Technology FinOps Lead

Location: Guernsey, Haywards Heath, Home Office (Remote) or Manchester

Salary: £55,226 - £69,032 - depending on experience

Department: Technology and Data

We’re 1st Central, a market-leading insurance company utilising smart data and technology at pace. Rapid growth has been based on giving our 1.4 million customers exactly what they want: great value insurance with excellent service. We were awarded Insurance Employer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards 2024, and our Glassdoor score is impressive!

We’re looking for a Technology FinOps Lead to join our IT Governance team. You’ll play a crucial role in managing, optimising, and reporting our cloud, technology, and data costs. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams, including value stream teams and finance, to drive technological cost transparency and efficiency within our cloud environment and other areas of IT spend, supporting decision-making.

We value flexible working arrangements, so you can choose to work remotely or from one of our offices in Salford Quays, Manchester, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, or Guernsey, with occasional office visits.

Core skills required:

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to engage with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong reporting, problem-solving, and analytical abilities with attention to detail.
• Data analysis skills.
• Ability to work independently and drive financial accountability in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• FinOps Certified Practitioner or Certified Cloud Financial Management or similar certification (highly desirable).
• Strong understanding of cloud platforms, especially Azure, and containerised environments.

Responsibilities include:

• Proactively monitor, analyse, and report on cloud and technology spending, especially in Azure environments.
• Establish governance policies and standards for cloud resource tagging to ensure proper asset categorisation and cost allocation.
• Collaborate with technical teams and external providers to implement standardised tagging structures.
• Develop financial models and forecasts for technology and data costs, providing insights on cost efficiency, resource utilisation, and budget adherence.
• Support value stream leaders with financial data to align technology costs with business objectives.
• Work with finance teams on budgeting, forecasting, cost allocation, chargeback models, and financial reporting.
• Stay updated on FinOps best practices and industry trends to improve financial processes.
• Monitor, investigate, and report cost spikes; collaborate with teams for remediation activities.
• Enforce FinOps governance policies and ensure tagging compliance across cloud environments.
• Maintain cost allocation frameworks to improve accountability, ensure compliance with financial regulations and audit requirements, and develop dashboards for visibility into spending trends and cost efficiency.
• Partner with procurement to optimise cloud agreements and licensing models.
• Educate stakeholders on FinOps principles, governance policies, and best practices for cost efficiency.

Experience and knowledge required:

• Strong understanding of Azure and containerised environments.
• Proficiency in financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and cost modelling.
• Experience with cloud cost management tools (e.g., Azure Cost Management).
• Expertise in enforcing tagging policies and governance frameworks.
• Ability to conduct compliance checks for cloud resource categorisation.
• Experience with visualisation tools such as Power BI.
• Familiarity with DevOps methodologies and value stream-driven environments.
• Proven experience in FinOps, Cloud Cost Management, or similar roles.
• Experience in financial services or regulated industries is preferred.

Skills:

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Strong reporting, problem-solving, and analytical abilities.
• Data analysis skills.
• Ability to work independently and drive financial accountability.

Qualifications:

• FinOps Certified Practitioner or similar certification.

Behaviours:

• Proactive and collaborative working style.
• Adaptability, willingness to learn, and positive attitude.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and target-oriented.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Curious mindset, asking questions, exploring solutions for process improvements.
• Clear communicator, able to explain financial and technical info.
• High standards of compliance and ethics.
• Drive improvements contributing to business success.

If you’re up for the challenge and want to join our vibrant team, we want to hear from you today.

What we offer:

• People-first culture with energetic, supportive workplaces.
• Perks such as Simply Health Cash Plan, flexible bank holidays, Electric Car Scheme, flexible working, and Your Time in Need leave.