Data Architect Sr

Data Architect Sr.

Location: Atlanta, Birmingham, Gulfport or Naperville

Job Summary:

This position is part of the Technology Organization (TO) Infrastructure Services (IS), which has responsibility for electrical and mechanical infrastructure in data center facilities; edge, aggregation, and core telecommunications; data and voice networks and firewalls; and Windows, Linux, and UNIX servers, storage, and integration technologies. This position will be filled as a member of the Infrastructure Data, Metrics and Reporting team within the Infrastructure Services (IS) Tower.

The Infrastructure Data Steward is responsible for designing, implementing, and governing the data architecture for Infrastructure Services. This role ensures that all infrastructure data—asset, operational, and related datasets—is accurate, complete, consistent, secure, and accessible. By championing data quality and stewardship, this position enables reliable reporting, analytics, and operational excellence across the organization. If you are passionate about data quality and governance and want to make a significant impact on our organization, we encourage you to apply.

Core Responsibilities

• Own all IS data domains : Asset data, operational data, and related datasets.
• Drive data quality : Ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency.
• Identify and resolve data quality issues : Lead cleanup efforts and implement sustainable mechanisms for ongoing quality.
• Protect infrastructure data : Apply proper security and compliance measures.
• Document sources of truth : Define authoritative systems for each data element.
• Define data architecture : Establish how infrastructure data flows and is used across systems.
• Enable data usage : Help teams access data for systems, reporting, analytics, and metrics.
• Ensure reporting accuracy : Validate that metrics and analytics reflect correct data.
• Business impact : Support operational excellence, service delivery, customer satisfaction, and resource optimization.

Job Requirements:

• Broad knowledge of all infrastructure technologies, with strong technical aptitude, knowledge and hands-on experience in more than one infrastructure technology area
• Understanding of rules and regulations that govern the use of technology, such as NERC CIP, Sarbanes-Oxley, and internal policies
• Ability to define and articulate the “big picture” long-term vision for the infrastructure, and develop short term plans to achieve it
• Ability to analyze information from multiple sources for complex problem resolution
• Ability to design / engineer infrastructure solutions to maximize resiliency while minimizing cost and complexity
• Ability to organize tasks and coordinate various employees, vendor / contractors, and customers / partners to meet project goals
• Ability to work independently, prioritizing major tasks by overall impact to the company
• Ability to communicate and work with all levels of management, vendors, and other internal and external groups
• Ability to effectively lead committees and teams, train personnel, and make presentations.

+ Superb diagnostic, troubleshooting, analysis, and problem-solving skills

+ Self-motivated, takes initiative, is proactive, and habitually removes obstacles for success

+ Curious and creative, always questioning, and never satisfied by the status quo

+ Assess impact and quantify risk to ensure appropriate business decisions are made

• Education

+ Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

+ Master’s preferred

+ 8–10+ years of experience in data architecture, modeling, and solution development.

• Competencies

+ Proven expertise in data quality management, data governance, and stewardship.

+ Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data modeling tools (Informatica Data Catalog, ERWIN, SQL Developer, SSMS, etc.).

+ Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, GitHub), BI tools (Power BI), and big data technologies (Hadoop, Spark).

+ Experience with data visualization and dashboarding tools, including Grafana, Splunk, Kibana and Power BI.

+ Experience with AI and machine learning frameworks to enhance data quality and governance processes.

+ Familiarity with Databricks and Azure Data Lake Storage

+ Experience with Unity Catalog for data governance and cloud environment access control

+ Proficiency in applying AI techniques for predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and data-driven decision-making.

+ Knowledge of AI-driven data integration and data cleansing tools to automate and optimize data management tasks.

+ Familiarity with natural language processing (NLP) for unstructured data analysis and information extraction.

+ Knowledge of the company technology organization, business and technical environments.

+ Understanding of company technology infrastructure domains including data centers, network / communications, server utilization, virtual environments, storage, and application development & maintenance

+ Strong communication, consulting, and leadership skills.

+ Ability to work collaboratively across teams and influence data-driven culture.

+ Continuous self-learner

+ Effectively organizes tasks, manages multiple priorities, and able to meet tight deadlines

+ Demonstrate our values of safety first, intentional inclusion, act with integrity, and superior performance, and the ability to provide and accept feedback.

Must live within a commutable distance to one of the following company locations:

• Georgia Power HQ in Atlanta, GA
• Alabama Power HQ in Birmingham, AL
• Mississippi Power HQ in Gulfport, MS
• Nicor Gas HQ in Naperville, IL

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture has been recognized by a variety of organizations, earning the company awards and recognitions that reflect Our Values and dedication to service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com .

Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Job Identification: 15085

Job Category: Information Technology

Job Schedule: Full time

Company: Southern Company Services