Senior Solution Architect, FinOps
Corus Group, LLC

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.

---