Title:  Technical Support Specialist III – Energy Management Systems
​​​​​​​Client: Southern Company Services
Location: Birmingham, AL
Contract: 2 Years
Schedule: 24x7x365 rotating shift environment
Shift Length: 8- or 12-hour shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays

Job Summary

We are seeking a Technical Support Specialist III – Energy Management Systems (EMS) to provide frontline technical support for critical SCADA and Energy Management Systems.

This position is part of a contracted 24x7x365 operations team responsible for system monitoring, diagnostics, incident response, application support, customer communication, and coordination with technical support personnel and management.

The ideal candidate will have experience supporting critical IT or operational systems and be comfortable working in a high-availability, regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor primary SCADA and ancillary EMS systems for health, performance, and availability.

• Provide frontline diagnostics and problem resolution for EMS applications and computer systems.

• Coordinate repair and troubleshooting activities with EMS personnel and other technical support groups.

• Notify key customers regarding system outages, incidents, and events affecting critical systems.

• Track and document incidents and support cases through completion.

• Follow established knowledge-based troubleshooting procedures.

• Adhere to formal Change Management processes.

• Support Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery systems.

• Maintain compliance with electronic and physical access requirements.

• Communicate operational issues clearly to customers, technical teams, coordinators, and management.

• Prioritize incidents based on criticality and potential impact to the Bulk Power System.

• Provide feedback regarding process improvements and recurring customer issues.

• Maintain strong working relationships with transmission control center personnel and other key customers.

Required Qualifications

• Formal education in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Experience supporting computer systems, applications, or technical operations.

• Strong troubleshooting and critical-thinking skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong customer-service skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented and potentially high-stress environment.

• Ability to multitask and prioritize incidents based on operational impact.

• Ability to follow documented procedures and Change Management processes.

• Ability to work rotating shifts, including:

  • Days

  • Nights

  • Weekends

  • Holidays

Technical Knowledge

Working knowledge or experience with the following is preferred:

• Windows operating systems

• AIX

• UNIX-based operating systems

• Distributed computer networks

• SCADA systems

• Energy Management Systems

• Business Continuity systems

• Disaster Recovery environments

• Incident and case-management processes

Compliance Requirements

Candidates must be able to comply with applicable regulatory and security requirements, including:

• Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)

• Sarbanes-Oxley requirements

• Federal regulatory compliance requirements

• Electronic and physical access policies

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Standards of Conduct

• Southern Company Separation Protocol

• Southern Company Insider Threat Program requirements

Enhanced background screening and drug screening may be required.

Work Requirements

• This position operates in a 24x7x365 environment.

• Shifts may be 8 or 12 hours.

• Schedule rotates between day and night shifts.

• Weekend and holiday coverage is required.

• During severe weather events, personnel may be required to remain local to or sequestered near the control center.

Key Skills

Energy Management Systems | EMS | SCADA | Technical Support | Application Support | Windows | UNIX | AIX | Incident Management | Change Management | CIP Compliance | Disaster Recovery | Business Continuity | Critical Infrastructure | 24x7 Operations | Bulk Power System