Principal Advisor, National Security & Resilience

AbilityLinks; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Company Services seeks a Principal Cybersecurity Analyst to connect federal partners with company experts and translate intelligence into actionable guidance for cyber, geopolitical, and systemic risks impacting utility operations. You will coordinate across energy, communications, and financial services sectors and work with security, policy, and government affairs teams.

You will develop threat assessments, support risk reviews, and help lead enterprise risk reduction initiatives,

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of federal intelligence or cyber operations experience
• Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, intelligence, computing, engineering, technology, cyber policy, or related security field, or equivalent experience
• Willing and able to obtain a DoD Top Secret clearance with TS/SCI eligibility
• Knowledge of agency missions, capabilities, intelligence collection, and risk analysis
• Experience handling classified and unclassified intelligence; knowledge of DoD and DHS information sharing and operational security
• Knowledge of ICS/SCADA and energy systems, electric and gas sector threats, supply chain risk, foreign influence operations, and risks where OT and IT connect
• Familiarity with NERC CIP, DOE C2M2, and NIST RMF/CSF; knowledge of incident triage, attribution, and escalation under NERC CIP and DOE guidance
• Ability to use threat modeling, operational risk mapping, and geopolitical analysis to explain intelligence for utility operations
• Experience briefing leaders, leading risk reviews, and working across agencies with military and civilian staff, executives, and contractors
• Strong judgment, analysis, problem-solving, attention to detail, and written and verbal communication
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines with general supervision

Responsibilities

• Federal relationships: Maintain federal partnerships, represent company positions, and coordinate regular information sharing on threats and incidents
• Intelligence and advice: Connect federal partners with company experts. Explain classified and unclassified intelligence, technical findings, and law enforcement information in terms of business risks and recommended actions
• Policy coordination: Advise leaders on threats and policy impacts. Coordinate priorities with the CISO staff, national security staff, government affairs, and business teams
• Cross-sector work: Coordinate activities with utilities, government, energy, communications, and financial services partners to address shared risks
• Operational support: Help business teams and risk owners across the company identify and action enterprise risks
• Project delivery: Plan initiatives with leadership, identify gaps and unresolved risks, address technical and policy barriers, and track commitments and results
• Partnership improvements: Identify and establish a contractual vehicle to enable high-level risk, threat, and operational discussions

Skills

Federal intelligence experience

Cyber operations experience

TS/SCI eligibility

Risk analysis

Threat modeling

Cross-agency collaboration

Communication skills

Project leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, intelligence, computing, engineering, technology, cyber policy, or related security field

Graduate degree in cybersecurity, national security, energy systems, risk management or related field

Tools

NERC CIP

DOE C2M2

NIST RMF/CSF

Job description

Internal job category: Principal Cybersecurity Analyst

Location: Atlanta, Georgia or Birmingham, Alabama

Travel: Up to 50%

Job Summary

The National Security Liaison connects Southern Company with federal partners operating under Titles 10, 18, 19, 32, and 50. The role shares information and turns classified and unclassified intelligence into practical guidance on cyber, geopolitical, and systemic risks to utility operations, reliability, and national security. The role also coordinates activities across energy, communications, and financial services. It works with security, policy, government affairs, business teams, and peer utilities to address shared enterprise risks.

Required Qualifications

• 8–12 years of federal intelligence or cyber operations experience; a master’s degree does not reduce this requirement.
• Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, intelligence, computing, engineering, technology, cyber policy, or a related security field, or equivalent experience.
• Willing and able to obtain a DoD Top Secret clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) eligibility.
• Knowledge of agency missions, capabilities, intelligence collection, and risk analysis.
• Experience handling classified and unclassified intelligence; knowledge of DoD and DHS information sharing and operational security.
• Knowledge of ICS/SCADA and energy systems, electric and gas sector threats, supply chain risk, foreign influence operations, and risks where operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) connect.
• Familiarity with NERC CIP, DOE C2M2, and NIST RMF/CSF; knowledge of incident triage, attribution, and escalation under NERC CIP and DOE guidance.
• Ability to use threat modeling, operational risk mapping, and geopolitical analysis to explain what intelligence means for utility operations, grid reliability, and national defense.
• Experience briefing leaders, leading risk reviews, and working across agencies with military and civilian staff, executives, and contractors; ability to lead through influence.
• Strong judgment, analysis, problem-solving, attention to detail, and written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines with general supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree in cybersecurity, national security, energy systems, risk management, or a related field.
• U.S. Intelligence Community experience and an established federal partner network.
• Knowledge of federal agency legal authorities, electric and gas regulations and policy, and global cyber threats to energy and financial services.

Job Responsibilities

• Federal relationships: Maintain federal partnerships, represent company positions, and coordinate regular information sharing on threats and incidents.
• Intelligence and advice: Connect federal partners with company experts. Explain classified and unclassified intelligence, technical findings, and law enforcement information in terms of business risks and recommended actions.
• Policy coordination: Advise leaders on threats and policy impacts. Coordinate priorities with the CISO staff, national security staff, government affairs, and business teams.
• Cross-sector work: Coordinate activities with utilities, government, energy, communications, and financial services partners to address shared risks.
• Operational support: Help business teams and risk owners across the company identify and action enterprise risks. Identify ways to reduce operational risk or transfer it to state, federal, or other parties.
• Project delivery: Plan initiatives with leadership, identify gaps and unresolved risks, address technical and policy barriers, and track commitments and results across company and government teams.
• Partnership improvements: Identify and establish a contractual vehicle to enable high-level risk, threat, and operational discussions, like arrangements in other sectors with Title 10/50 customers. Improve partnership processes, technology, and operations.

Behavioral Attributes

• Model Southern Company’s values of Safety First, Intentional Inclusion, Act with Integrity, and Superior Performance.
• Take responsibility for assignments and follow through on commitments.
• Know and follow company policies and practices.
• Communicate clearly and adapt the level of detail to the audience.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow.

Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Job Identification: 22528

Job Category: Cybersecurity

Job Schedule: Full time

Company: Southern Company Services