Senior Solution Architect, FinOps

Practice: Cloud Platforms

Position Title: Senior Solution Architect, FinOps

Job Family: Pre-Sales

Position Location: Remote

Reports to: Director, Cloud FinOps

Job Summary

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.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
  
  

Converge Technology Solutions provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.