Cloud Strategist - Intermediate

S M Software Solutions Inc; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Cloud Strategist to lead cloud cost optimization and governance. In this dynamic role, you'll leverage your expertise in Azure and FinOps tools to drive actionable insights that enhance financial transparency and operational efficiency. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will design comprehensive tagging strategies and develop multi-year cost forecasts. Your contributions will be pivotal in aligning cloud investments with business priorities while ensuring compliance and accountability. If you're passionate about cloud technologies and strategic financial management, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Health Insurance

Professional Development

Remote Work Options

Wellness Programs

Qualifications

• 8+ years in corporate system architecture and cloud strategy.
• Hands-on experience with FinOps tools and cloud cost management.

Responsibilities

• Drive cloud cost optimization strategies and reporting.
• Collaborate with teams for financial perspectives in design.

Skills

Cloud Cost Optimization

Azure Cost Management

Power BI

FinOps Tools

Cloud Tagging Implementation

Communication Skills

Education

Diploma in Computer Science

FinOps Certified Practitioner

Tools

Apptio Cloudability

Azure

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Job Title:	RQ00143 - Cloud Strategist - Intermediate
Client:	Metrolinx
Work Location:	20 Bay St, Toronto, ON
Job Type:	Hybrid
Start Date:	2025-05-26
End Date:	2025-11-26
#Business Days:	133.00
Hours per day or Week:	7.25 hours per day (5 Days)

Must haves

• 3+ years’ experience - Support & Drive cloud cost optimization strategies by identifying over-provisioned or underutilized resources
• 4+years’ experienceLeverage platforms like Apptio (Cloudability), Azure Cost Management, and Power BI for reporting and analysis.
• 4+years’ experienceImplement tagging and resource management policies to ensure accurate data collection for forecasting and accountability.
• 4+years’ experienceContinuously optimize tool usage to derive actionable insights and improve cloud cost transparency across departments
• 4+years’ experienceOversee the implementation and onboarding of the FinOps tool, ensuring data accuracy, role-based access, and reporting alignment with organizational goals

Description
Key contributions
Optimization & Strategic Insight

• Support & Drive cloud cost optimization strategies by identifying over-provisioned or underutilized resources
• Work closely with engineering and product teams to incorporate financial perspectives into design and architecture decisions.
• Collaborate with vendors and procurement teams to evaluate pricing structures and opportunities for savings.
• Drive outcomes from FinOps tools by turning cloud cost data into insights, and insights into strategic actions that reduce spend, improve forecast accuracy, and align investments with business priorities.

Tagging Strategy & Governance

• Design and implement a comprehensive cloud tagging strategy to ensure full visibility of cloud spend across departments, applications, environments, and projects.
• Collaborate with engineering, DevOps, and operations teams to enforce tagging compliance through automation, tooling, and policy frameworks.
• Identify gaps or inconsistencies in tagging and lead remediation efforts to improve cost attribution accuracy and chargeback/showback processes.
• Maintain documentation and training to ensure ongoing awareness and adoption of tagging best practices.

Forecasting & Planning

• Build and maintain multi-year cloud cost forecasts in alignment with technology and business roadmaps.
• Analyze historical cloud usage trends to project accurate future spend across cloud providers.
• Collaborate with Finance and Technology teams to ensure budget alignment, including ongoing updates to forecasts and actuals.
• Develop and maintain accurate cloud cost forecasts based on usage trends, business plans, and anticipated changes in workloads.
• Drive re-baselining exercises and year-over-year forecasting improvements to align financials with actual consumption trends.

Cost Governance & Reporting

• Utilize cloud-native tools (e.g., Azure Cost Management) and FinOps platforms (e.g., Apptio Cloudability,) to provide cost visibility and trend analysis.
• Own the creation of executive dashboards, variance analysis, and forecast accuracy metrics.
• Identify gaps between forecasted and actual spend and drive corrective actions.
• Develop models for cost attribution, showback/chargeback, and unit cost analysis

Tooling & Enablement

• Leverage platforms like Apptio (Cloudability), Azure Cost Management, and Power BI for reporting and analysis.
• Implement tagging and resource management policies to ensure accurate data collection for forecasting and accountability.
• Continuously optimize tool usage to derive actionable insights and improve cloud cost transparency across departments
• Oversee the implementation and onboarding of the FinOps tool, ensuring data accuracy, role-based access, and reporting alignment with organizational goals

Section 3: Requirements

• Education Completion of a diploma in Computer Science, or a related discipline – or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent
• Experience Minimum six (8) years’ experience in the analysis, design and development of corporate system architecture. Experience developing & designing roadmaps, implement strategies & transformation plans for clients. Hands-on experience with FinOps tools .
• Certifications or Designations FinOps Certified Practitioner or equivalent certification

Section 4: Competencies & Specialized Skills

• Customer Service Teamwork Initiative
• Quality & Safety Engaged in the Business

Technical Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Azure, billing structures, and optimization levers.
• Demonstrated experience in cloud tagging implementation, governance, and remediation.
• Advanced skills in Excel and Power BI; experience with FinOps tools like Apptio Cloudability, Cloud Health, or native cloud cost platforms.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate financial data into actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Prior experience in large-scale cloud transformations or hybrid cloud environments.
• Experience creating tagging policies via Azure Policy or custom enforcement scripts. Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD pipelines, and cloud cost tagging best practices.
• Background in cloud architecture, infrastructure engineering, or DevOps a strong plus.

Section 5: Unusual Working Conditions(optional)

• No unusual or disagreeable conditions

Note:

• Location:2 days onsite/3 days remote
• Public Sector Experience:no