Principal Advisor, National Security & Resilience

Southern Company • Atlanta, GA

6d

About The Position

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

The position maintains federal partnerships, connects federal partners with company experts, advises leaders on threats and policy impacts, supports enterprise risk owners, and coordinates projects and commitments across company and government teams. It also works to establish and improve partnership arrangements, processes, technology, and operations. The role is based in Atlanta, Georgia, or Birmingham, Alabama, and requires up to 50% travel.

Requirements

• 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.
• Willingness and ability 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 implications of intelligence 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Maintain federal partnerships, represent company positions, and coordinate regular information sharing on threats and incidents.
• Connect federal partners with company experts and explain classified and unclassified intelligence, technical findings, and law enforcement information in terms of business risks and recommended actions.
• Advise leaders on threats and policy impacts; coordinate priorities with CISO staff, national security staff, government affairs, and business teams.
• Coordinate activities with utilities and government, energy, communications, and financial services partners to address shared risks.
• Help business teams and risk owners across the company identify and address enterprise risks; identify ways to reduce operational risk or transfer it to state, federal, or other parties.
• Plan initiatives with leadership, identify gaps and unresolved risks, address technical and policy barriers, and track commitments and results across company and government teams.
• Identify and establish a contractual vehicle for high-level risk, threat, and operational discussions, and improve partnership processes, technology, and operations.
• 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.

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.
• May be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, subject to the terms and conditions of applicable incentive plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal