Sr FinOps Engineer

Archer•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Archer is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior FinOps Engineer to join their team. This role is central to managing, optimizing, and forecasting technology spending across multiple platforms, including major cloud providers, monitoring tools (like Datadog), and emerging technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs). The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of financial acumen, cloud engineering expertise, and excellent communication skills to drive cost-conscious decision-making across the organization.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in a FinOps, Cloud Financial Management, or similar role.
Deep understanding of major public cloud billing and pricing models (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
Proven ability to build and maintain comprehensive financial reports and dashboards for executive leadership.
Experience administering or utilizing cost monitoring and observability tools, with specific knowledge of Datadog usage/licensing preferred.
Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., SQL, Python, Excel) and data visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker).
Familiarity with contract negotiation principles and vendor management processes.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical cost data into clear business terms.
Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, or status as a protected individual to satisfy ITAR, contractual, and/or regulatory requirements.

Nice To Haves

FinOps Certified Practitioner (FOCP) or FinOps Certified Professional certification.
Experience managing costs related to machine learning, AI, or LLM services (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or cloud-native LLM services).
Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation) and their role in cost governance.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Finance, Business, or a related quantitative field.

Responsibilities

Monitor, analyze, and report on technology spending across various cost centers, including cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.), Datadog licensing, and usage of LLM APIs/services.
Develop and maintain detailed monthly financial reports and dashboards for leadership, providing clear insights into spend trends, variances, and optimization opportunities.
Collaborate with engineering and product teams to implement cost-saving initiatives, such as identifying underutilized resources, negotiating reserved instance commitments, and optimizing service architectures.
Establish and track key FinOps metrics (e.g., unit cost, utilization rate, efficiency gains) and drive accountability for spending.
Conduct monthly deep-dive analyses on significant cost drivers, making actionable recommendations for adjustment and optimization.
Administer and configure FinOps tools and platforms to ensure accurate cost allocation, showback/chargeback mechanisms, and real-time visibility into spending.
Develop and maintain custom scripts and automation workflows to enforce spending policies and manage resource lifecycles (e.g., auto-shutdown of non-production environments).
Standardize and streamline reporting processes, leveraging data visualization tools to present complex financial data simply and effectively.
Assist in the evaluation, negotiation, and renewal processes for technology contracts, including cloud enterprise agreements, Datadog licenses, and LLM service subscriptions.
Work closely with procurement and legal teams to ensure contracts align with business needs and financial objectives, focusing on optimal pricing and usage tiers.
Monitor vendor performance against contractual agreements and track realization of anticipated savings.
Establish and champion FinOps best practices and governance frameworks across engineering and finance teams.
Develop and deliver training and documentation to educate teams on cost management tools, cloud pricing models, and optimization techniques.
Act as a central point of contact for all cloud, Datadog, and LLM spending inquiries.