Cloud Finops Analyst

Cloud Finops Analyst

The FinOps Analyst is responsible for accurate cloud cost visibility, forecasting, and optimization. The role builds reliable datasets, automates recurring work, and works directly with engineering, finance, and procurement to forecast and optimize cloud spend.

Cloud Finops Analyst Responsibilities

● Forecasting & Budgeting

○Produce monthly forecasts; track and explain variances vs. Budget

○Support annual/quarterly planning with scenarios and run-rate analysis

○Tie costs to unit metrics (e.g., cost per user, per API call)

● Data & Automation

○Write SQL and Python jobs to ingest, transform, and validate cost and usage data

○Automate reports, alerts, and reconciliation checks; reduce manual work

○Integrate actions with ticketing (e.g., create remediation tasks in Jira)

● Spend Visibility & Reporting

○Maintain daily/weekly/monthly spend reports and dashboards

○Keep a single source of truth for cost, usage, and tags (e.g., AWS CUR/Athena, invoices, APIs)

○Explain spend drivers in plain language for engineers and finance

● Stakeholder Engagement

○Run regular reviews with Engineering, FP&A, and Procurement

○Document decisions, owners, and due dates; follow up until closure

○Provide simple how-to guides for teams on budgets, tags, and cost hygiene

● Process & Controls

○Document processes for reporting, forecasting, and commitments

○Ensure data accuracy and auditability; support internal/external audits as needed

○Propose small, frequent improvements to reduce toil and defects

● Optimization & Commitments

○Identify right-sizing, scheduling, storage tiering, and other cost optimization opportunities

○Recommend and track Savings Plans/Reserved Instances; monitor coverage and utilization

○Quantify savings, impact, and any operational risk

Candidate Requirements

• 3–5 years in cloud cost management, FP&A, or related operations role
• Strong SQL; ability to build and tune queries and model
• Experience with one programming language for automation (Python preferred
• Hands-on with AWS cost tooling (CUR/Athena, Cost Explorer, Budgets) or similar in Azure/GCP
• AWS development experience
• Familiarity with a BI tool (e.g. Power BI)
• Working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
• Clear writing and communication; able to explain trade-offs without jargon