Senior Lead Cloud Financial Operations Engineer

Sr Lead, Cloud FinOps

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Sr. Lead - Cloud FinOps Engineer

About the Role

The Senior Lead – Cloud FinOps will own and drive the organization’s cloud financial management strategy, ensuring cost transparency, accountability, and optimization across cloud platforms. This role partners closely with Cloud Foundation, Engineering, Finance, Procurement, and Business Units to maximize business value from cloud investments while maintaining strong governance and financial discipline.

Key Responsibilities

• Cloud Financial Governance & Strategy
  • Lead the Cloud FinOps practice across public cloud platforms (Azure/AWS as applicable)
  • Drives FinOps adoption at scale (platform, product, and org level)
  • Define and evolve FinOps standards, policies, and operating models
  • Ensure alignment of cloud spend with business outcomes and IT strategy
  • Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on cloud financial decisions
• Cost Allocation & Financial Transparency
  • Own cloud cost allocation models across Business Units and applications
  • Ensure accurate tagging, chargeback and PRJ#/cost center alignment
  • Partner with Finance and Business teams to improve forecasting and budgeting accuracy.
• Cost & Usage Optimization
  • Drive usage and rate optimization initiatives, including:
    • Rightsizing and decommissioning
    • Reserved Instances / Savings Plans optimization
    • Waste identification and remediation
  • Track optimization recommendations and measure realized savings
  • Work with engineering and application teams to operationalize cost actions
• Reporting & Executive Insights
  • Develop and maintain FinOps dashboards and reports for leadership
  • Provide recurring insights on:
    • Actual vs plan spend
    • Forecasts and trends
    • Optimization progress and realized savings
  • Present FinOps insights in leadership forums and governance reviews.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with:
    • Cloud Foundation & Engineering teams to embed FinOps into architecture and delivery
    • Application teams to guide cost‑aware design and usage
    • Finance, Procurement, and Vendors for financial alignment and commercial optimization
  • Enable a FinOps culture through education, best practices, and coaching
• Leadership & Continuous Improvement
  • Mentor and guide FinOps practitioners and engineers
  • Identify gaps in tooling, processes, and data quality
  • Drive continuous maturity of the FinOps capability across the organization.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience
  • 8+ years of strong focus on cloud financial management with total 13+ years of total work experience in Technology Infrastructure.
  • Proven experience leading Cloud FinOps / Cloud Cost Management initiatives
  • Strong understanding of cloud pricing models and consumption patterns
  • Hands‑on experience with cloud cost tools (e.g., Azure Cost Management, Flexera or equivalent)
  • Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
  • Ability to influence decisions across engineering, finance, and business teams
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Soft Skills
  • Excellent communication, collaborative, and ability to influence cross-functional teams.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead cloud cost optimization without direct authority.
  • Ability to balance governance requirements with cost  allocation and spend management.
  • Prioritize optimization based on value, not just savings.
  • Act as a trusted advisor, not just a cost controller,

Preferred Skills & Certifications

• Experience working within a Cloud Foundation / CCoE model
• Exposure to multi‑cloud environments (Azure/AWS)
• Strong analytical and data‑driven mindset
• FinOps Foundation certification (FCP or equivalent) – preferred
• Experience working in regulated or large enterprise environments
• Experience with multi-cloud environments.
• Cloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, GCP Professional Cloud Architect).

Success Measures

• Improved cost transparency and allocation accuracy
• Measurable reduction in cloud waste and optimization backlog
• Sustainable cost governance at scale
• Improved forecast accuracy and financial predictability
• Strong adoption of FinOps practices across engineering and application teams
• Recognition as a trusted FinOps and cloud financial authority

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We’d love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world’s most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com.

We hope you’re excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.

About Our Pune Office

The Northern Trust Pune office, established in 2016, is now home to over 3,000 employees. The office handles various functions, including Operations for Asset Servicing and Wealth Management, as well as delivering critical technology solutions that support business operations across the globe.

Our Pune team takes our commitment to service to heart. In 2024, they volunteered more than 10,000+ hours into the communities where they live and work. Learn more.

Experience Level

Senior Level