Cloud FinOps Architect

Job Description

This role leads the definition, governance, and continual evolution of the organisation's Cloud Financial Operations (FinOps) strategy, architecture, and operating model. You will bridge technology, finance, procurement, and business functions to maximise the value of cloud investments while maintaining financial accountability, transparency, and robust governance. The position spans cloud, AI, SaaS, licensing, and data centre consumption, and focuses on designing and implementing cloud cost management frameworks, optimisation strategies, chargeback and showback models, forecasting capabilities, FinOps tooling, governance controls, and business value measurement across Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and SaaS platforms.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the enterprise FinOps strategy, roadmap, and target operating model, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• Develop and maintain architectural standards, patterns, and governance controls for cloud financial management across multiple cloud and consumption-based services.
• Establish enterprise-wide FinOps capabilities that cover cloud, SaaS, AI, platform, and other consumption-based services.
• Align FinOps practices closely with Cloud Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, IT Asset Management (ITAM), Service Management, and Financial Management functions.
• Lead FinOps transformation initiatives and maturity improvement programmes to drive continuous improvement in technology value management.
• Analyse cloud consumption patterns across Azure, AWS, GCP and SaaS to identify cost optimisation opportunities.
• Develop and present recommendations for rightsizing, resource rationalisation, reserved instances, savings plans, commitment-based purchasing models, storage optimisation, and SaaS licence optimisation.
• Monitor and investigate cloud cost anomalies, ensuring that unexpected spend is quickly understood and addressed.
• Drive continual cost reduction and efficiency programmes, tracking realised and forecast savings for the business.
• Own cloud cost forecasting and financial planning processes, ensuring accurate and timely financial insights for stakeholders.
• Develop budgeting and financial accountability structures that clarify ownership of cloud spend across the organisation.
• Build cost allocation, chargeback, and showback methodologies to ensure transparent and fair distribution of cloud costs.
• Support business and finance teams with cloud investment planning, including scenario modelling and financial impact assessments.
• Develop unit economics and value-based metrics that link cloud consumption to business outcomes and value realisation.
• Establish FinOps governance processes, policies, and standards to ensure consistent and controlled financial management of cloud services.
• Implement tagging strategies and cost allocation controls to enable detailed tracking and reporting of cloud spend.
• Define cloud spend accountability across business units and functions, ensuring clear ownership and responsibility.
• Ensure compliance with internal governance and financial controls related to cloud financial management.
• Develop executive dashboards, KPIs, and reporting to provide clear visibility of cloud spend, optimisation progress, and value delivered.
• Support audit, risk, and regulatory requirements related to cloud financial management and technology spend.
• Design and govern the FinOps tooling architecture, ensuring it supports data quality, transparency, and scalability.
• Lead the implementation and optimisation of FinOps and cost management platforms such as Apptio Cloudability, CloudHealth, Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, Google Cloud Cost Management, and native cloud billing and optimisation tools.
• Define and manage integrations between FinOps tools and ERP systems, financial reporting platforms, CMDBs, ITSM platforms, and Business Intelligence solutions.
• Ensure high data quality, cost transparency, and consistency of reporting across all FinOps tools and data sources.
• Act as a trusted FinOps advisor to senior technical and business stakeholders, providing clear guidance on cloud financial management.
• Build strong relationships with finance, procurement, cloud engineering, enterprise architecture, product teams, and technology leadership.
• Communicate cloud spend drivers, optimisation opportunities, and investment value to executive audiences in a clear and compelling way.
• Promote a FinOps culture and accountability across the organisation, encouraging responsible cloud consumption and value-focused decision-making.
• Extend FinOps principles to AI and SaaS consumption management, ensuring similar levels of governance and optimisation.
• Develop governance frameworks for AI, GPU, machine learning, and large language model (LLM) related costs.
• Support broader technology value management initiatives across cloud and digital services, ensuring spend is aligned with business value.
• Establish cost transparency and optimisation frameworks for emerging consumption models and digital platforms.

Essential Skills

• Extensive experience in cloud architecture, FinOps, cloud operations, or technology financial management within complex environments.
• Proven experience implementing enterprise-level FinOps programmes and operating models.
• experience supporting large-scale Azure, AWS, and hybrid cloud environments.
• Strong knowledge of cloud billing mechanisms, pricing models, and cost management practices across major cloud providers.
• experience developing and operating chargeback, showback, and cost allocation models.
• experience presenting financial insights, dashboards, and recommendations to executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrable track record of delivering measurable cloud cost optimisation outcomes.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong understanding of cloud cost management, FinOps frameworks, budgeting and forecasting, unit economics, cost optimisation, and technology value management.
• experience using or governing tools such as Apptio Cloudability, CloudHealth, Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, Power BI, ServiceNow, and CMDB platforms.
• Knowledge of FinOps Foundation frameworks and cloud well-architected frameworks.
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture practices, ITIL, and IT Asset Management (ITAM).
• Strong analytical, financial, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex cost data into clear business insights.