Financial Operations Analyst II

FinOps Weekly; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Brandwatch in Chicago is seeking a Financial Operations Analyst II to drive cloud cost efficiency across the organization. You’ll enable cost visibility, analyze usage patterns, and partner with engineering and finance to embed cost-aware practices.

Responsibilities include building dashboards, forecasting, and implementing showback/chargeback programs. Ideal candidates have 3+ years in FinOps, strong Excel skills, and experience with cloud billing tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, or equivalent.
• 3+ years in FinOps or cloud cost management.
• Experience with cloud billing models (on-demand vs. reserved, SPs).
• Strong Excel and BI experience for cost analysis and visualization.
• Familiarity with AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, Google Billing.

Responsibilities

• Increase visibility of cloud spend through reporting and dashboards.
• Analyze usage, trends, and unit economics to identify optimization opportunities.
• Partner with Engineering and Finance to embed cost considerations into planning and budgeting.
• Implement alerts/monitors for spend anomalies and drive corrective actions.
• Develop cost forecasts and scenarios for contracts and vendor negotiations.
• Establish tagging and showback/chargeback standards for accountability.

Skills

FinOps

Advanced Excel

BI tools

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/CS

Tools

AWS Cost Explorer

Azure Cost Management

Google Billing

Python

Job description

# Financial Operations Analyst IIChicagoFinOps50k – 100k14/05/2026Full-timeOnsiteFavorite## Job DescriptionAt Brandwatch, we believe in empowering every individual to make an impact. Here, your voice is heard, your ideas are valued, and your unique perspective fuels our collective success. As part of our global team, you’ll thrive in an environment that champions curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, all while making meaningful contributions to the brands we accelerate. Join us in shaping the future of communication and building authentic connections that matter. Whether you’re solving complex problems or driving bold innovations, your growth is our success, and together, we’ll create the conversations of tomorrow. Empower your impact at Brandwatch. Be seen, be understood, be you. The position is responsible for driving cloud cost efficiency and financial accountability across the organization by enabling cost visibility, analyzing usage patterns, and partnering with cross-functional teams to embed cost-aware practices into planning, architecture, and operations. The role advances showback/chargeback disciplines, optimizes cloud spend, and supports forecasting and budgeting to ensure scalable, sustainable growth. Essential Duties & Responsibilities Increase visibility of cloud spend through clear, insightful reporting and dashboards (e.g., service, environment, team, and product views). Analyze usage, trends, and unit economics to identify optimization opportunities (e.g., rightsizing, reservations/savings plans, scheduling, eliminating waste). Partner with Engineering and Finance to integrate cost considerations into design decisions, capacity planning, and quarterly/annual budgeting cycles. Implement and tune alerts/monitors for spend anomalies; investigate spikes and drive corrective actions with owners. Develop cost forecasts and scenarios to inform contracts, vendor negotiations, and growth planning. Establish and maintain tagging, allocation, and showback/chargeback standards to improve accountability and decision-making. Recommend and operationalize toolsets and automations (e.g., Cost Explorer/Azure Cost Management/GCP Billing, BI tools, scripting) to scale FinOps practices. Educate stakeholders on cloud economics, unit metrics, and best practices; cultivate a culture of cost awareness. Perform other duties and responsibilities as required to support business needs. Minimum Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience. 3 + years experience in FinOps, cloud cost management, or adjacent roles analyzing and optimizing cloud spend in AWS/Azure/GCP. Proficiency with cloud billing models and cost structures (e.g., on-demand vs. reserved, SPs/committed use). Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel and experience in BI/FinOps tools for cost analysis and visualization. Familiarity with cloud cost platforms and native tools (e.g., AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, Google Billing). Effective communicator able to translate technical and financial concepts for engineering and finance stakeholders; collaborative, outcomes-focused working style. Preferred Qualifications FinOps Certified Practitioner (or similar cloud financial management certification). Experience scripting/automating cost data collection and reporting (e.g., Python, provider APIs). Experience implementing showback/chargeback, unit cost metrics, and KPI frameworks (e.g., cost per customer, per environment, per feature). Exposure to contract/vendor negotiations and rate optimization strategies (e.g., RIs, Savings Plans, committed use, enterprise agreements). Knowledge of sustainability metrics (e.g., workload efficiency, scheduling) as part of cost optimization.. As a global leader in PR, marketing and social media management technology and intelligence, Cision helps brands and organizations to identify, connect and engage with customers and stakeholders to drive business results. PR Newswire, a network of over 1.1 billion influencers, in-depth monitoring, analytics and its Brandwatch and Falcon.io social media platforms headline a premier suite of solutions. Cision has offices in 24 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. For more information about Cision’s award-winning solutions, including its next-gen Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow @Cision on Twitter. Cision is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all employees can be their authentic selves and perform at their best. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion is vital to driving our culture, sparking innovation and achieving long-term success. Cision is proud to have joined more than 600 companies in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & InclusionTM pledge and named a “Top Diversity Employer” for 2021 by DiversityJobs.com. Cision is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or other protected statuses. Cision is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with our commitment, Cision will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail] Please review our Global Candidate Data Privacy Statement to learn about Cision’s commitment to protecting personal data collected during the hiring process. For Individuals based in New York, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California, Cision is required to disclose a salary range for this role. This compensation range is specific to these states, however base pay may vary depending on a range of relevant factors. Chicago Pay Range $74,500 – $85,000 USD