FinOps Program Lead

Role & responsibilities

Experience - 7+ years

Role Overview:

We are seeking a FinOps Program Lead to drive the planning, coordination, and execution of enterprise-scale cloud cost optimization initiatives for one of the world's largest and most mature IT organizations. This role is ideal for someone who combines financial acumen, program leadership, stakeholder engagement, and a deep understanding of modern cloud operations and FinOps practices.

As the central coordination point across a globally distributed team, you will oversee execution plans, facilitate collaboration between finance, engineering, and application teams, and ensure that optimization, governance, and visualization workstreams stay aligned to business goals. You will manage delivery cadence, reporting, stakeholder communications, and cost savings validation activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day execution of a multi-phase FinOps program across engineering, analytics, and financial operations workstreams.
• Manage and maintain the master optimization backlog and use case register across business units and cloud platforms.
• Define and maintain a program-level KPI tracking framework aligned with enterprise cost efficiency, utilization, and forecast metrics.
• Coordinate tagging strategy alignment, resource reservation planning, and commitment governance across teams.
• Oversee the creation and rollout of dashboards, reports, and stakeholder enablement materials.
• Partner with product and portfolio owners to validate optimization actions and ensure forecast re-alignment.
• Plan and facilitate Agile ceremonies, stakeholder meetings, and executive updates to maintain program visibility and accountability.
• Track and manage the program budget, sprint plans, resource allocations, and delivery milestones.
• Provide risk mitigation, escalation handling, and continuous improvement feedback loops.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in cloud program management, FinOps, enterprise IT delivery, or cloud financial operations
• Proven success managing programs or portfolios involving multi-cloud cost optimization, cloud resource planning, or IT financial management
• Strong familiarity with Azure, AWS, and/or GCP cost structures, pricing models, and optimization strategies
• Understanding of cloud tagging, chargeback/showback models, reserved instance planning, and enterprise cloud budgeting
• Experience facilitating Agile/SAFe ceremonies and cross-functional planning in globally distributed teams
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience with executive reporting and alignment
• Ability to interpret and manage KPIs, savings realization metrics, and financial thresholds

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background in FinOps Frameworks, Cloud Financial Management (CFM), or cloud governance initiatives
• Exposure to Cloudability or native CSP cost management tools (e.g., Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer)
• Experience managing delivery teams with reporting, automation, or engineering components
• Familiarity with Agile Portfolio Management, SAFe, or enterprise-level PMO structures
• Fluency in both English and Spanish or Portuguese is a plus, but not required

Key Outcomes:

• Fully aligned and prioritized cloud cost optimization backlog with tracked execution metrics
• Timely, validated reporting on savings realization and reforecasting accuracy
• Engaged and enabled stakeholder community with clear roles, communications, and accountability
• Measurable improvement in resource planning, tagging strategy adherence, and reservation commitments
• Operational governance structure that sustains ongoing cost optimization at scale