## About the Role
Deckers Brands is seeking a Principal, Financial Operations & Software Asset Management to strengthen the governance, reporting, and optimization of technology investments across the business. This is an individual contributor role focused on improving transparency and accountability for cloud services, software licensing, SaaS platforms, AI services, and related technology spend.
The position partners closely with Engineering, Product, Architecture, Finance, Procurement, Security, and other technology teams to turn financial and utilization data into clear insights and practical recommendations. The work supports the maturation of FinOps and Software Asset Management capabilities while helping teams make better decisions about technology value, cost drivers, and tradeoffs.
This role reports to the Sr. Director, Quality Engineering & Engineering Excellence and operates within a matrixed environment where influence, collaboration, and strong analytical judgment are essential. The objective is to build scalable processes and reporting that improve planning, forecasting, compliance, and optimization across the technology landscape.
## Key Responsibilities
– Own and improve enterprise FinOps processes, operating models, standards, controls, and decision rights.
– Build governance rhythms that connect technology consumption to forecasts, budgets, and accountability.
– Partner with Finance, Procurement, Engineering, Product, Architecture, Security, and platform teams to embed FinOps practices into planning and delivery.
– Design and maintain dashboards, scorecards, allocation views, and reporting assets for cost and consumption visibility.
– Define metrics, data standards, tagging expectations, allocation methods, and reporting practices that improve consistency and trust in data.
– Analyze cost, utilization, forecast, and trend data to identify drivers, anomalies, risks, and optimization opportunities.
– Lead Software Asset Management processes across licensed software, SaaS subscriptions, renewals, entitlements, and utilization.
– Improve inventory visibility, license compliance, and renewal readiness.
– Identify opportunities to reclaim unused licenses, right-size subscriptions, consolidate overlapping tools, and reduce unnecessary spend.
– Maintain an optimization pipeline and track recommendations, decisions, cost avoidance, realized savings, and other value measures.
– Develop playbooks, standards, training, office hours, and self-service resources to help teams understand and manage their cost drivers.
– Continuously improve FinOps and SAM practices based on stakeholder feedback and operational results.
## Required Skills
– Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent education and relevant experience.
– 10+ years of progressive experience in FinOps, cloud financial management, Software Asset Management, technology operations, technology finance, procurement, or related disciplines.
– Experience establishing governance and reporting capabilities in complex, matrixed organizations.
– Ability to influence outcomes without direct authority.
– Experience with FinOps and cloud financial management concepts.
– Experience with SAM and SaaS governance.
– Experience with technology budgeting, forecasting, allocation, showback, and chargeback.
– Experience working with cloud services, SaaS platforms, software licensing, and AI consumption, or willingness to apply financial operations expertise across these areas.
– Strong data analysis, financial modeling, dashboard design, KPI development, and executive reporting skills.
– Proficiency with Power BI and Excel.
– Understanding of software licensing, vendor and contract analysis, renewal planning, cost optimization, benefits tracking, process design, and continuous improvement.
– Ability to translate complex financial and operational data into practical recommendations.
– Strong communication, facilitation, coaching, and cross-functional partnership skills.
– Systems-thinking mindset with the ability to create scalable processes and improve transparency.
## Preferred Skills
– FinOps Certified Practitioner
– Certified Software Asset Manager
– IT Asset Management certification
– Cloud platform certification or related certification
## Cloud Platforms & Technologies
### Cloud Providers / Cloud Services
– Cloud services
– Cloud platform
### Software, SaaS, and AI
– Software licensing
– SaaS platforms
– AI services
– AI consumption
### Reporting & BI
– Power BI
– Excel
## FinOps Responsibilities
– Improve enterprise FinOps governance, operating models, standards, controls, and decision rights.
– Connect technology consumption to forecasts, budgets, and accountability.
– Build dashboards, scorecards, allocation views, and reporting for cost and consumption visibility.
– Establish tagging, allocation, metric, and reporting standards.
– Analyze cloud, software, platform, data, and AI usage to identify cost drivers and optimization opportunities.
– Support budgeting, forecasting, allocation, showback, and chargeback practices.
– Track optimization opportunities, cost avoidance, and realized savings.
– Partner with teams to balance cost, performance, resilience, security, and business value.
## Benefits
– Competitive pay and bonus programs
– Financial planning and wellbeing support
– Time away from work
– Employee discounts and community-based programs
– Growth and development opportunities
– Health and wellness programs
## Useful Links
– Job Link: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4483075274
– Application Link: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4483075274
## Why You Might Be Interested
This role offers the opportunity to shape FinOps and Software Asset Management practices across a complex organization. It combines strategy, governance, analytics, and cross-functional partnership in a senior individual contributor capacity. The position is well suited to someone who enjoys turning data into decisions and building scalable processes that improve technology investment outcomes. It also includes a broad scope across cloud, software, SaaS, and AI cost management, with clear visibility into business impact.