Cloud Finops Manager

**Job no**: 527018
**Work type**: full time
**Location**: Sydney, NSW
**Categories**: Information Technology
- Employment Type: full time continuing role as a Cloud Financial Operations ( FinOps ) Manager
- Excellent salary package including generous superannuation
- Location: UNSW Kensington Campus (Hybrid Working Opportunities)

**About UNSW**:
UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community, a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

The Cloud Financial Operations (FinOps) Manager will play a critical role managing and optimising UNSW's Cloud budgeting, consumption, and overall financial sustainability. This senior role is essential in driving a proactive cost management culture across all cloud services, ensuring that we maximise value from our cloud investments. This position will build and shape the FinOps function in UNSW IT. The Cloud FinOps Manager will collaborate with leaders across UNSW IT, finance and technology teams to ensure the efficient utilisation and management of UNSW’s hybrid cloud environments. By setting standards, guidelines, procedures and advisory services to manage and monitor cloud spend, this role enables seamless business operations and customer satisfaction. The role reports to the Head of Technology Delivery and while the role has no direct reports, it requires significant influence and collaboration across multiple teams.

**Accountabilities**:

- Provide visionary leadership and strategic direction in cloud financial operations, ensuring alignment of FinOps initiatives with UNSW's overarching IT strategy and spearheading efforts to achieve substantial financial spend reductions across all environments.
- Continuously oversee and analyse cloud spending and resource utilisation, leading efforts to identify trends, inefficiencies and cost optimisation.
- Develop and implement strategies to ensure the efficient use of cloud services, creating metrics and actionable measures to drive optimisation.
- Responsibility for leading cross-team collaboration to implement and enhance cost monitoring tools, ensuring clear visibility into cloud spending and driving financial accountability.
- Develop and establish regular financial performance reports and insights, including cloud cost visibility and developing quarterly forecasts, delivering actionable financial and strategic advice
- Stay updated with industry trends and best practices, proactively identifying and leading cost optimisation improvements and driving a culture of continuous improvement.
- Manage vendor relationships and negotiate multi-million-dollar contracts to ensure the best terms and conditions for our cloud services.
- Ensure that cost efficiency is embedded in the end-to-end developer journey. Regularly gathering feedback from development teams to identify and address pain points and measure the impact of improvements.
- Provide strategic advice and guidance to the business to promote cost optimisation strategies and effectiveness, promoting continuous improvement initiatives relating to cloud spend.
- Ensure compliance with UNSW’s financial policies and procedures, including cloud cost visibility (allocation, tagging) to allow showback/chargeback mechanisms, cost actuals management, and developing quarterly forecasts.

**Skills and Experience**:

- Tertiary qualification, with demonstrated success in an IT environment and managing multiple complex projects in a large and diverse organisation.
- Strong understanding of cloud costs and proficiency in using cloud cost management tools (e.g. AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management).
- Extensive experience in leading and implementing large-scale financial operations within cloud environments, driving significant cost efficiencies.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven track record of identifying and implementing cost optimisation opportunities.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to promote cost-awareness and implement cost-saving measures across diverse teams.
- Demonstrated experience creating and maintain budgets, forecasts, and financial reports related to cloud usage and expenses.
- Excellent knowledge of cloud pricing models and vendor negotiation strategies, ensuring cost-effective solutions.
- A continuous learning mindset to stay updated with industry trends and best practices.
- Hands-on experience with major cloud platforms (e.g. AWS, Azure) and strong technical troubleshooting skills.
- Familiarity with ITIL or other IT service management frameworks, with a focus on establishing cross-functional practices for cloud financial management.
- Demonstrated ability to driv