FinOps Specialist

Why Stifel

Stifel strives for a culture that puts its clients and associates first: a culture where everyone belongs, everyone is welcome, and everyone contributes to the success of our clients, their careers, and the firm as a whole.

Let’s talk about how you can find your place here at Stifel,
where success meets success
.

The Fin Ops Specialist supports cloud financial management and cost optimization activities across the enterprise’s multi-cloud and SaaS environments. Working under the guidance of senior Fin Ops team members, this role partners with technology, finance, and business stakeholders to help operationalize Fin Ops practices that drive accountability, transparency, and efficient use of cloud resources. The Fin Ops Specialist assists in maintaining cost governance frameworks, building forecasting and showback reports, identifying optimization opportunities, and supporting data-driven decision-making to maximize the business value of cloud investments while aligning with regulatory and compliance requirements.

• Support the execution of Fin Ops strategies and operating models to optimize cloud spend across AWS, Azure, and other cloud and SaaS platforms.
• Assist in maintaining cost allocation models, including showback frameworks, to support accountability and transparency across business units.
• Help build and maintain cost forecasting, budgeting, and variance analysis reports through vendor and business partnerships to support financial planning and governance.
• Identify and help implement cost optimization opportunities including rightsizing, reserved capacity planning, spot instance strategies, and architectural recommendations, in collaboration with senior team members.
• Collaborate with engineering and platform teams to promote cost awareness in development practices and infrastructure-as-code standards.
• Help enforce tagging governance policies to ensure accurate cost attribution and reporting across cloud resources.
• Build and maintain cost reports, dashboards, and KPIs that communicate cloud financial performance to business stakeholders.
• Assist with Fin Ops governance processes including cost anomaly monitoring, budget alerting, and spend review cadences.
• Support analysis and tracking of cloud provider commitments, including Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Enterprise Discount Programs.
• Coordinate with IT Governance and Finance to help align cloud financial management with enterprise budgeting and procurement processes.
• Serve as a resource for teams on cost-conscious cloud consumption, sharing Fin Ops practices learned from senior team members and from continued professional development.
• Stay current with Fin Ops Foundation frameworks, cloud provider pricing models, and emerging best practices, and continuously build personal expertise to grow the organization’s Fin Ops capabilities.

• Working knowledge of Fin Ops principles, frameworks, and practices as defined by the Fin Ops Foundation, with willingness to deepen expertise.
• Foundational knowledge of cloud pricing models, billing structures, and cost optimization concepts across at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP); exposure to multiple platforms a plus.
• Ability to analyze cloud financial data and translate findings into clear insights and recommendations.
• Solid analytical, financial modeling, and data analysis skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with both technical and business teams.
• Familiarity with cost governance processes and policies, and a desire to learn and contribute to their operationalization.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Minimum
  
  Required:
  
  Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum
  
  Required:
  
  1+ year of experience in cloud financial management, IT finance, cloud operations, or a related discipline; relevant internship experience, coursework, or certifications will also be considered.
• Preferred:
  Exposure to cloud cost management and optimization in multi-cloud or SaaS environments. Exposure to financial services or other regulated industries is a plus.

• Preferred:
  Fin Ops Certified Practitioner certification, or willingness to obtain within first year in the role.
• Foundational cloud certifications (AWS Cloud Practitioner, Azure Fundamentals, or equivalent) a plus; associate-level certifications a strong plus.

• Minimum
  
  Required:
  
  Experience and working proficiency with at least one native cloud cost management tools (AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Cost and Usage Reports, Azure Cost Management, GCP Billing); exposure to multiple is a plus.
• Familiarity with leading third-party Fin Ops platforms. Cloudability exposure is a plus.
• Working skills in data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Quick Sight) for building cost…