During those sessions supervisors debated whether demanding detailed information from the developers would be a more effective legal strategy than simply saying no. Supervisor Wayde Lawler had previously argued that an information request creates a necessary paper trail for state regulators to review. "A request for information is a reasonable request," said Lawler. "If we immediately put ourselves in the hardest corner we can find which is to say absolutely not under no circumstances I think that is much easier to dismiss out of hand." Local energy researcher and potentially impacted landowner Rob Danielson attended the conservation committee meeting to help supervisors understand how the different resolutions fit into the overall regulatory timeline. Danielson explained that an information request resolution forces the developers to respond to specific concerns on the public record before their application is finalized. "The information request resolution is really aimed at putting the developer on notification that there will be various standards of information that will be required for the county to get the information that they need," said Danielson. "In the end we do not have statute at this point to oppose a transmission line as a municipality or county on the basis of whatever we want to say." Danielson warned that the timeline is accelerating and the county must prepare to formally intervene in the state proceedings. Intervening gives the county legal standing to submit expert testimony and demand documents during the review process. "You can do both," said Danielson. "You can ask for information request and future preparations for intervention or helpful to know for the county to know that information." The county board will debate the merits of both the outright opposition resolution and the information request resolution at their upcoming meeting. Neighboring Crawford and Richland County's have already unanimously passed an information request resolution demanding the utilities provide detailed routing maps and environmental mitigation plans. Oh, hi there. Vernonreporter is so glad you found Vernonreporter. If you like its content maybe you want to sign up for its daily email. It's free and you won't miss any stories. One email a day with two or three top stories. 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Dairyland Power Cooperative announces acquisition of assets in Illinois. 1 week ago March 6, 2026 LA CROSSE, Wis. - To support the Cooperative's focus on sustainability and reliability for its members while transitioning to a lower carbon future, Dairyland Power Cooperative is announcing the purchase of existing natural gas-fired assets in Illinois. This month, Dairyland purchased three combustion turbines (450 MW) at the Elwood Energy LLC in Elwood, Ill., from J-POWER USA. "These strategic investments are foundational to meeting the long-term reliability and resource needs of our rural communities. As we advance a balanced, diversified energy portfolio to support rising demand across our service territory, these units will play a vital role in delivering the dependable energy our members count on every day," said Brent Ridge, Dairyland President and CEO. Since 2014, Dairyland has retired nearly 600 MW of coal generation and has been awarded a $595 million New Empowering Rural America (New ERA) federal grant. Through the grant, Dairyland will secure power purchase agreements for approximately 1,000 MW of wind and solar projects is the Midwest, while investing in critical transmission upgrades that support grid reliability and resiliency. In Illinois, Dairyland currently serves JCE Co-op, headquartered in Elizabeth. Dairyland owns Elgin Energy Center in Elgin and Rocky Road Energy Center in East Dundee. This summer, Dairyland will welcome Norris Electric Cooperative in Newton as a wholesale power supply customer. About Dairyland Power Cooperative: Dairyland was formed in December 1941. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities. These cooperatives and municipals, in turn, supply the energy needs of more than 750,000 people in the four-state service area. About J-POWER USA Development Co., Ltd.: J-POWER USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of J-POWER North America Holdings Co., Ltd. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. ("J-POWER") with headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan. J-POWER USA, headquartered in the greater Chicago area, has a long term strategy to acquire, develop, finance, and operate power generation facilities in North America through its team of power professionals with a proven track record of successfully developing and acquiring power projects in the IPP sector. J-POWER stock is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, J-POWER had revenues of US$8.8 billion and assets of approximately US $24.5 billion. With approximately 26,000 megawatts of net ownership, J-POWER is one of the world's largest independent generators of electricity, owning 98 power plants in Japan and 32 international IPP investments. Oh, hi there. We are so glad you found us. If you like our content maybe you want to sign up for our daily email. It's free and you won't miss any stories. One email a day with two or three top stories. It's like having your own personal newspaper. And we won't overload your inbox. Promise. We don't spam! Loading... April 17, 2025 In "Local News" January 29, 2025 In "Local News" September 30, 2024 In "Local News"
That's how "Jarvis," Dairyland Power's artificial intelligence agent prototype, bid adieu to the crowd in its public debut at the recent Cooperative Technologies Conference & Expo hosted by North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives.