FinOps Expert

Ampstek; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,339,000 - 2,009,000; Part time

Job summary

Ampstek in Johannesburg is seeking a FinOps Expert on a freelance/B2B basis (6-12 months) to drive cloud financial management, ensuring optimal cost visibility, control, and optimization across AWS, Azure, and GCP. You will lead governance, budgeting, forecasting, chargeback/showback and develop dashboards in CloudHealth, Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, Power BI, and other FinOps tools.

Collaboration with engineering, finance, procurement and business teams to translate usage into

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with AWS/Azure/GCP cost management
• Financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
• Experience in IT financial management or technology cost modeling
• Certifications (preferred) in FinOps or cloud platforms

Responsibilities

• Establish and mature FinOps practices (Inform, Optimize, Operate) across cloud platforms.
• Monitor, analyze, and optimize cloud spend across AWS, Azure, and/or GCP.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities through rightsizing, reservations/savings plans, storage optimization, and architectural improvements.
• Implement and maintain cost allocation, tagging, and charging models.

Skills

AWS cost management

Azure cost management

GCP cost management

Cloud pricing models

Kubernetes cost optimization

Terraform

CI/CD cost controls

Tools

CloudHealth

Apptio

Finout

Kubecost

Harness

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Contract : Freelance/ B2B ( 6-12 Months)

Work Mode : Onsite

Role Summary

The FinOps Expert is responsible for driving cloud financial management practices across the organization. This role ensures optimal cloud cost visibility, control, and optimization while enabling engineering, finance, and business teams to make data-driven spending decisions. The individual will lead FinOps governance, cost optimization initiatives, forecasting, budgeting, and chargeback/showback models.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and mature FinOps practices (Inform, Optimize, Operate) across cloud platforms.
• Monitor, analyze, and optimize cloud spend across AWS, Azure, and/or GCP.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities through rightsizing, reservations/savings plans, storage optimization, and architectural improvements.
• Implement and maintain cost allocation, tagging, and charging models.

Governance & Financial Controls

• Define cloud financial governance frameworks, policies, and guardrails.
• Enable budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis for cloud consumption.
• Develop showback / chargeback models to promote accountability.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial controls and audit requirements.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering, Architecture, Finance, Procurement, and Business teams.
• Act as a financial advisor to cloud engineering teams.
• Translate technical usage into financial insights for leadership.

Reporting & Analytics

• Create and automate dashboards and reports using tools like CloudHealth, Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, Power BI, or FinOps tools.
• Provide executive-level insights on cloud spend trends, anomalies, and ROI.
• Track KPIs such as unit economics, cost per service, and efficiency metrics.

Tools & Automation

• Work with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and CI/CD teams to embed cost controls.
• Enable automation for alerts, cost anomaly detection, and budgets.
• Evaluate and onboard FinOps tools as required.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Technical Skills

• Strong hands-on experience with AWS / Azure / GCP cost management.
• Deep understanding of cloud pricing models (compute, storage, networking).
• Experience with container, Kubernetes, and serverless cost optimization.
• Familiarity with Terraform, ARM, CloudFormation (desirable).

Financial & Analytical Skills

• Strong background in financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Ability to interpret usage data and convert it into financial insights.
• Experience in IT financial management (ITFM) or technology cost modeling.

Tools

• FinOps tools: CloudHealth, Apptio, Finout, Kubecost, Harness, or similar
• Reporting tools: Power BI, Tableau, Excel (advanced)

Certifications (Preferred)

• FinOps Certified Practitioner or Professional
• AWS/Azure/GCP Cloud Certifications
• Cloud Financial Management or ITFM certifications
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to influence without authority
• Analytical mindset with attention to detail
• Presentation skills for senior leadership
• Continuous improvement and cost-optimization mindset

Key Success Metrics

• Reduction in cloud waste and idle resources
• Improved forecast accuracy
• Adoption of chargeback/showback
• Increased cost transparency and accountability
• Measurable cloud efficiency gains

Ideal Background

• Cloud Engineering + Finance exposure
• FinTech, BFSI, SaaS, or large-scale enterprise environment
• Experience working in large, multi-account / multi-subscription cloud setups

Total Experience Required

8–15 years overall IT / Technology experience, with at least:

• 5–8 years in Cloud & Financial Management–related roles
• 3–5 years specifically focused on FinOps / Cloud Cost Optimization
• 2–3 years operating at senior / lead / advisory level