Market Compliance & Policy Analyst

Southern Company - Birmingham, AL

Full-time - Entry Level

Birmingham, AL

Utilities

About the position

The Market Compliance & Policy Analyst at Southern Power is responsible for ensuring compliance with wholesale electricity market rules and regulations, particularly in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) regions. The role involves engaging in market compliance and policy matters, coordinating internal resources, and influencing policy to optimize financial performance. The analyst will also support compliance efforts in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region and at federal regulatory bodies such as FERC and NERC.

Responsibilities

• Develop subject matter expertise on wholesale electricity market design and associated policy and compliance processes.
• Develop advocacy strategy and positively influence policy in target wholesale electricity markets (currently ERCOT, SPP, and CAISO) to optimize the financial performance of Southern Power's current facilities and development opportunities.
• Support Southern Power's engagement and advocacy on priority issues at FERC and NERC.
• Attend / participate in key stakeholder meetings, serve on target RTO committees and working groups, and provide guidance on Southern Power's optimal engagement strategy for market compliance and policy matters.
• Plan for and complete recurring / known market compliance activity and lead internal response efforts to ad hoc compliance requests in a timely manner.
• Support the development of internal processes and procedures to effectively and timely identify, monitor, prepare, and complete Southern Power's market compliance obligations.
• Serve as an interface with RTOs and TSPs when Southern Power receives requests for information relating to its facilities.
• Monitor the development of new or revised regulations that may impact Southern Power's market compliance obligations and support the formation of compliance plans to meet new or revised compliance requirements.
• Provide status updates on market compliance and policy activities to Southern Power management.
• Strategically identify and develop relationships with key stakeholders, RTO staff members, industry trade groups, and industry peers that hold influence in the stakeholder and regulatory processes.
• Coordinate with internal business units within Southern Power and Southern Company, along with external resources, to determine level of impact issues could have on business objectives.
• Coordinate with internal subject matter experts to develop internal beliefs on key items such as energy and ancillary services market design, market participation rules, transmission and interconnection planning, cost allocation, resource adequacy and capacity accreditation, and operational performance obligations of inverter-based resources.
• Support the tracking and reporting of Southern Power's ongoing market compliance and policy matters to raise internal awareness of the potential impact of such matters.
• Share market intelligence obtained from participating in stakeholder processes with internal employees.
• Monitor and influence trade organizations' advocacy efforts to support Southern Power's policy positions and business objectives.
• Work with internal / external legal counsel as needed to support market compliance and policy matters.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree is required; degree in technical, business, or equivalent field is desired.
• An advanced degree in technical, business, legal, or equivalent field is desired.
• Knowledge of organized wholesale electricity markets (e.g., CAISO, ERCOT, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO, PJM, SPP, etc.), FERC and NERC regulations, RTO stakeholder and regulatory processes, and transmission and interconnection planning processes.
• Knowledge of electrical principles and power generation and energy storage technologies.
• Knowledge of federal and state legislative, regulatory, and administrative policy making processes.
• Knowledge of electric energy regulations and associated compliance obligations for electric energy industry entities.
• Knowledge of compliance processes and procedures associated with NERC, RTOs, TSPs, or other electric energy industry entities.
• Ability to effectively represent Southern Power externally to fellow stakeholders, RTO staff members, and regulatory agencies.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to simplify complex issues into concise messages to broad audiences.
• Excellent organization and management skills to successfully manage numerous tasks and priorities and to drive resolution of issues.
• Ability to understand the potential impact of new policies on Southern Power's business objectives and to advocate on behalf of Southern Power.
• Strong people skills and ability to work as a team player.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Annual incentive awards for eligible employees
• Health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being
• Potential eligibility for additional compensation, such as an incentive program