Business Development Associate, Acquisitions

Southern Company•Birmingham, AL

About The Position

The Business Development team drives Southern Power’s long-term growth strategy through disciplined acquisitions, development, origination, and strategic partnerships across the energy sector. The Acquisitions team is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing investments in power generation and energy infrastructure opportunities across technologies and markets throughout the continental United States. The team pursues opportunities through competitive and negotiated processes involving developers, utilities, financial sponsors, independent power producers, brokers, and other market participants. The Business Development Associate plays a central role in advancing opportunities from initial evaluation through transaction execution and closing. Working closely with the Business Development Managers and cross-functional teams, the Associate independently owns assigned workstreams, coordinates due diligence activities, analyzes project economics and valuations, develops recommendations, prepares indicative bid proposals, tracks key milestones, and helps resolve commercial, financial, technical, and other transaction-related matters. The role is primarily focused on acquisitions and may also support origination, development, and strategic partnership opportunities that align with Southern Power’s strategy of owning and operating reliable, cost-effective energy solutions. The Business Development Associate serves as a key contributor, collaborating with colleagues across Accounting, Finance, Financial Structuring, Project Development, Project Execution, Transmission, Siting, External Affairs, Engineering, Asset Management, Legal, and other disciplines supporting opportunity evaluation and negotiation. The role also proactively contributes to the modernization of Business Development workflows by building, leveraging, and maintaining approved AI, automation, and data tools to improve acquisition tracking, information management, analysis, reporting, and team productivity. This position provides the opportunity to gain meaningful experience across the acquisition lifecycle while developing relationships with external counterparties and contributing to investment evaluation, indicative bid proposal preparation, due diligence, transaction negotiation, acquisition execution, and post-closing activities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required – i.e. Business, Engineering, Finance, etc.
Working knowledge of technologies employed in natural gas and other thermal energy generating assets, as well as renewable energy
Working knowledge of the wholesale energy market and electric system economics
Working knowledge of wholesale power contracting principles, including power purchase agreement terms, conditions, and risks associated with contract obligations
Basic or working knowledge of negotiating contracts
Basic or working knowledge of financial principles
Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to independently manage assigned workstreams, coordinate stakeholders, and successfully advance multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
Demonstrated ability to leverage AI, automation, and data tools to improve workflow efficiency, acquisition opportunity tracking, knowledge sharing, and management reporting
Strong interpersonal skills with the desire and ability to develop relationships and work closely with cross-functional support teams
Ability to develop and maintain credible professional relationships with a wide variety of external counterparties: partners, developers, financial firms, customers, vendors, competitors
Excellent written and oral communication skills to communicate complex information clearly and concisely
Analytical skills necessary to identify and understand key issues, investigate potential solutions, and recommend best course of action
High degree of proficiency with standard business software

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree not required but may be a plus
Experience with the power industry, particularly in acquisitions or project evaluation, is a plus
Experience with the due diligence process, transaction execution, and/or contract negotiations is valuable
Experience leading projects or workstreams that required coordination across multiple stakeholders, management of competing priorities, and successful deliverables is preferred
Demonstrated initiative, adaptability, and the ability to contribute effectively in a fast-paced environment
Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools, workflow automation, data visualization, CRM, or other business technology platforms to improve efficiency, analysis, reporting, or decision-making is a plus
Preference for candidates with demonstrated ability to apply AI, automation, or data solutions to improve business processes, reduce administrative burden, and enhance team effectiveness

Responsibilities

Contribute to the successful execution of Southern Power's growth strategy, with a focus on acquisitions
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize acquisition opportunities across multiple generation technologies, including renewables and natural gas
Perform market research, screening, and competitive analysis to assess strategic fit, commercial attractiveness, and investment potential
Lead assigned due diligence workstreams and contribute to negotiations, valuation analyses, and transaction structuring efforts
Coordinate acquisition execution activities, monitor key milestones, and drive timely completion of due diligence requirements
Independently analyze project matters, develop recommendations, and facilitate resolution with internal and external stakeholders
Identify and implement improvements to the process, from deal sourcing to closing
Contribute to Business Development initiatives that leverage approved AI-enabled tools to streamline recurring workflows, organize and synthesize diligence information, and support the preparation of deal summaries, presentations, and other work products
Prepare and maintain deal status summaries and presentations for senior management
Maintain acquisition pipeline and project data, improve data quality and consistency, and support dashboards, management reporting, and trend analysis
Identify, develop, test, and document practical AI and automation use cases that enhance team productivity, while applying sound judgment, validating outputs, and protecting confidential information
Develop and maintain productive working relationships with internal stakeholders and external counterparties to facilitate opportunity evaluation and transaction execution