Tax Planning Director

Tax Planning Director

Southern Company (NYSE: SO)

The Director of Tax Planning position is a direct report to the Vice President of Tax for Southern Company (NYSE: SO). The SO Tax team reports into the CFO and is responsible for all income and non-income tax matters related to SO and its five SEC registrants. This position leads the Tax Planning group which consists of five team members and is one of the four groups within the SO tax team of sixty in‑house tax professionals.

This position is a key management role and part of the Tax leadership team which advises the Tax VP on the overall management of the SO tax practice. This position is onsite 4 days per week.

• Leading the technical tax capabilities of the SO tax team on Federal and state income tax matters. Requires in-depth knowledge of various sector specific areas of tax law including but not limited to Renewable Energy Tax Credits, M&A activity, and IRS Controversy.
• Developing, supervising, nurturing and driving tax planning team members to enable team results that drive value for our customers and shareholders. The work is largely integrated into the business of SO which requires solid commercial, communication and client service skills.
• Producing and/or reviewing technical memorandums, presentations and whitepapers on tax matters of particular strategic importance to the Company. This would include presenting those items to IRS examiners, senior Finance personnel as well as other impacted stakeholders such as the SO project development team.
• Managing the work‑product and financial arrangements on technical projects with outside law and CPA firms. This includes reviewing the accuracy/risk of technical conclusions, ensuring projects are well documented and on time and communicating project results to vested parties within SO.
• In conjunction with the D.C. office, the position is expected to advance legislative and regulatory guidance/initiatives to maximize value to our customers and shareholder while minimizing enterprise risk. This will include collaborating with other groups within SO tax to quantify benefits of proposed areas of focus.
• Actively participate and influence outside tax and industry trade groups, such as EEI, ACP, NEI and TEI.
• Key Advisor to Tax VP and CFO on tax matters including but not limited to risk management, people development, culture building and maximizing tax planning opportunities.

• Master’s degree in Tax or JD required. LLM degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience in Federal income tax and solid understanding of core state income tax concepts.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in public accounting or at a law firm required, preferably at an international firm (such as Deloitte, EY, KPMG, or PwC) or a nationally recognized law firm.
• Experience leading tax engagement on significant business transactions such as large asset acquisition and divestitures, business M&A activity and other high‑profile commercial transactions.

• Effective communication skills both written and oral is a “must‑have” skill. This includes interactions with the VP of Tax along with other senior members of the Finance team.
• Strong risk management skills with ability to see various potential interpretations of tax law and professional courage to advise candidly.
• Ability to collaborate with and work across the diverse groups within the SO tax team (Planning, Tax Accounting and Forecasting, Non‑Income taxes) will be critical for success. Candidates should have proven record of success in this area.
• In‑office professional expectation (4 days a week) with professional flexibility afforded to initiative‑taking tax professional.
• Sense of urgency, when required, and a strong bias for action and timely work product whether individually contributed or through team efforts.

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…