Budget Analyst Renewable Operations

The Budget Analyst position at Southern Company focuses on managing budgeting and accounting processes for renewable energy operations, specifically for Wind and Solar sites. Responsibilities include budget creation, reforecasting, variance explanations, invoice reconciliation, and liaising between various teams. The role requires a strong understanding of budgeting principles and attention to detail. A bachelor's degree in accounting or finance is preferred, along with knowledge of GAAP.
About the position

The Budget Analyst position at Southern Power involves two distinct roles, each supporting different renewable energy operations. The first role focuses on the self-perform Wind fleet, which encompasses ten sites. The selected candidate will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining both Operations & Maintenance (O&M) and Capital accounting, budgeting, and reporting processes for the current year and long-range budgets for these facilities. This position will report directly to the Wind Fleet General Manager. The second role supports 15 Solar & Wind sites operated and maintained by a third party, along with three Central Texas self-perform solar sites. Similar to the first role, this position will also develop, implement, and maintain O&M and Capital accounting, budgeting, and reporting processes for the current year and long-range budgets for these facilities. This position will report directly to a Renewable Region Manager. Both positions require a strong understanding of budgeting and accounting principles, as well as the ability to liaise effectively between various teams, including Operations, Finance, and Accounting. The Budget Analyst will play a crucial role in capital and O&M budget creation, monthly and year-end reforecasting, and variance explanations to management. Additionally, the analyst will be involved in invoice coding and reconciliation, supporting large-scale projects, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement within the budgeting processes. The role also includes miscellaneous administrative duties to support site personnel and management, making it essential for the candidate to be detail-oriented and possess strong analytical skills.

Responsibilities
• Capital and O&M budget creation, ownership and reporting responsibility for multiple facilities
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• Monthly and year-end reforecasting, actuals review, and variance explanations to functional and executive management on a routine basis
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• Preparation of monthly accruals for submittal to accounting
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• Liaison between Operations and SPC Finance and Accounting
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• Liaison between Operations and Partnerships Team
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• Liaison between Operations, Property Accounting and SPC Financial Planning for Long Term Service Agreements (LTSA's)
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• Understand and work with multiple types of contracts for multiple facilities (examples include Long Term Service Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, Turbine Supply Agreements, Third Party O&M Agreements, Partnership Agreements)
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• Invoice coding and reconciliation
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• Support large-scale projects affecting the fleet, such as wind repowering and site acquisition
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• Receiving materials and services, review packing slips, file paperwork
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• Active membership in the Budget Operations Review Board representing Renewable Operations
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• Support and back up other budget analysts and overall Renewables Financial Plan
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• Timekeeping and Expenses Subject Matter Expert
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• Miscellaneous administrative duties in support of site personnel and management
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• Identifying and leading opportunities for continuous improvement and sharing best practices

Requirements
• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance strongly preferred
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• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) required
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• Knowledge of Southern Company budgeting principles a plus
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• 5 or more years of relevant experience is strongly preferred
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• Experience in budgeting, accounting, and/or finance is required
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• Working knowledge of Enterprise Foundation systems and tools
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• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite with proven focus on Excel and PowerPoint
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• Knowledge of data analytics platforms is a plus (i.e., Tableau, PowerBI, Oracle Analytics)
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• Knowledge of financial principles such as net income, earnings per share, cash flow analysis
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• Must possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills
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• Must consistently demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail across multiple work assignments
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• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively communicate at all levels within the organization and corporate environments
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• Ability to review budget/actual/forecast variances and provide assessment analysis based on trends
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• Ability to understand and work with multiple types of contracts for multiple sites (Long Term Service Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, Turbine Supply Agreements, Third Party O&M Agreements, Partnership Agreements)
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• Ability to review invoices for accuracy (check contract rates, T&M, verify % complete, verify current balance due, etc.)

Nice-to-haves
• Knowledge of Southern Company budgeting principles
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• Experience with data analytics platforms (i.e., Tableau, PowerBI, Oracle Analytics)

Benefits
• Some relocation assistance may be available