Job Description

• 5 month day rate contract role, UNSW IT
• Kensington based, Sydney, 2 days a week in the office, Hybrid working

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 ensures cost optimisation and drives a proactive cost management culture for all cloud services, maximising value from 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 has no direct reports.

Specific accountabilities for this role include:

• 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 and inefficiencies.
• Drive optimisation opportunities by ensuring precise data analysis and maintaining high levels of accuracy and timeliness.
• Develop and implement strategies to ensure the efficient use of cloud services by creating metrics and actionable measures.
• Lead initiatives such as rightsizing resources, leveraging reserved instances, and eliminating waste, actively ensuring optimisation practices are adopted across all UNSW teams.
• Responsibility for engaging with senior executives and work closely with in-house developers, faculties, research departments, and application owners to communicate and drive the implementation of cost management best practices.
• 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.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of processes and provide training to promote cross functional collaboration and skill development.
• Stay updated with industry trends and best practices, proactively identifying and leading cost optimisation improvements.
• 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 considered as part of 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.

Who you are:

• 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 to identify cost optimisation opportunities.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills to promote cost-awareness and implement cost-saving measures.
• 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.
• 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.
• Demonstrated experience in establishing cross-functional practices for cloud financial management and cost optimisation.
• Demonstrated ability to drive a culture of proactive cost management.
• Proven ability to influence and negotiate at a senior level.
• Proven ability collaborating with executive leaders to set business priorities that drive cloud cost governance and optimise cloud economics.
• Experience with tools such as Apptio’s Cloudability, Datadog and Flexera. • Advanced written and verbal communications skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate at a senior level.

To Apply If this is of interest to you, please submit your CV, cover letter and responses to “who you are” section.

Contact

Jen MacLachlan, Talent Acquisition, email is j.maclachlan@unsw.edu.au

Applications close: Sunday 24th of May at 11.30pm

UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.