Cloud Strategist – Intermediate

Job TitleCloud Strategist – Intermediate (FinOps / Cloud Cost Forecasting)Role OverviewWe are seeking a Cloud Cost Forecasting Strategist to play a key role in shaping and executing our cloud financial management strategy. This position will lead forecasting, financial planning, and cost governance for our Azure cloud environment.The role partners closely with Finance, Engineering, Cloud Operations, and Procurement to analyze consumption trends, improve forecast accuracy, and deliver actionable insights that drive cost optimization, transparency, and accountability across the organization.Must-Have Qualifications3+ years driving cloud cost optimization initiatives.3+ years partnering with engineering and product teams to influence architecture from a financial perspective.3+ years delivering measurable outcomes from FinOps tools through actionable insights.Key ContributionsCloud Cost Optimization & Strategic InsightIdentify over-provisioned and underutilized cloud resources and drive cost optimization initiatives.Embed financial accountability into architecture and design decisions by partnering with engineering and product teams.Collaborate with vendors and procurement to evaluate pricing models and savings opportunities.Translate FinOps data into insights and lead strategic actions that reduce spend and improve forecast accuracy.Tagging Strategy & GovernanceDesign and implement a comprehensive Azure tagging strategy for accurate cost attribution across applications, environments, and business units.Enforce tagging compliance through automation, tooling, and policy frameworks.Lead remediation of tagging gaps and inconsistencies to support showback/chargeback models.Maintain documentation and provide training to ensure ongoing adoption of tagging best practices.Forecasting & Financial PlanningDevelop and maintain multi-year cloud cost forecasts aligned to business and technology roadmaps.Analyze historical usage trends to project future cloud consumption.Partner with Finance and Technology teams to align budgets, forecasts, and actuals.Lead re-baselining exercises and continuous forecast improvement initiatives.Cost Governance & ReportingLeverage Azure Cost Management and FinOps platforms (e.g., Apptio Cloudability) for visibility and trend analysis.Produce executive dashboards, variance reporting, and forecast accuracy metrics.Identify gaps between forecasted and actual spend and drive corrective actions.Develop cost attribution, unit cost, and showback/chargeback models.Tooling & EnablementUtilize Apptio Cloudability, Azure Cost Management, and Power BI for reporting and analytics.Implement and enforce tagging and resource governance policies.Oversee onboarding and optimization of FinOps tools, ensuring data accuracy, access controls, and reporting alignment.RequirementsEducationDiploma in Computer Science or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.ExperienceMinimum 4 years of experience with cloud FinOps practices and tools (e.g., Apptio Cloudability).Strong hands-on experience analyzing cloud spend and driving optimization initiatives.Experience designing roadmaps, implementing strategies, and supporting cloud cost transformation efforts.CertificationsFinOps Certified Practitioner or equivalent certification (required).Competencies & Specialized SkillsStrong knowledge of Azure, billing constructs, and cost optimization levers.Proven experience implementing and governing cloud tagging strategies.Advanced Excel and Power BI skills.Experience with FinOps tools such as Apptio Cloudability, CloudHealth, or native cloud cost platforms.Ability to communicate financial insights clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.Experience with Azure Policy, IaC, CI/CD pipelines, and automated cost governance.Background in cloud architecture, infrastructure engineering, or DevOps is a strong asset.