Director of Cloud Cost Optimization

The Director of FinOps is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining and implementing enterprise-wide cloud financial management strategies. The Director plays a critical role in optimizing cloud financial management, guiding cross-functional teams to enhance financial accountability, and driving cost efficiency in cloud operations. This role requires a strategic leader with deep expertise in cloud cost optimization, a strong financial acumen, advanced technical expertise, and the ability to manage complex data analytics, budgeting, and forecasting processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the technical execution of the organization’s cloud financial management strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate growth and innovation goals. Align cloud financial strategies with global market trends and emerging technologies to maintain competitive advantages.
• Cloud Financial Optimization: Implement (with a continuous improvement framework) a robust cloud financial management strategy across the organization. Identify and recommend cloud cost-saving opportunities, including rightsizing resources, managing reservations and savings plans, and optimizing storage and compute costs. Coordinate with Portfolio teams on cloud deployment FinOps best practices to eliminate potential waste and increase cloud spend value.
• FinOps Chargeback and Reporting: Oversee cloud budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes. Work closely with Finance, Engineering, and IT teams to establish and maintain cloud budget baselines, cost forecasts, and variance analysis. Provide data-driven insights into cloud spend, and track performance metrics against annual budget.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication: Serve as the primary FinOps contact, liaising with stakeholders across Finance, Engineering, IT, and Procurement. Educate and influence stakeholders to adopt FinOps best practices and foster a culture of cost accountability. Develop and maintain executive-level dashboards and reports, clearly communicating cloud cost insights and financial impacts. Collaborate with the development teams to automate and optimize cloud cost allocation and chargeback processes.
• Process Improvement and Automation: Identify and implement process improvements in cloud financial management, ensuring scalability and automation where possible. Drive the development of custom reports, leverage toolset, and frameworks to improve cost tracking, reporting and forecasting. Lead initiatives to improve the organization’s FinOps maturity level, aligning with industry best practices and benchmarks.

What You'll Bring

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in financial operations, cloud financial management, or similar leadership roles. Proven track record of managing cloud costs and optimizing cloud spend, with experience in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Strong understanding of cloud services pricing, billing, and cost management tools (e.g., AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, GCP Cost Tools, and Apptio or other third-party solutions). Expertise in designing cost-efficient, scalable architectures using multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategies. FinOps Certifications.
• Skills: Advanced analytical skills, with proficiency in data analysis and financial modeling tools (e.g., Excel, SQL, or Python). Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Experience with cost management tools, reporting systems, and BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI). Desired experience with IaC and Terraform/Cloud-Native tools and services to drive cost-efficient infrastructure deployments. Desired knowledge of cloud security principles (e.g., IAM policies, encryption, and compliance monitoring) and their cost trade-offs. Desired experience with AI/ML-powered tools for predictive analytics and resource optimization.

Additional info

• Personal Attributes: Proactive and strategic mindset, self-starter with a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating cost risks and forecasting future needs. Collaborative and influential, able to drive cultural change and advocate for financial accountability. High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in financial reporting and analysis. Adaptable and forward-looking, able to anticipate the financial impact of cloud technology trends. Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, balancing customer needs with internal business goals.