Managed Services Cloud Engineer - FinOps in Chicago, Illinois at AHEAD
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Job Description
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Analyze cloud spend, usage trends, allocation accuracy, anomalies, and optimization opportunities across AWS, Azure, OCI, and/or GCP using native tooling and approved third-party FinOps platforms.
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Identify, quantify, prioritize, and help drive optimization opportunities including rightsizing, idle resource cleanup, storage optimization, licensing alignment, commitment-based savings, and scheduling strategies.
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Develop financially grounded findings and recommendations that translate technical observations into clear business value for engineering, finance, procurement, and operational stakeholders.
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Create dashboards, reports, budgets, forecasts, showback and chargeback views, executive summaries, and recurring service review content for internal and customer-facing use.
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Support cost allocation and tagging activities including governance standards, mapping logic, reporting accuracy, inherited tag strategies, and handling of non-taggable resources.
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Partner with CloudOps, platform, application, finance, procurement, and client stakeholders to support implementation of recommendations and validate realized outcomes.
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Support onboarding of new clients, accounts, subscriptions, projects, and billing data sources into approved FinOps tooling, reporting workflows, and governance structures.
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Perform data validation and reconciliation across billing exports, connectors, cost datasets, and reporting models to improve trust in reported values.
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Use spreadsheets, reporting tools, scripting, automation, and process standardization to reduce manual effort, improve repeatability, and increase delivery quality and scale.
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Maintain timely ticket updates, work documentation, meeting follow-ups, and internal or customer communications in accordance with service delivery expectations.
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Stay current on cloud pricing models, FinOps best practices, and service capabilities while helping refine how the organization delivers cloud cost optimization and advisory services.
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Provide occasional after-hours support for client meetings, reporting deadlines, change windows, critical incidents, or urgent cost-related issues when required.
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Other job duties as assigned.
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Minimum Required - Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, finance, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and practical experience.
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3+ years of experience in FinOps, cloud engineering, cloud operations, infrastructure support, cloud cost management, or related disciplines.
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Demonstrated experience supporting multi-account, multi-subscription, or enterprise cloud environments.
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Hands-on experience with at least one major public cloud provider; strong Azure or AWS experience preferred, with GCP exposure considered a plus.
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Experience using cloud cost management, billing analysis, or reporting platforms, whether native cloud tools or approved third-party solutions.
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Experience in a customer-facing, stakeholder-facing, consulting, or service delivery role with responsibility for presenting findings and recommendations.
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Strong analytical, spreadsheet, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a shared services or multi-client environment.
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Preferred - Experience working in a managed services, consulting, or outsourced service delivery environment.
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Experience supporting more than one public cloud provider in a FinOps or cost optimization capacity.
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Relevant certifications such as FinOps Certified Practitioner, AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications.
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Experience with platforms such as Harness CCM, Apptio Cloudability, CloudZero, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, or PowerShell.
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Experience with forecasting, budgeting, allocation methodologies, showback or chargeback models, commitment planning, and savings realization tracking.
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Familiarity with ticketing and workflow platforms such as ServiceNow, Jira, or similar tools.
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Strong understanding of cloud billing constructs including on-demand usage, reserved capacity, savings plans or commitments, amortization, allocation methods, and forecasting drivers.
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Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret datasets, identify trends, quantify financial impact, and convert findings into prioritized recommendations.
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Ability to communicate technical and financial concepts clearly to technical, operational, procurement, finance, and executive audiences.
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Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills with a professional customer-facing presence and the ability to lead recurring advisory discussions.
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Ability to work independently in standard and moderately complex situations while also collaborating effectively across distributed teams, time zones, and functions.
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Strong documentation, organization, and time management skills with consistent follow-through and attention to detail.
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Demonstrated ownership mindset with the ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced multi-client environment while maintaining service quality.
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Continuous improvement mindset with an interest in automation, standardization, methodology refinement, and scalable service delivery.
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Ability to contribute positively to team capability, documentation quality, and knowledge sharing.
$115,000 - $125,000 a year