Financial Analyst

This position supports financial planning, analysis, regulatory and budgeting needs for Southern Company and its subsidiaries. 

Responsibilities include: 

Provide timely solutions using critical thinking to resolve complex requests from the subsidiaries Understand, develop, maintain, and effectively use the UISolutions models to support the needs of the various Southern Company subsidiaries Train and support users on the UISolutions Models Continuously examine and improve processes and tools used throughout supported organizations Knowledge of general financial concepts and common financial formulas (for example, debt structures, earnings per share (EPS), cost of capital, etc.) Knowledge of finance principles and processes Knowledge of basic macro-economic values (e.g., CPI, GDP, exchange rates, etc.)    Knowledge of accounting concepts and practices (e.g., accrual accounting, cash accounting, etc.)  Knowledge of the accounting close process  Knowledge of sources of information about tax policies and their implications on projections    Ability to read and interpret corporate annual reports Ability to provide input or support financial close and reporting activities Ability to define, incorporate and report on financial and/or non-financial key performance indicators Ability to define and schedule project/workflow elements and their interaction Ability to coordinate and communicate deadlines, deliverables and expectations in the workflow process Ability to synthesize information to create conclusions, alternatives and recommendations Ability to perform variance analysis and reporting (e.g., actuals v. prior periods, actuals v. plan, actuals v. forecast, etc.) Ability to create financial statement projections - (P&L/income statement, cash flow, balance sheet, equity statements, etc.) Ability to create a capital expenditure/investment analysis  Ability to create and perform sensitivity analyses and scenario analyses, including "what-if" scenarios and analyses Build and sustain trusted relationships and communicate effectively based on the audience

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, or related field required

Experience:

2 - 4 years of experience in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, or related field required Experience using UI Solutions software including financial, capital or tax model preferred Experience in financial systems/planning, analysis, or regulatory preferred Will consider candidates with an industrial engineering background Experience with Excel based models or reporting systems preferred Experience in utility finance, accounting and rate making principles preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Financial & Business Acumen requirements: Knowledge of all of the common financial statements and the interactions/interrelationships between them

Analytical Requirements:

Seek out and embrace opportunities to research and resolve complex and challenging problems Supplement previous knowledge and experience with robust critical thinking skills to effectively and efficiently solve complex problems Ability to perform an information gap analysis (i.e., determine the information that is missing or needed to complete the task)    Ability to integrate information and data into analysis        Ability to identify outliers in data and determine the causes (i.e., data that does not seem to fit, etc.)        Ability to distill (combine and/or aggregate data while excluding irrelevant data) from numerous sources to create meaningful information        Ability to determine and assess the seasonality of an industry        Ability to assess reasonableness of conclusions and to test conclusion against various scenarios Ability to research and self-educate to close knowledge gaps and learn new concepts

Systems and Models Requirements:

Knowledge of user acceptance testing (UAT) during software implementation Knowledge of spreadsheet and database structures and functions Knowledge of software/data version control concepts and techniques (e.g., naming conventions, annotations, comments, protocols and documentation, etc.)  Ability to identify processes that can be automated and communicate desired output to the implementation team Ability to create templates for information gathering        Ability to assess existing systems and reporting tools  Ability to review a completed task and identify continuous improvement opportunities Ability to engage with stakeholders to achieve management expectations Ability to test and validate a model (e.g., cross-footing, consistency testing, reasonableness assessment, etc.)       

Behavioral Attributes:

Able to adjust easily to changing priorities Exhibits a high degree of initiative and is proactive Takes personal responsibility for assignments and pride in their work product Understands broad implications of decisions and work activities Grasps new concepts quickly Ability to build effective relationships with team and other groups  Strong written and oral communication skills Strong organization and documentation skills Demonstrate basic leadership skills Ability to prioritize, organize and complete projects