Governance and FinOps Lead

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Governance and FinOps Lead to join our growing IT team based in the A&O Shearman Belfast office.

The core of the global technology department's mission is to provide stable, reliable, and secure platforms and services to our partners, staff and clients and fulfil our regulatory obligations across 30+ countries. To ensure that a consistent and standardised IT service is delivered to all offices, IT is managed and led as a global function, enabling all offices to benefit from complete systems integration and economies of scale. We have around 400 technologists based predominantly in the UK, Singapore and increasingly in the US.

The Team - Enterprise Architecture and Technology Platforms

To develop and maintain the firm's technology strategy and enterprise architecture. In parallel, own, improve and simplify the firm's key technology 'building blocks' by designing, building and managing the core technology platforms which are fundamental to delivering strategic business goals.

Reporting to the Cloud Platform Owner, this role works with Technology and Business teams to bring accountability to variable cloud costs. The role is a member of Enterprise Technology Platforms leadership team and is responsible for managing and motivating a team of skilled IT professionals and directing external third-party service providers. They will also provide structure and control over cloud governance including coordinating with security, compliance and data management needs. The role is accountable for leading the firm's FinOps function and ensuring the cost effectiveness of the firm's cloud operating model by managing the consumption of services and ensuring efficiency, transparency, and accountability in our cloud environment.

The role also embeds FinOps best practices in cloud governance forums and in the deployment of services by educating teams and fostering a culture of cost optimization.

What you will do

• Define the firm's cloud governance and FinOps objectives for it's cloud and non cloud environments balancing change velocity and cost optimization, whilst ensuring risk exposure is minimized.
• Provide governance guidelines based on strategy and known suppliers including policy development working aith Infosec and operational compliance teams. Also, building and managing relationships with key suppliers.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of FinOps policies and processes (optimization, tagging, etc.). Monitor usage and conduct audits to ensure compliance with financial regulations and internal policies. An ongoing focus on running a cost optimization process is critical and where this can feed into the roadmap to illustrate cost benefit.
• Embed FinOps best practices in relevant governance forums and work with delivery teams to model the most commercially effective way to deploy cloud services. Provide advice and options to improve designs where appropriate.
• Work within the Enterprise Technology Platforms leadership team to collectively define, implement and operate the firm's governance and FinOps capability.
• Help coordinate initiatives and ensure that ongoing cloud services costs are managed and monitored.
• Act as the focal point for matters related to governance and FinOps, providing expert guidance to other teams to maximize the value of the firm's investment in cloud technologies, including monitoring and auditing of services, automation and overall control of the estate.
• Apply knowledge of cloud contracting and economics to work with Procurement, In-House Legal and Software Asset Management to negotiate and manage cloud contracts, licenses and benefits to optimize the firm's position.
• Work directly with Infosec, Data Governance and Compliance teams on operational control of the environment
• Collaborate with Platform Owners and IT Business Operations to establish cloud budgets and develop and maintain accurate forecasts based on usage patterns.
• Prepare and present financial and usage reports for different stakeholder groups to provide insights into performance against the firm's cloud goals and budgets. Conduct reconciliations of cloud provider invoices to ensure accurate billing.
• Actively identify and pursue opportunities for continuous improvement in governance and FinOps (e.g. reserved instances, savings plans), whilst assessing the viability and business value for the firm.

What you will do

• Extensive experience of managing cloud cost consumption ideally with the Microsoft Azure environment but there will be requirement to understand our long term multi-cloud operating model
• Proven experience of delivering FinOps projects and initiatives.
• Good understanding of cloud cost management, optimization techniques and billing for cloud platforms (preferably Microsoft Azure).
• Establishing cloud governance and the tools we can use to monitor and manage compliance with our governance model
• Knowledge of cloud contracting, commitment, licensing models and cloud strategies.
• Understanding of financial modelling and analysis.
• Strong knowledge of current IT and data market trends and technology innovations.
• Proven track record of managing large globally dispersed teams.
• Proven experience of working in FinOps and Governance or a related role of at least 5 years
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Excellent business acumen and understanding of how the firm is positioned in the market.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and conflicting priorities working across functions or projects as required.
• Ability to set direction and liaise with stakeholders at all levels across the firm.
• Promotes the firm's values at all times and fosters collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people and departments.

A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 28 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world's most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world's leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development; we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.