FinOps Specialist

FinOps Weekly; Santa Clara, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 89,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus plan

Stock grants

Flexible work model

Remote-home office options

Job summary

FinOps Weekly is seeking a FinOps Specialist in Santa Clara to optimize cloud economics across AWS and GCP. The role focuses on automating planning, precision forecasting, and cost optimization at enterprise scale, linking technical operations with financial goals.

You will translate cloud data into actionable metrics and drive cross-functional improvements. The candidate should have 3+ years in business-process improvements, 1+ year in a public cloud, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience defining, designing, and implementing solutions to improve business processes and software technologies.
• Experience applying metrics to evaluate cloud economics in public cloud environments.
• 1+ year of experience analyzing or operating software systems in AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• Strong written, visual, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships, influence without authority, and align across teams.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability in ambiguous situations.
• Commitment to stakeholder service and high-quality results.
• Proficiency with data analysis and planning/modeling tools including dbt, Lightdash, Adaptive Planning, Google Sheets, and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and improve cloud-native processes and software technologies to support business outcomes and efficiency gains.
• Develop metrics used in machine learning-driven forecasting models.
• Design process frameworks that allow agentic AI tools to operate at scale.
• Support planning, forecasting, and cost optimization across Workday’s AWS and GCP environment.
• Translate raw cloud data into operational improvements for enterprise-wide initiatives.

Skills

Cloud cost optimization

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Public cloud experience

Forecasting

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

dbt

Lightdash

Adaptive Planning

Google Sheets

Excel

Job description

# FinOps SpecialistSanta ClaraFinOps100k – 150k29/07/2026Full-timeHybridFavorite## Job Description## About the RoleThe FinOps Specialist will support Workday’s FinOps organization across its multi-cloud environment on AWS and GCP. The role exists to improve cloud economics by helping automate planning, precision forecasting, and cost optimization at enterprise scale.This position links technical operations with financial goals. It focuses on turning cloud data into useful metrics, process improvements, and forecasting inputs that support broader enterprise initiatives and operational efficiency.## Key Responsibilities– Evaluate and improve cloud-native processes and software technologies to support business outcomes and efficiency gains. – Develop metrics used in machine learning-driven forecasting models. – Design process frameworks that allow agentic AI tools to operate at scale. – Support planning, forecasting, and cost optimization across Workday’s AWS and GCP environment. – Translate raw cloud data into operational improvements for enterprise-wide initiatives.## Required Skills– 3+ years of experience defining, designing, and implementing solutions to achieve business outcomes by evaluating and improving business processes and software technologies. – Experience applying metrics to evaluate economic success in public cloud environments. – 1+ year of experience analyzing or operating software systems in at least one public cloud provider: AWS, GCP, or Azure. – Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. – Strong written, visual, and verbal communication skills. – Ability to build relationships, influence without authority, and drive alignment across teams and leadership levels. – Strong organizational, interpersonal, and negotiation skills. – Flexibility and adaptability in ambiguous situations. – Commitment to stakeholder service and high-quality results. – Proficiency with data analysis and planning/modeling tools, including dbt, Lightdash, Adaptive Planning, Google Sheets, and Excel.## Preferred Skills– Six Sigma certification.## Cloud Platforms & Technologies### Cloud Providers – AWS – GCP – Azure### AI / ML – Agentic AI tools – Machine learning models### Data, Planning & BI – dbt – Lightdash – Adaptive Planning – Google Sheets – Excel## FinOps Responsibilities– Automate planning, precision forecasting, and cost optimization in a multi-cloud environment. – Develop forecasting metrics and support ML-driven forecasting models. – Improve cloud economics by diagnosing and re-engineering cloud-native operations. – Design operating frameworks that help AI-enabled tooling scale effectively. – Turn raw cloud data into operational improvements for enterprise initiatives.## Benefits– Primary location: Pleasanton, CA. – Base salary range for the primary location: $106,400 USD – $159,600 USD. – Base salary range for additional US locations: $89,800 USD – $159,600 USD. – May be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus. – May be eligible for annual refresh stock grants. – Flexible work model with at least 50% of time each quarter spent in the office or in the field, depending on the role. – Remote “home office” roles may also come together in Workday offices for important moments.## Why You Might Be InterestedThis role offers the chance to work at the intersection of FinOps, cloud operations, and applied AI/ML in a multi-cloud environment. The work is centered on forecasting, cost optimization, and process improvement at enterprise scale, with direct impact on cloud economics. It may appeal to candidates who want to combine analysis, operational change, and cross-functional influence while using tools such as dbt, Lightdash, and Adaptive Planning. The position also includes a flexible work model and compensation that may include bonus and stock awards.