Description
The Principal Engineer, Cloud Economics & Optimization drives cloud cost optimization outcomes by translating FinOps policies, telemetry, and insights into measurable savings and sustained cost discipline.
This role executes optimization strategies and savings initiatives across Azure, AWS, GCP and OCI, partnering closely with Cloud Engineering, Operations, and Finance to improve cost visibility through tagging and cost telemetry, embed cost governance into platform and operational processes, and ensure cost actions are accurate and repeatable.
Core Responsibilities
- Execute FinOps policies, optimization strategies, and savings initiatives across cloud services, subscriptions/accounts, and products to deliver measurable cost reduction.
- Partner with Cloud Engineering to improve cost telemetry and allocation accuracy (tagging/metadata standards, data quality controls, and consistent cost dimensions).
- Identify optimization opportunities by analyzing cost signals (usage, rates, reservations/savings plans, idle/overprovisioned resources) and translate insights into actionable engineering and operational work.
- Track, validate, and report savings realization against enterprise targets, including baselines, attribution, realized vs. forecast savings, and variance explanations.
- Embed cost governance into platform and operational processes (intake, change, provisioning, architecture patterns), ensuring guardrails drive sustained cost discipline.
- Drive automation for optimization actions (rightsizing workflows, schedule/stop-start, policy-based enforcement, and continuous detection/remediation) to reduce manual effort and improve consistency.
- Support MSP execution by clarifying cost actions, validating implementation accuracy, and ensuring evidence and reporting are audit-ready and consistent.
Additional Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience); advanced degree preferred.
- Strong cloud cost management experience across Azure and AWS, including cost allocation, forecasting, optimization levers, and service pricing/consumption drivers.
- Working knowledge of the FinOps framework with an outcome-oriented execution mindset (turning policy and insights into delivered savings and sustained discipline).
- Ability to analyze cost signals and telemetry (usage trends, unit costs, anomalies, commitments, and idle resources) and translate findings into concrete, trackable actions.
- Experience partnering with engineering teams on tagging standards, cost data quality, and automation (e.g., policy-based controls and repeatable optimization workflows).
- Comfortable operating across engineering, operations, finance, and vendor/MSP stakeholders; able to influence priorities using data, standards, and clear reporting.
- Strong communication skills, attention to detail, and control mindset to ensure optimization actions and savings reporting are accurate, repeatable, and audit ready.