Financial Analyst – Governance at Southern Company

Job description

Financial Analyst JOB SUMMARY The Financial Analyst will provide governance, compliance, allocation, and analytical support to Southern Company Services (SCS) organizations and Southern Company affiliates by ensuring the timely and accurate review of financial segments and the reporting of those segments for the budgeting organization. This position will help ensure chart of account and project segments are assigned accurately, consistently, transparently and in accordance with all applicable accounting policies, internal controls, affiliate requirements, and Southern Company policies. Key responsibilities include supporting allocation methodologies and governance, reviewing financial account setup, documenting decisions, monitoring compliance, coordinating affiliate segments, and recommending process and control improvements. The analyst will serve as a trusted partner to financial and non-financial managers by translating complex allocation and compliance requirements into clear, practical guidance. MAJOR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: • Lead and support governance process for SCS Budgeting • Develop, maintain, and communicate allocation methodologies, procedures, decision criteria, and supporting documentation. • Evaluate allocation bases by determining which organizations, affiliates, customers, projects, or services benefit from the associated costs. • Promote consistent use of allocation drivers, POET, template maintenance, class categories, and other financial coding across business units. • Review financial transactions, cost assignments, and allocation results for accuracy, consistency, reasonableness, and policy compliance. • Provide guidance to managers regarding GAAP, Southern Company accounting policies, affiliate requirements, internal controls, and allocation practices. • Coordinate periodic allocation reviews, certifications, documentation updates, and stakeholder approvals. • Maintain audit-ready support for allocation methodologies, controls, assumptions, approvals, and key financial decisions. • Identify control gaps, compliance risks, inconsistent practices, and opportunities to improve governance, transparency, and efficiency. • Partner with Accounting, Internal Controls, Audit, Legal, Regulatory, Tax, HR, Supply Chain, and business-unit stakeholders as appropriate. • Coordinate affiliate rate case, audit, and regulatory support related to cost assignments, service company charges, and allocations. • Develop and deliver training, job aids, and communications for financial and non-financial users on allocation and compliance requirements. • Consolidate governance and compliance reporting for SCS management, including trends, exceptions, remediation items, and decision points. • Participate in special projects and system or process changes by assessing allocation, compliance, control, and documentation impacts. • Establish and maintain effective relationships and communications with business-unit and affiliate budget managers. • Demonstrate strong organization, documentation, facilitation, and communication skills • Ability to analyze data and effectively communicate SCS financial story • Coordinate annual budget preparation and communications • Prepare and communicate monthly variance reporting and comprehensive analysis for budget, actual, and projection information • Provide guidance to managers regarding GAAP and Southern Company accounting policies • Ensure compliance with internal controls and make recommendations regarding needed changes and efficiency improvements • Provide guidance on accounting policies and activities to non-financial managers • Consolidate reporting for roll up and management reporting for SCS • Gather data and analyze periodic cost projections and budget data • Participate in special projects by gathering information and providing analysis • Establish and maintain effective relationships and communications with business unit and affiliate budget managers • Strong organization and communication skills are a must JOB REQUIREMENTS: Education: • Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related business field required • CPA, CMA or MBA/other advanced degree preferred Experience: • Minimum of 3 months experience in accounting, finance, industrial engineering, or business administration required. • Utility accounting experience is preferred • Experience in accounting, allocations, shared services, accounting policy, or governance preferred • Experience documenting processes, controls, methodologies, decisions, and supporting evidence preferred. • Demonstrated experience with Oracle • Cloud ERP, OACS, Oracle Planning, and PowerPlan is preferred • Strong experience in Microsoft Office Products (Excel, Power Point, and Access) highly desired • Process or project management experience desired • Experience coordinating multiple business units’ requests and ensuring goals and objectives are met Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities • Detail-oriented with strong initiative-taking critical thinking skills and excellent follow-through • Working knowledge of governance, risk, compliance, internal controls, and documentation practices • Proficient analytical and problem-solving skills • Demonstrate organizational and planning skills • Knowledge of utility and regulatory accounting standards and GAAP principles desired • Knowledge of data management and retrieval techniques with strong technical skills • Ability to evaluate whether an allocation methodology is equitable, supportable, repeatable, and aligned with the beneficiaries of the cost or service • Ability to identify compliance risks, control gaps, inconsistencies, and root causes, and recommend practical corrective actions • Conceptual thinker and ability to quickly understand our Accounting System, POET Codes and be able to understand how segments are used • Ability to multi-task and adapt to a changing environment • Ability to coordinate project creation process for all project types, including capital and integration with PowerPlan • Detail-oriented with strong follow-through, documentation discipline, and personal ownership • Strong interpersonal skills to effectively interact with accounting, auditing, various non-financial functional areas, and varying levels of staff and management • Ability to operate in a matrix organization and communicate clearly • Effective oral and written communication skills • Demonstrate personal ownership and initiative • Anticipate and proactively communicate process decisions and bottlenecks • Demonstrate sound business judgment in decision making • Other attributes include proactive, team player, and strategic thinker • Knowledge of Enterprise Foundations principles preferred • Thorough understanding of techniques and methods for accounting, budgeting, cost tracking, financial projections, and interrelationships with affiliate accounting and budgeting functions

Requirements

Must-haves

Financial Analyst
Lead and support governance process for SCS Budgeting
Develop, maintain, and communicate allocation methodologies, procedures, decision criteria, and supporting documentation.
Evaluate allocation bases by determining which organizations, affiliates, customers, projects, or services benefit from the associated costs.
Promote consistent use of allocation drivers, POET, template maintenance, class categories, and other financial coding across business units.
Review financial transactions, cost assignments, and allocation results for accuracy, consistency, reasonableness, and policy compliance.
Provide guidance to managers regarding GAAP, Southern Company accounting policies, affiliate requirements, internal controls, and allocation practices.
Coordinate periodic allocation reviews, certifications, documentation updates, and stakeholder approvals.
Maintain audit-ready support for allocation methodologies, controls, assumptions, approvals, and key financial decisions.
Identify control gaps, compliance risks, inconsistent practices, and opportunities to improve governance, transparency, and efficiency.
Partner with Accounting, Internal Controls, Audit, Legal, Regulatory, Tax, HR, Supply Chain, and business-unit stakeholders as appropriate.
Coordinate affiliate rate case, audit, and regulatory support related to cost assignments, service company charges, and allocations.
Develop and deliver training, job aids, and communications for financial and non-financial users on allocation and compliance requirements.
Consolidate governance and compliance reporting for SCS management, including trends, exceptions, remediation items, and decision points.
Participate in special projects and system or process changes by assessing allocation, compliance, control, and documentation impacts.
Establish and maintain effective relationships and communications with business-unit and affiliate budget managers.
Demonstrate strong organization, documentation, facilitation, and communication skills
Ability to analyze data and effectively communicate SCS financial story

Nice-to-haves

CPA, CMA or MBA/other advanced degree preferred
Utility accounting experience is preferred
Experience in accounting, allocations, shared services, accounting policy, or governance preferred
Experience documenting processes, controls, methodologies, decisions, and supporting evidence preferred.
Cloud ERP, OACS, Oracle Planning, and PowerPlan is preferred
Knowledge of Enterprise Foundations principles preferred

Application prep

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Platform: oracle-cloud
Effort: medium