Project Manager (Customer Choice)

Southern Company • Atlanta, GA

3d

About The Position

The Project Manager leads the planning, development, execution, and closeout of Customer Choice transmission projects. The role is accountable for scope, schedule, budget, risk, stakeholder engagement, and overall performance, with the goal of delivering projects safely, efficiently, and in accordance with customer commitments and company objectives. The Project Manager is the primary customer contact and leads cross-functional teams, maintaining quality and customer satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.

The role coordinates design, engineering, procurement, land acquisition, and construction activities across multiple projects. It manages multi-million-dollar, multi-year capital projects and has minimal O&M budget responsibility. The position requires close coordination with customers and internal and external stakeholders, proactive communication, financial and schedule oversight, change management, and project closeout. Occasional after-hours response may be required due to customer needs, project schedules, storm restoration activities, or other unforeseen circumstances.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or engineering technology is preferred.
• Familiarity with project management principles and techniques, including the Gated Process.
• Experience working directly with customers, customer representatives, or customer-facing stakeholders.
• Experience managing customer expectations, project commitments, and stakeholder communications throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ability to coordinate project activities across multiple organizations while maintaining customer satisfaction.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate progress, identify problem areas, assess alternatives, and determine viable solutions.
• Experience analyzing, projecting, and controlling project costs over time.
• Demonstrated focus on safety.
• Demonstrated experience in leadership competency areas such as business acumen, business execution, communication, leading people and organizations, and organizational savvy.
• Knowledge of the transmission system and strong interpersonal skills with a customer-focused approach.
• Ability to lead team efforts, identify critical paths, and resolve conflict.
• Ability to build and maintain professional working relationships with internal stakeholders, external customers, customer representatives, contractors, and business partners.
• Ability to lead projects involving multiple work groups and departments.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with internal and external audiences at all levels.
• Ability to conduct financial analysis, manage capital budgets, and provide accurate budget projections.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to develop and manage multiple project schedules, work plans, and budgets.
• Knowledge of contract administration.
• Models ethical conduct, demonstrates initiative, makes difficult decisions, and adapts to internal and external demands.
• Ability to develop creative solutions, balance company and public needs, resolve conflict, cultivate a team environment, and follow processes and procedures.
• Ability to exercise diplomacy with customers while meeting tight timelines and delivering quality work.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a Transmission Analyst and build mutual trust.
• Ability to respond occasionally after hours for customer needs, project scheduling, storm restoration activities, or unforeseen reasons.

Nice To Haves

• PE certification.
• PMP or other project management certification.
• Strong transmission or electric utility experience.
• Experience in Protection and Control Field Services, Transmission Operations, or Transmission Design, including estimating, physical design, control, or Protection and Control applications.
• Experience with STOMP, TEAMS (Transmission Estimating and Management System), and/or P6/Primavera.

Responsibilities

• Maintain safety and quality throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate design, engineering, procurement, land acquisition, and construction activities for multiple Customer Choice projects.
• Provide regular project updates to management, customers, customer representatives, regional leadership, and project stakeholders, and communicate proactively about issues affecting scope, schedule, budget, commitments, or expectations.
• Serve as the primary customer contact during project execution and communicate about status, risks, schedule changes, and milestones.
• Develop and maintain customer relationships through proactive engagement, responsiveness, and effective issue resolution.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment and manage customer expectations regarding scope, schedule, cost, and outcomes.
• Identify, assess, and manage project risks while considering customer commitments and service requirements.
• Monitor and analyze expenditures; provide projected monthly, year-end, and total project costs; manage scope changes and obtain required approval before construction.
• Identify project tasks, milestones, and resource requirements, balancing cost, schedules, environmental and regulatory requirements, community impacts, and transmission-system needs to meet project need dates.
• Monitor project progress, identify changes, and negotiate changes with internal and external parties.
• Adjust work plans and resource requirements as circumstances change and implement the change-management process.
• Route paperwork promptly to obtain required budget approvals.
• Manage project closeout, including documentation, lessons learned, financial reconciliation, customer communications, and confirmation that project and customer objectives have been achieved.

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, subject to applicable plan terms and conditions.

What This Job Offers

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