## About the Role

Ellucian is seeking a FinOps Analyst to support the financial sustainability, governance, and scalability of its cloud and technology investments. The role is part of a FinOps team that helps improve financial transparency, accountability, and optimization across consumption-based technology spend.

In this role, you will independently manage assigned FinOps initiatives, analyze usage and cost data, and work with technical and business stakeholders to turn findings into practical actions. The position supports better visibility into cloud and third-party technology consumption, more predictable costs, and stronger governance across the organization.

You will collaborate with teams across Cloud Engineering/Operations, R&D, Product, Finance, Procurement, and other business functions to embed FinOps practices into planning and decision-making. The work will focus on reporting, forecasting, optimization, and governance for cloud services and other consumption-based technologies.

## Key Responsibilities

– Own and deliver assigned FinOps initiatives, improving visibility, accountability, governance, and optimization across technology spend.
– Analyze cloud and third-party technology usage, cost, and operational data to identify trends, anomalies, cost drivers, and financial risks.
– Identify, prioritize, track, and help implement cost optimization opportunities, measuring realized savings and cost avoidance.
– Support FinOps governance practices, including tagging, metadata standards, cost allocation, ownership, policy compliance, and controls.
– Monitor consumption-based platforms and services, including Datadog, to assess usage patterns, cost drivers, and financial impact.
– Build and maintain dashboards, reports, forecasts, and KPIs covering consumption, optimization progress, governance compliance, and financial performance.
– Support budgeting and forecasting through analysis of historical consumption, growth trends, business drivers, and planned technology changes.
– Use cloud financial management, observability, analytics, and FinOps tools to support analysis and optimization work.
– Partner with stakeholders across technical, finance, procurement, and business teams to support technology planning and decision-making.
– Investigate unexpected spend or consumption changes and recommend corrective actions.
– Help establish financial governance for emerging technologies and consumption models, including SaaS, observability, data platforms, and AI services.
– Improve FinOps processes, controls, reporting, and operational effectiveness through automation, analytics, and standardized practices.
– Support automated reporting, consumption monitoring, and cost anomaly detection.
– Contribute to the maturity of FinOps practices across cost allocation, forecasting, governance, and financial accountability.

## Required Skills

– 2+ years of experience in FinOps, cloud financial management, cloud operations, observability/platform operations, technology governance, technical program/project management, financial/business analysis, or a related discipline.
– Hands-on experience with Datadog, including analysis of usage, consumption trends, and cost drivers.
– Experience analyzing technology usage and cost data to identify trends, anomalies, optimization opportunities, and financial impact.
– Experience supporting or implementing governance practices such as resource tagging, metadata management, cost allocation, policy compliance, or ownership controls.
– Working knowledge of public cloud infrastructure and services, with AWS experience particularly relevant.
– Experience developing dashboards, reports, and analytical views for financial or operational performance.
– Strong Microsoft Excel and data analysis skills.
– Familiarity with cloud financial management and analytics tools such as Cloudability, AWS Cost Explorer, Cost and Usage Reports (CUR), and CUDOS, or similar platforms.
– Understanding of consumption-based technology cost models, including cloud infrastructure, SaaS, observability platforms, or similar variable-consumption services.
– Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
– Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders and influence action without direct authority.
– Ability to independently manage assigned initiatives while collaborating across technical and business teams.
– Strong documentation, organizational, and financial reporting skills.
– Familiarity with FinOps principles and opportunities to improve reporting or governance through automation and analytics.
– Experience using AI-powered productivity tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or similar solutions, with appropriate validation of AI-generated outputs.

## Preferred Skills

– None specified.

## Cloud Platforms & Technologies

### Cloud Providers
– AWS

### FinOps Platforms
– Cloudability
– AWS Cost Explorer
– Cost and Usage Reports (CUR)
– CUDOS

### Observability / Monitoring
– Datadog

### AI Productivity Tools
– ChatGPT
– Microsoft Copilot

## FinOps Responsibilities

– Improve visibility, accountability, governance, and optimization across cloud and technology spend.
– Analyze usage and spend data to identify cost drivers, anomalies, trends, and financial risks.
– Track and measure optimization outcomes, including realized savings and cost avoidance.
– Support tagging, metadata standards, cost allocation, ownership, policy compliance, and governance controls.
– Monitor consumption-based services to forecast financial impact and identify efficiency opportunities.
– Build dashboards, reports, forecasts, and KPIs for financial and operational visibility.
– Support budgeting and forecasting based on historical consumption, growth trends, and planned changes.
– Investigate spend variances and recommend corrective actions.
– Help define financial governance for SaaS, observability, data platforms, and AI services.
– Improve reporting, controls, and anomaly detection through automation and standardized practices.

## Benefits

– Medical, dental, and vision coverage
– Flexible time off
– Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) for health, financial, or learning needs
– 401(k) with company match and BrightPlan
– Parental leave
– 5 charitable days
– Telemedicine
– Wellness support
– Headspace Care mental health support
– Wellbeats virtual fitness classes
– RethinkCare and Wellthy caregiver support
– Diversity and inclusion programs, including access to employee resource groups
– Employee referral bonuses
– Education assistance program
– Professional development opportunities

## Why You Might Be Interested

This role offers the chance to shape FinOps practices within an organization supporting cloud solutions for higher education. The work is hands-on and spans cost analysis, forecasting, governance, and optimization, with regular collaboration across engineering, finance, procurement, and product teams. It also includes exposure to Datadog, AWS-related cost management, and broader consumption-based technology models such as SaaS and AI services. For candidates who enjoy turning financial and operational data into practical improvements, this is a strong opportunity to contribute to measurable impact.