FinOps Lead (Cloud Cost Optimization & Strategy)

Step into the role of FinOps Lead (Cloud Cost Optimization & Strategy). You will be driving financial accountability and cost optimization across cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). This role bridges engineering, finance, and business teams to ensure cloud investments deliver maximum business value. You will play pivotal role in enabling data-driven decisions, forecasting cloud spend, and embedding FinOps principles into the organization’s cloud strategy.

Key skills required for this role include:

• Lead FinOps strategy and execution across cloud platforms, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Own monthly cloud billing reviews and cost allocation across business units.
• Develop and maintain cost models and forecasts for cloud Opex by service and business area.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives with product and engineering teams through regular reviews.
• Automate reporting and dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or native cloud analytics.
• Track Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and decommissioning benefits over multi-year periods.
• Implement tagging, guardrails, and usage policies to prevent cost overruns.
• Collaborate with finance to refresh allocation rules and improve transparency.
• Utilize strategic insights to drive transformation initiatives that align with the organization’s objectives.
• Strong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their billing models.
• Proven experience in cloud cost optimization and FinOps practices.
• Expertise in financial modeling, forecasting, and cost attribution.
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Familiarity with CI/CD, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and cloud-native architectures.
• Familiarity with native cloud services eg:- Lambda, S3.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• FinOps certification or equivalent experience.
• Experience with cloud governance frameworks and compliance.
• Knowledge of infrastructure migration and decommissioning strategies.
• Exposure to enterprise data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, Starburst).

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is based in our Chennai office.

Purpose of the role

To  lead and manage engineering teams, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure the delivery of high-quality software solutions, driving technical excellence, fostering a culture of innovation, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to align technical decisions with business objectives. 

Accountabilities

• Lead engineering teams effectively, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture to achieve project goals and meet organizational objectives.
• Oversee timelines, team allocation, risk management and task prioritization to ensure the successful delivery of solutions within scope, time, and budget.
• Mentor and support team members' professional growth, conduct performance reviews, provide actionable feedback, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluation and enhancement of engineering processes, tools, and methodologies to increase efficiency, streamline workflows, and optimize team productivity.
• Collaboration with business partners, product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and ensure a cohesive approach to product development.
• Enforcement of technology standards, facilitate peer reviews, and implement robust testing practices to ensure the delivery of high-quality solutions.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.