FinOps Engineer

We are seeking a FinOps Engineer to support our Cloud FinOps practice. This role will work closely with the FinOps Manager and CloudOps team. We are looking for someone who takes ownership of outcomes, not just tasks. This role needs a self-starter who drives cost initiatives to closure with minimal hand-holding, flags issues before they are asked to, follows up without being chased, and treats savings targets as something they are personally accountable for.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Own the end-to-end validation of cost optimization opportunities (rightsizing, idle resource clean-up, storage optimization), not just flagging them, but following through to closure.
• Act as the technical liaison with engineering/tech teams when recommendations are challenged or denied, bringing data-backed validation and alternative options rather than escalating every pushback upward.
• Independently prepare and distribute regular cloud cost and usage reports, proactively surfacing anomalies or trends rather than waiting to be asked.
• Drive daily follow-up on open optimization opportunities - ownership means nothing sits stale in a tracker; you chase it until it is implemented.
• Execute optimizations directly: rightsizing, terminating idle resources, scheduling non-prod resources, applying storage lifecycle policies.
• Maintain FinOps hygiene - tagging governance, anomaly detection, budget adherence - as an ongoing discipline, not a periodic task.
• Keep a clear, self-maintained progress tracker on savings initiatives and proactively update leadership without being chased for status.
• Monitor usage trends across cloud providers (including GCP, if multi-cloud) to catch new/unexpected usage early rather than after it hits the bill.
• Support RI/Savings Plan lifecycle management - tracking expirations, recommending renewals or exchanges, and coordinating sign-off with relevant stakeholders (e.g., DBA, engineering).
• Contribute to monthly/quarterly cost forecasting and variance analysis (actuals vs. budget/forecast).

Position Requirements:

• 4-6 years in cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred).
• Solid understanding of AWS services (EC2, EBS, S3, RDS, etc.) and their cost drivers.
• Demonstrated ownership mindset - someone who takes an opportunity from identification to closure without needing to be reminded.
• Familiarity with savings instruments such as RIs and Savings Plans.
• Exposure to FinOps principles and frameworks (e.g., FinOps Foundation).
• Hands-on experience with AWS Cost Explorer, CUR, and reporting/monitoring tools (Athena, QuickSight, or equivalent third-party tools).
• Strong communication and follow-up discipline - able to coordinate with tech teams and push initiatives to execution, not just raise them.
• Ability to analyze reports and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Scripting ability (Python or SQL) for automation of reporting/optimization tasks - mandatory, at least one.

Preferred Skills:

• Proven track record of operating independently with minimal supervision - this role requires someone who proactively drives initiatives forward, not someone who waits for direction.
• Prior experience owning a cost-optimization book of work end-to-end (not just execution of assigned tasks).
• Exposure to multi-cloud environments (GCP, Azure) beyond AWS.
• Familiarity with tracking cost/usage for AI tooling or token-based consumption models - a plus.

Skills

AWS, Amazon Web Services, FinOps, Python, SQL