ASCEND Program Information:
Southern Company is committed to building the future of energy for the customers who depend on us, the communities we serve and the industry we lead. The ASCEND program will transform how we do business, helping us elevate the customer experience, adapt to industry changes, and implement technology that offers new capabilities with more agility. It will involve implementing multiple applications, including the replacement of our meter data management (MDM) and customer service systems (CSS) with a new, Oracle customer information system (CIS) called customer to meter (C2M). Additionally, it includes implementing an advanced analytics platform, customer experience (CX) and commercial engagement platform (CEP).
The new platform, to be rolled out to Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, will be implemented in phases. Currently, we are building an ASCEND organization dedicated to helping the electric operating companies realize the vision for a modernized, efficient, digital customer experience to deeply engage with our customers and provide a more personalized experience. ASCEND will be one of the most comprehensive Customer Service and Marketing transformation initiatives in our company’s history.
Click here for more information about the CIS/MDM program and to view FAQs.
The successful candidate will remain an employee of the operating company while reporting to the CIS/MDM Program Team and may report to a SCS or operating company leader for delivery. Positions within the CIS Program will be filled based on the job requirements and the business needs and overall project scope. Candidates should answer all applicable questions thoroughly as this information will be used to select the successful candidates.
While these roles are expected to be hybrid work, approximately 25% travel is anticipated and for this reason, it is preferred that resources are located within the electric service territory. The successful candidate will remain an employee of the operating company while reporting to the CIS/MDM Project Team and may report to a Southern Company Services or operating company leader for delivery.
Solution Architect (C2M Architect) — Job Description
Position Summary
The ASCEND Solution Architect (C2M Architect) is responsible for end-to-end solution architecture, configuration design governance, and cross-functional leadership for the Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter (C2M) solution. This role partners Southern’s business and technology stakeholders across multiple functional areas to ensure solutions are scalable, supportable, secure, and aligned to business outcomes, with particular emphasis on C2M configuration expertise and strong understanding of the C2M data model.
This position serves as a key architecture point of contact for C2M, providing direction across ASCEND functional and technical teams for requirements translation, design, configuration, integration patterns, testing strategy, and production support. They will work with both the enhancement/scrum teams as well as the fix/triage teams across the various functional areas.
Key Responsibilities
Architecture & Solution Design
- Own the C2M solution architecture across multiple functional domains, ensuring alignment to enterprise standards and project/program objectives.
- Lead end-to-end design spanning business processes, configuration, integrations, reporting, batch, and operational support considerations.
- Provide design governance: patterns, standards, guardrails, design reviews, and sign-off for major configuration and integration decisions.
Cross-Functional Expertise (Multiple Functional Areas)
- Demonstrate working architecture knowledge across several C2M functional areas such as:
+ Billing & Rates for various customer classes
+ Customer, Accounts, Persons, Premise/service location concepts
+ Service agreements, start/stop/move, billing determinants, billing/adjustments
+ Payments, credit & collections, financial transactions
+ Meter-to-cash business process touchpoints, meter data/Metering integration concepts
+ Customer service operations and workflow enablement (e.g., To Do / case-like orchestration)
- Translate business objectives and process needs into configuration and data model impacts across these domains.
C2M Configuration Leadership
- Serve as the configuration authority for C2M design and changes, including (as applicable):
+ Business objects and relationships; lifecycle/state models
+ Algorithms, plug-ins, and configuration-driven rules
+ To Do entries, routing, and operational controls
+ UI configurations and user experience enablement through configuration
+ Batch and scheduled processing design considerations
- Ensure configuration changes are traceable to requirements, testable, and supportable in production.
Data Model Understanding & Data Quality
- Apply strong understanding of the C2M data model to:
+ Perform impact analysis for enhancements/defects
+ Guide data migration mappings and validation strategies
+ Support reporting/analytics requirements through correct source-of-truth definitions
+ Establish data quality checks and operational monitoring considerations
- Partner with data and integration teams to ensure data integrity and lineage across upstream/downstream systems.
Integration & Technical Collaboration
- Define integration approaches (APIs, services, events/file-based where applicable) in partnership with integration and platform teams; ensure patterns meet security, reliability, and performance needs.
- Collaborate with developers and engineers on extension strategy and technical implementation approach, while keeping configuration-first principles where appropriate.
Delivery, Testing & Production Readiness
- Provide architectural leadership for testing approach (SIT/UAT), defect triage, and root-cause analysis, ensuring solutions meet quality and operational standards.
- Support production readiness including deployment planning, release governance, operational handoffs, and stability/defect reduction.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong ability to partner with business leaders and technical teams, building trust and driving decisions across stakeholders.
- Demonstrated strengths in systems thinking, impact analysis, and end-to-end ownership of solutions.
- Proven ability to lead through ambiguity, manage multiple priorities, and influence without direct authority.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical writing and design documentation.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a production mindset (stability, operability, maintainability).
Required Experience
- 10+ years' experience with Oracle Utilities C2M, including configuration ownership and data model-driven analysis.
- Experience designing solutions that span multiple functional areas and integrating enterprise systems.
- Experience with structured delivery practices: requirements-to-design traceability, testing support, release management, and production support.
- 10+ years Utility industry experience (meter-to-cash, customer operations, billing, payments, collections, metering/MDM touchpoints).
- High degree of initiative and personal responsibility - “owns result/solution end-to-end.”
- Strong desire to learn the business, continuously improve, and mentor others through architecture leadership.
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: 18843
Job Category: Information Technology
Company: Southern Company Services
