S

Southern Company

Runs electric and gas utilities across the Southeast

General Technician Apprentice - Above Ground

Fall 2026Deadline 9/19/26
No salary listed
Internship
Riverdale, GA, USA+6 moreMore locations: Lawrenceville, GA, USA | Ball Ground, GA, USA | Chamblee, GA, USA | Cumming, GA, USA | Kennesaw, GA, USA | Atlanta, GA, USA
In Person
Field ServiceTelecom & Utility Field Service

About the job

Requirements
  • A high school diploma or GED is required.
  • Mechanical aptitude is required.
  • Basic knowledge and use of hand tools and equipment is required.
  • The ability to pass basic skills and knowledge assessments is required.
  • A valid driver's license is required.
  • Good written and oral communication is required.
  • The ability to use good judgment in potentially hazardous and emergency environments is required.
  • Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office and computer skills is required.
  • Customer service skills are required.
  • The ability to operate basic equipment, machinery, and simple tools is required.
  • Good interpersonal skills are required.
  • The ability to resolve and diffuse difficult or escalated situations is required.
  • Knowledge of the assigned geographical territory is required.
  • The ability to smell odorant used to detect gas leaks is required.
  • The position requires working outdoors in heat, cold, and high winds.
  • The position is safety-sensitive and requires heavy lifting, bending, stooping, and walking.
Responsibilities
  • Efficiently work a route to complete customer and compliance orders in a timely manner and in accordance with company policies, procedures, and operator qualification procedures.
  • Observe all safety requirements and regulatory guidelines to ensure compliance.
  • Accurately capture documentation in the Mobile Data Terminal and recognize abnormal operating conditions such as corrosion and meters under stress.
  • Assist in connecting and disconnecting gas service and manually turning meters on and off.
  • Assist in investigating high-bill complaints, stopped meters, and special readings through meter-reading validation.
  • Assist with regular meter inspections, painting, and maintenance of above- and below-ground gas systems.
  • Respond to customer questions directly or by referral.
  • Assist with distribution activities involving the installation, repair, and maintenance of the distribution system, including equipment operation, traffic control, landscaping, digging, shoring, leak repair, pipe testing, pipe wrapping, and use of pressure-recording devices.
  • Use hand tools, air tools, shovels, and other tools while performing distribution crew activities.
  • Keep the truck stocked with equipment, supplies, tools, and other equipment in neat and orderly condition.
  • Operate the Automated Dispatch system to complete meter reads and turn-off service at customer premises.
  • Identify abnormal operating conditions and take appropriate action.
  • Perform simple sniff tests to detect gas leaks.
  • Perform other job-related duties as required.
Desired Qualifications
  • Field operations experience, including distribution crew work, is preferred.
  • Experience operating heavy equipment is preferred.
  • Technical school training and certification are preferred.
  • Welding experience or certification is preferred.
  • A commercial driver's license or permit is preferred.
  • Equivalent academic education and experience may be accepted.

About the company

S

Southern Company

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Website

Southern Company owns regulated electric and natural gas utilities that serve homes and businesses across the southeastern United States, chiefly through Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power. Its Southern Nuclear unit runs eight nuclear reactors at three plants in Georgia and Alabama for its sister utilities. The electric utilities generate power from gas, nuclear, coal, hydro and solar plants and deliver it over their own transmission and distribution lines, while state regulators set the rates customers pay and the returns the company earns. A separate gas arm distributes natural gas in several states. Southern Company was formed in 1945 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Atlanta, Georgia

Founded

1912

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Profits are climbing: earnings for April through June 2026 reached $1.2 billion, up from $0.9 billion a year earlier.
  • Cheap federal debt funds expansion: a $26.5 billion Energy Department loan in February 2026 backs 16 gigawatts of projects.
  • A long build-out means years of project work: Southern raised its five-year spending plan to $81 billion in February 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Growth leans on a few tech giants: Google, Meta and Microsoft anchor its 10 gigawatts of large-load contracts.
  • Household bills draw political heat: Georgia's governor joined a July 2026 pledge to shield residents from data-center power costs.
  • Labor talks are coming: union contracts covering about 32% of Southern staff expire between 2026 and 2030.

What makes Southern Company unique

  • Southern built the only US reactors finished since 2016: Vogtle Units 3 and 4, in service by April 2024.
  • Georgia Power's prices are set by elected officials: voters choose the five Public Service Commissioners who approve its rates.
  • Southern's gas business reaches beyond its power region: its Nicor Gas utility serves northern Illinois.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Performance Bonus
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Hybrid Work Options

Company News

Interesting Engineering
Oct 16th, 2026
World's first fast-spectrum molten chloride reactor experiment nears critical testing.

World's first fast-spectrum molten chloride reactor experiment nears critical testing. Southern Company, INL and CORE POWER are working to close a major knowledge gap in advanced nuclear engineering. A nuclear experiment backed by the U.S. Department of Energy could deliver crucial operating data for next-generation reactors as early as 2027. The Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) aims to test a fast-spectrum molten chloride salt reactor under sustained fission conditions. Its results could help engineers move the technology closer to commercial use. The DOE has approved additional cost-shared funding to accelerate the experiment's final development stage. Southern Company, Idaho National Laboratory and CORE POWER are collaborating on the project through the department's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Testing a different reactor design. Unlike conventional reactors, which typically use solid fuel, molten salt reactor designs can dissolve nuclear fuel in liquid salt. MCRE will investigate a chloride-based system that operates with a fast neutron spectrum. Fast neutrons retain more energy than the thermal neutrons used in many conventional reactors. This difference influences how nuclear fuel behaves and how a reactor sustains fission. Engineers need experimental evidence to understand those effects and refine their designs. MCRE aims to become the world's first fast-spectrum molten chloride reactor experiment to achieve criticality. That milestone occurs when a reactor sustains a controlled nuclear chain reaction. Idaho National Laboratory will help researchers gather direct measurements of the reactor's behavior during operation. Associate Laboratory Director Jess Gehin said engineers currently rely on models to predict how this reactor design will perform.

TEISS
Oct 15th, 2026
Southern Company says attacker accessed data on 400,000 utility accounts through online portal.

Southern Company says attacker accessed data on 400,000 utility accounts through online portal. Southern Company, the Atlanta-based electric and natural gas holding company, disclosed a data breach affecting about 400,000 utility customer accounts after an unauthorized third party accessed limited information through its online customer portal. The company issued a public statement Oct. 5, 2026, and is notifying affected customers by mail and email. About 300,000 of the affected accounts belong to Georgia Power customers, and another 100,000 belong to Alabama Power, which has a customer base of 1.6 million. Mississippi Power customers were also named in the public notice, but the company did not release a figure for them. The information involved varied by individual and may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, the last four digits of business tax identification numbers and other basic account details. The company said the attacker did not gain access to bank account numbers, payment card numbers or driver's license numbers. Southern Company said it took immediate steps to stop the unauthorized activity when it detected it and has engaged law enforcement. The company has not said when the intrusion occurred or how the attacker gained access to the portal, and the attacker's identity has not been publicly confirmed. Customers are being offered one year of free credit monitoring. Southern Company serves millions of customers through subsidiaries that include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power. Two law firms, Edelson Lechtzin LLP and Ademi LLP, said they are investigating potential claims related to the breach.

Chief Executive Group
Oct 5th, 2026
Southern Company CEO Chris Womack: 'never stop raising the bar'

Southern Company CEO Chris Womack: 'never stop raising the bar' Womack leads the energy company with one maxim above all others: Great is not good enough if you stop getting better. There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who receive an award and see it as a chance to take a break. And those who see it as a reason to work that much harder. Southern Company CEO Chris Womack is most assuredly in the latter category. He leads his prolific energy company with one maxim above all others: Great is not good enough if you stop getting better. Womack knows what he's talking about. Southern Company, which serves more than nine million customers across the U.S., was recently ranked No. 1 in the oil and gas industry on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list. That's a real feather in the cap. Womack and his staff achieved this mark through the idea that "getting better" is not just a slogan. Instead, Womack pushes his staff to clearly define "better," benchmark it and show others how to achieve it. Of course, this is the kind of focus that comes from someone who has been with an organization for several decades. Indeed, the Alabama-born CEO has had Southern Company on his business card since 1988. Let that sink in - that's 38 years of service. "We challenge ourselves very, very forthrightly about not becoming complacent," Womack explained to me on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. "Especially in terms of not relishing being No. 1." Athletes will tell you. Any team can come from behind to beat you. No lead is totally safe. Womack, a former player for Western Michigan University on the baseball diamond, knows that well. That's why he doesn't believe any victory is worth a day off. "We have to keep getting better," he told me. "We have to keep moving the bar, raising the bar, elevating the bar, stepping up our game to continue to be successful." Womack talked about all this and more on the podcast, including: - Be adaptable. He believes that adaptability is a strength for both individuals and businesses. The CEO, who had to adapt when he left rural Alabama for college in Michigan, benefited from being malleable then. As a hitter, you never know what pitch is coming at you next. The same is true in business. - Vulnerability is not weakness. Over the years, Womack has learned that sharing stories, fears, hopes - these things strengthen bonds and relationships. They demonstrate a shared humanity. So, as a leader in business, he doesn't shy away from vulnerable moments. He leans into them. "We're all in this together," he says. - Employees are people. In the old days, many companies told their employees to leave their baggage at the door. But Womack calls this practice "completely unrealistic," adding, "that's not real life." Instead, he fosters an environment where employees are free to express what's going on in their lives outside of the job. That way their workplace feels more like home. Over the last 30 years, longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated and 13-time New York Times Best-Selling Author Don Yaeger has been blessed to interview the greatest winners of its generation. He has made a second career as a keynote speaker and executive coach, discerning habits of high performance to teach teams how to reach their full potential.

Carpenter Media Group
Oct 1st, 2026
Georgia regents name former Southern Company leader Fanning as next chancellor.

Georgia regents name former Southern Company leader Fanning as next chancellor. Published 1:28 pm Thursday, October 1, 2026 By Ty Tagami, Capitol Beat News Service | Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... | ATLANTA - Georgia's Board of Regents formalized the hiring Thursday of the next leader of the state's 25 public colleges and universities, naming Thomas A. Fanning as chancellor. The former president and CEO of Southern Company will take control of the University System of Georgia on Jan. 1, the day after Sonny Perdue retires. The regents named Fanning sole finalist last month. "As a proud USG graduate, I know firsthand the transformative power of this system," Fanning said in a statement. The Georgia Tech graduate, who went on to earn a master's degree there, said his priorities are to ensure college remains accessible, to support innovation and to drive the state's economy with talented graduates. Fanning led Southern Company from 2010 to 2023. He also chaired the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. After leading the university system for four years, Perdue announced his retirement in April, prompting a five-month search for his successor. Perdue served as agriculture secretary for President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House and as Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction starting in 2003.

[your]NEWS
Sep 15th, 2026
Southern Company secures record $26.5B DOE loan for data centre power build-out

The US Department of Energy has approved a $26.5 billion loan to Southern Company through Georgia Power and Alabama Power, the largest in the agency's history. Georgia Power receives approximately $22.4 billion whilst Alabama Power gets roughly $4.1 billion. The 30-year loans will finance over 16 gigawatts of power capacity, including gas turbines, nuclear upgrades, batteries, and 1,300 miles of transmission infrastructure. Officials tout $7 billion in customer savings and $300 million annual interest cost reductions for Southern Company. The financing targets data centre growth and manufacturing expansion. Critics argue the subsidised borrowing costs benefit shareholders whilst construction costs enter the rate base, ultimately paid by customers. Current rate freezes in Georgia and Alabama have expiration dates. The loan reduces Southern Company's borrowing costs but doesn't guarantee lower household bills, as assets remain company-owned and ratepayer-funded.