Delivery Management Project Manager I

Cloud FinOps SME - Enterprise Data Platform (Databricks)

Location Preferred locations: San Jose CA Alternative - Lehi Utah

2-3 days onsite.

Cloud FinOps SME - Enterprise Data Platform (Databricks)
Role
The Cloud FinOps Subject Matter Expert (SME) will be responsible for driving cloud financial management (FinOps) for the enterprise Data Cloud platform built on Databricks across AWS and Azure. This role will monitor and optimize cloud consumption provide cost transparency develop forecasting models and collaborate with engineering teams to improve platform efficiency and resource utilization.
The role will also establish governance practices enable cost accountability across teams and provide actionable insights into platform utilization and cost drivers. The position will report to the Director of Enterprise Data Platform.

What You Will Do
Monitor analyze and optimize cloud spending across Databricks workloads AWS and Azure services
Develop and maintain cloud cost visibility dashboards and usage analytics to provide transparency into platform consumption and spending
Partner with Data Engineering Platform Engineering and Product teams to implement cost-efficient cloud architecture and workload strategies
Implement and manage cost allocation frameworks (tagging workspace mapping business units products) to track unit economics such as cost per customer workload or data pipeline
Develop and maintain cloud consumption forecasting models and support budgeting and financial planning cycles
Establish and promote FinOps governance policies and best practices including cluster usage guidelines auto-scaling instance optimization and idle resource management
Identify and drive cost optimization initiatives such as cluster right-sizing workload scheduling storage lifecycle policies and reserved capacity planning
Collaborate with Finance teams to support showback and chargeback reporting and improve cost accountability across engineering teams
Analyze Databricks platform utilization patterns and recommend improvements to cluster configurations job orchestration and resource usage
Work with cloud service providers on demand planning reserved instances savings plans and capacity reservations
Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement in cloud cost management and reporting
Track and report FinOps KPIs optimization initiatives and realized savings

Qualifications
To be successful in this role you have:
6-10 years of experience in cloud cost management FinOps platform operations or technical program management
Strong understanding of public cloud services and pricing models (AWS and/or Azure)
Experience working with data platforms such as Databricks Apache Spark or large-scale analytics environments
Experience developing cost analytics forecasting models and financial reporting dashboards
Knowledge of cloud cost optimization techniques including rightsizing autoscaling workload scheduling and reserved capacity planning
Experience implementing cost allocation models and tagging strategies for cloud resource tracking
Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate cloud usage data into financial insights and optimization recommendations
Experience collaborating with engineering finance and product teams in a cross-functional environment
Experience using data analysis tools such as SQL Python or BI platforms for reporting and analytics
Excellent communication skills with the ability to present insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Nice to Have
FinOps Foundation FinOps Certified Practitioner certification
Experience working with Databricks cost optimization and cluster management
Familiarity with cloud cost management tools such as CloudHealth Cloudability or native cloud cost management platforms
Experience building cost dashboards using BI tools such as Power BI Tableau or Looker
Knowledge of enterprise data platform architecture

Soft Skills
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
Excellent communication and cross-team collaboration skills
Ability to influence engineering teams toward cost-efficient design and operational practices
Proactive self-driven mindset with strong ownership
Organized with strong attention to detail and documentation skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

The role is primarily FinOps (Financial Operations) rather than pure data engineering.
Main objective is cost optimization and financial governance of cloud analytics platforms.
Looking for a FinOps specialist for a data platform.

Key Responsibilities
Help business teams and internal teams control cloud platform costs.
Work mainly with Databricks on Azure with some AWS exposure.
Optimize usage of cloud analytics platforms to maximize value.
Support capacity planning and budgeting for business teams.
Provide quarterly projections and annual planning inputs on platform costs.
Identify opportunities to automate cost monitoring and optimization processes.
Ensure governance and proper usage of platforms: Avoid duplicate data Avoid redundant workloads Improve observability and visibility across platforms.

Platforms
Primary
Databricks (must have)
Azure cloud environment
Secondary
AWS exposure
Power BI optimization and monitoring

Must Have
Strong FinOps / cloud cost management experience
Databricks platform experience
Ability to manage cloud cost optimization and governance
Excellent communication skills (role interacts with many departments and directors)
Candidate must be comfortable discussing financial topics and communicating with multiple stakeholders.
Technical engineering background
Experience optimizing Power BI
Ability to create backlog epics and stories for improvement initiatives.

Agile / Scrum Expectation
Not a dedicated Scrum Master role.
Candidate can:
Help create backlog of cost optimization initiatives
Define epics/stories
Prioritize improvements with the manager.

Required Skills:

Finacial