Cloud FinOps Architect Lead

We are seeking a Cloud Optimization Architect to lead the financial and technical evolution of our Azure ecosystem. This is a senior-level technical role focused on the intersection of high-performance engineering and cloud financial accountability. You will be the primary architect responsible for ensuring our $1M+ annual Azure spend is optimized for maximum value through Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), automated governance, and data-driven FinOps practices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Cloud Financial Operations (FinOps) & Optimization

• Strategic Optimization: Lead the "Inform, Optimize, and Operate" phases of the FinOps lifecycle to maintain a lean cloud footprint.
• Commitment Management: Proactively manage the lifecycle of Azure Reservations and Savings Plans to maximize ROI and coverage.
• Data Visualization: Develop and maintain automated Power BI dashboards and "Showback/Chargeback" reports to provide stakeholders with granular visibility into spend.
• Governance & Guardrails: Implement and enforce Azure governance controls (Azure Policy, Tagging, Management Groups) to prevent cost leakage.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead monthly "Optimization Reviews" with application owners to identify and execute rightsizing opportunities for underutilized resources.
• Databricks Efficiency: Design and support Azure Databricks environments with a strict focus on cost-efficiency, implementing Auto-termination, Spot Instance policies, and Unity Catalog governance.

Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) & Automation

• Architectural Standards: Build and maintain Azure reference architectures delivered exclusively via Terraform and/or Bicep.
• Shift-Left Costing: Integrate cost-estimation tools (e.g., Infracost) directly into CI/CD pipelines to provide visibility into the financial impact of code changes before deployment.
• Automated Remediation: Build automated workflows to detect and remediate "zombie" resources (unattached disks, idle Load Balancers, etc.).
• Scalable Networking: Architect secure, cost-optimized hybrid connectivity (VPN, ExpressRoute, VNet peering) and global DNS strategies.

Resiliency & Platform Support

• Cost-Effective DR: Design disaster recovery strategies (RTO/RPO) that balance business continuity with cost (e.g., Pilot Light vs. Multi-region Active/Active).
• Observability: Establish monitoring and logging standards using Azure Monitor and Log Analytics to track both performance and cost anomalies.

Education and Experience

• 8+ years of experience in IT infrastructure or systems engineering.
• 5+ years of hands-on Azure architecture experience with a proven track record of managing spend at scale ($50k-$100k+/month).
• Expert-level proficiency in IaC: Extensive experience with Terraform (preferred) or Bicep in a production environment.
• Advanced Azure Billing Knowledge: Deep understanding of EA/MCA agreements, Azure Resource Graph (Kusto/KQL), and retail vs. negotiated rates.
• Data Platform Experience: Hands-on experience optimizing Azure Databricks, ADLS, and Entra ID integration.

Certifications

Preferred certifications or equivalent hands-on experience across Azure DevOps, application development, networking, identity & access management, and hybrid infrastructure:

• FinOps Certified Practitioner (FOCP) - Highly Preferred
• AZ-305: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• AZ-400: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
• AZ-700: Azure Network Engineer Associate
• SC-300: Identity and Access Administrator Associate