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Senior Aws Cost Optimization Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

JOB SUMMARY The Senior Systems Engineer - FinOps is a senior technical specialist responsible for ... cost optimization experience. o 3+ years of AWS EMR optimization (Spark tuning, cluster right ...

AWS Cloud Engineer

Washington, DC ยท On-site

$45 - $50/hr

AWS cost optimization expertise. * Experience with: * AWS Config * Security Hub * CloudWatch * CloudTrail * Splunk * Bash or PowerShell scripting. * AI/ML services such as SageMaker. * Multi-cloud ...

Sr AWS Python Developer

Reston, VA ยท On-site

$126K - $170K/yr

... and security teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient solutions. Key ... Solid SQL SQL skills and familiarity with data modeling and query optimization * Experience with ET ...

Cloud Engineer

Washington, DC ยท On-site

$63 - $84.25/hr

This role will focus on AWS multi-account management, cloud security, infrastructure automation, identity and access management, networking, monitoring, and cost optimization. The candidate must have ...

Cloud Engineer

Washington, DC ยท On-site

$63 - $84.25/hr

This role will focus on AWS multi-account management, cloud security, infrastructure automation, identity and access management, networking, monitoring, and cost optimization. The candidate must have ...

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Senior Aws Cost Optimization information

See Reston, VA salary details

$55.7K

$96.9K

$132.6K

How much do senior aws cost optimization jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior aws cost optimization in Reston, VA is $96,852.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,800.00 and $105,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Senior Aws Cost Optimization vs AWS Cloud Financial Management Specialist?

AspectSenior Aws Cost OptimizationAWS Cloud Financial Management Specialist
CredentialsAWS certifications, cost management experienceAWS certifications, financial analysis skills
Work EnvironmentCloud teams, DevOps, cloud architectsFinance teams, cloud finance departments
Industry UsageTech, startups, enterprises using AWSOrganizations managing cloud budgets and costs
Search/Comparison IntentCost optimization strategies, AWS cost savingsFinancial planning, cloud cost management

While both roles focus on managing AWS costs, the Senior Aws Cost Optimization role primarily emphasizes technical strategies to reduce expenses through resource optimization. In contrast, the AWS Cloud Financial Management Specialist combines financial analysis with cloud cost control, often working closely with finance teams to align cloud spending with budgets and financial goals.

What does a Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialist do?

A Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialist is responsible for analyzing and managing cloud spending within Amazon Web Services environments. They review usage patterns, identify inefficiencies, and recommend strategies to reduce unnecessary costs while maintaining performance and scalability. Their role often includes implementing cost-saving measures such as rightsizing resources, leveraging reserved instances, and enforcing budget controls. They also educate teams on best practices and monitor ongoing usage to ensure continuous optimization.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialist, you need deep expertise in AWS cloud services, financial analysis, and cost management strategies, often supported by a relevant degree and AWS certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect or AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. Mastery of AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, and third-party cloud cost management tools is essential. Strong analytical thinking, stakeholder communication, and problem-solving skills help you identify savings opportunities and convey cost-reduction strategies to technical and non-technical audiences. These capabilities are critical to ensure organizations maximize cloud investments, reduce waste, and achieve financial efficiency in dynamic cloud environments.

What are some common challenges faced by Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialists when working with large organizations?

Senior AWS Cost Optimization specialists often encounter challenges such as managing complex, multi-account environments, ensuring accurate cost allocation, and promoting cost-awareness across diverse teams. Navigating legacy workloads, balancing performance requirements with cost savings, and keeping up with AWS's evolving pricing models also require continuous learning and strong communication skills. Collaborating with engineering, finance, and leadership teams is crucial to implementing sustainable cost-saving strategies and fostering a culture of accountability.
What are the most commonly searched types of Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA? The most popular types of Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA? For Senior Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Aws Cost Optimization jobs in Reston, VA are:
What cities near Reston, VA are hiring for Senior Aws Cost Optimization jobs? Cities near Reston, VA with the most Senior Aws Cost Optimization job openings:
Infographic showing various Senior Aws Cost Optimization job openings in Reston, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 87% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $96,852 per year, or $46.6 per hour.

Lead AWS FinOps + CloudOps Engineer - Cost Optimization

System One

Reston, VA โ€ข Remote

Contractor

Posted 18 days ago


Job description

Lead AWS CloudOps / FinOps Engineer (Cost Optimization)

? Location: Remote (U.S.) | Hybrid option available in Reston, VA for local candidates ? Contract Length: 9 Months (Strong possibility of extension based on project needs) ? Employment Type: Contract

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Lead AWS CloudOps / FinOps Engineer to join a major cloud transformation initiative supporting enterprise-scale AWS environments. This is a high-impact leadership role focused on cloud financial management, cost optimization, operational excellence, automation, and cloud engineering best practices.

You will partner with Platform Engineering, Finance, Product, Architecture, and Application teams to drive cloud cost transparency, governance, forecasting, reporting, and optimization while ensuring scalable, secure, and resilient AWS infrastructure.

This role is ideal for a hands-on cloud engineering leader who enjoys combining deep AWS expertise with FinOps strategy to deliver measurable business value.

What You'll Do

AWS Cloud Operations & Engineering

  • Design, implement, and support enterprise AWS cloud solutions and operational frameworks.
  • Manage and optimize AWS services including EC2, EKS, S3, Lambda, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, ELB, Direct Connect, and related services.
  • Lead infrastructure automation initiatives using Terraform, Ansible, Python, CloudFormation, or similar technologies.
  • Support system administration, patching, upgrades, disaster recovery planning, and capacity management.
  • Drive reliability, scalability, security, and operational efficiency across cloud environments.

FinOps & Cost Optimization

  • Build and maintain cloud cost reporting, dashboards, forecasting models, and executive summaries.
  • Analyze cloud spending trends, usage patterns, budget variances, and optimization opportunities.
  • Identify and eliminate waste, including:
    • Idle resources
    • Oversized instances
    • Orphaned storage
    • Unattached IPs
    • Unused commitments
    • Inefficient storage tiers
  • Implement and support tagging standards, allocation models, cost accountability, and governance policies.
  • Partner with engineering teams to improve cost visibility and financial accountability.
  • Support showback/chargeback models across business units.
  • Utilize tools such as:
    • AWS Cost Explorer
    • Cost & Usage Reports (CUR)
    • AWS Budgets
    • Cost Anomaly Detection
    • Apptio Cloudability (or equivalent)

Leadership & Transformation

  • Lead cloud modernization and transformation initiatives.
  • Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence across teams.
  • Communicate architectural decisions, trade-offs, and cloud financial insights to both technical and business stakeholders.
  • Champion Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and cloud-native best practices.
  • Provide strategic recommendations balancing cost, performance, reliability, and scalability.

Required Qualifications

Experience

  • 10+ years of overall IT experience.
  • 5+ years of hands-on AWS cloud engineering experience.
  • 2+ years of FinOps, cloud cost optimization, or cloud financial management experience.
  • Proven experience leading cloud transformation and modernization initiatives.
  • Strong systems engineering, operations, and cloud infrastructure background.

Technical Skills

  • Deep expertise with AWS services, including:
    • EC2
    • S3
    • EBS/EFS
    • IAM
    • Lambda
    • VPC
    • CloudWatch
    • CloudTrail
    • EKS
    • Networking and Direct Connect
  • Strong Infrastructure-as-Code experience using:
    • Terraform
    • AWS CloudFormation
    • Ansible
  • Strong scripting/programming skills in Python.
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
  • Knowledge of Git, Jenkins, Bitbucket, Artifactory, Nexus, ArgoCD, Jira, Maven, Bamboo, or similar tools.
  • Strong reporting and analytics experience using:
    • Power BI
    • Excel
    • SQL
    • AWS QuickSight

FinOps Expertise

  • Experience with Apptio Cloudability or similar cloud cost management platforms.
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Cloud cost allocation
    • Chargeback/showback models
    • Budget forecasting
    • Cost governance
    • Cost anomaly detection
    • Resource rightsizing
    • Savings Plans
    • Reserved Instances
    • Autoscaling
    • Storage lifecycle optimization
  • Knowledge of FinOps best practices and FOCUS (FinOps Open Cost & Usage Specification) preferred.

Education

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
  • Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, or other AWS certifications.
  • FinOps Certified Practitioner certification.
  • Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, EKS, ECS, or containerized environments.
  • Exposure to AI/ML solutions and AWS-native AI services.
  • Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
  • Knowledge of enterprise observability tools such as Datadog, New Relic, AppDynamics, Jaeger, or similar platforms.
If you are a hands-on AWS CloudOps leader with strong FinOps expertise and a passion for driving cloud efficiency and business value, we'd love to hear from you.

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