Principal Cloud FinOps Lead

Business Area:

IT

Seniority Level:

Mid-Senior level

Job Description:

At Cloudera, we empower people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. With as much data under management as the hyperscalers, we're the preferred data partner for the top companies in almost every industry. Powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community, Cloudera advances digital transformation for the world’s largest enterprises.

Cloudera IT is looking for a talented and experienced Principal Cloud FinOps Lead to join our Cloud Operations team. This role is focused on maximising the value of our cloud investments across AWS, Azure, and GCP by improving financial visibility, efficiency, and governance. You’ll play a key part in building a mature, data-driven FinOps practice that supports both the business and engineering teams through smarter decision-making, automation, and financial accountability.

This is a senior, hands-on role that partners closely with Cloud Operations, Finance, Procurement, and Product Engineering to drive cost optimisation, strengthen governance, and improve how Cloudera manages and scales its global cloud estate.

As a Principal Cloud FinOps Lead, you will:

Own and manage cloud financial operations across AWS, Azure, and GCP, aligning usage and spend with business and product goals.

Build and evolve cost governance frameworks for tagging, chargeback, budgets, and commitment management (RIs, Savings Plans, CUDs).

Partner with engineering and platform teams to embed cost efficiency into architectures, CI/CD processes, and lifecycle management.

Lead analysis and reporting using CloudZero, providing actionable insights through dashboards and monthly reviews.

Work with Finance on forecasting, variance analysis, and cost allocation to ensure budgets stay accurate and predictable.

Develop and present business cases for optimisation, automation, and migration initiatives.

Drive the FinOps Champion Programme, mentoring cost owners across departments and supporting a culture of financial accountability.

Collaborate with Procurement and vendor management on cloud contracts, renewals, and commercial negotiations.

Promote continuous improvement through tooling, automation, and education that enhances FinOps maturity and measurable savings.

We’re excited about you if you have (Required Experience):

Significant experience in FinOps, cloud cost optimisation, or cloud architecture in a large multi-cloud enterprise.

Strong understanding of cloud pricing and billing models (AWS, Azure, GCP) and how to optimise them.

Hands-on experience with CloudZero or similar FinOps and cost visibility platforms.

Proven ability to drive measurable savings and influence technical and financial stakeholders at all levels.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to translate data into actionable insight.

Excellent data analysis skills

You may also have:

FinOps Certified Professional or equivalent certification.

Background in CloudOps, SRE, Platform Engineering, or IT Finance.

Experience implementing cloud financial governance, chargeback models, or automation at scale.

Familiarity with FP&A and financial forecasting.

A passion for operational excellence, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship

What you can expect from us:

Generous PTO Policy

Support work life balance with Unplugged Days

Flexible WFH Policy

Mental & Physical Wellness programs

Phone and Internet Reimbursement program

Access to Continued Career Development

Comprehensive Benefits and Competitive Packages

Paid Volunteer Time

Employee Resource Groups

EEO/VEVRAA

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-RB1