A Senior Solution Architect, FinOps is a technical role responsible for designing and implementing strategies to optimize cloud spending across an organization by leveraging cloud cost management tools, analyzing usage patterns, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and educating teams on best practices to achieve financial efficiency within the cloud environment. This role will often collaborate with both technical and business stakeholders to ensure cost-conscious cloud architecture and usage.
Essential Functions:
Cloud Cost Analysis: Monitor and analyze cloud resource usage across different cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) to identify potential efficiencies in cost and technical areas.
Cost Optimization Strategies: Develop and implement cost-saving strategies like rightsizing instances, utilizing RIs/Savings Plans/CUDS/SUDS, optimizing data storage, and leveraging cloud provider cost management features.
Financial Modeling and Forecasting: Create financial models to track cloud spending, forecast future costs, and identify budget variances.
Cloud Governance Framework: Establish and enforce cloud cost governance policies and guidelines to promote responsible cloud usage.
Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with business units, application owners, and technical teams to understand their cloud needs and educate them on FinOps principles.
Monitoring, Reporting and Visualization: Generate comprehensive reports and dashboards to provide visibility into cloud costs, usage trends, and cost optimization initiatives.
Cloud Provider Negotiation: Work with cloud providers to leverage pricing models, negotiate contracts, and identify potential cost savings opportunities.
Tool Implementation: Select and implement cloud cost management tools to automate cost tracking, analysis, and reporting.
Subject Matter Expert: Provide advice to customers around building cost aware cultures, cloud financial strategies, cost management mechanisms, and cost-efficient cloud architecture best practices.
FinOps Evangelist: Promotion of cost management strategies with customers, partners, internal teams and at various networking opportunities.
Required Skills/Abilities/Competencies
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ethical and Critical Thinking
Expertise in cloud billing, cost management tools and functionalities
Strong analytical and data interpretation skills
Demonstrated experience in large data collection, analysis, and presentation
Ability to communicate effectively and deliver presentations to leaders
Knowledge/understanding of tagging/grouping of Cloud resources based on a defined taxonomy
Financial modelling and forecasting abilities
Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams across business and technology domains
Experience in using Cloud Cost management Tools, such as IBM Apptio/Cloudability, CloudHealth, Ternary or CoreStack
Understanding of FinOps FOCUS framework
Ability to mentor and lead junior FinOps engineers
Certification could include FinOps Certified Practitioner, AWS Cloud Practitioner or AWS Solutions Architect (Associate)
Education and Experience:
10+ years of experience in Business or IT operations or system administration
5+ years of experience including a deep understanding of cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their cost structures
3+ years of business development, partnership management, or sourcing new business experience
2+ years of experience with FinOps including cloud cost and financial model forecasting and cloud cost optimization strategies
Physical Requirements:
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.