Head of Cloud FinOps
Skills
About the role
Who We Are
About Network Rail...
Join Network Rail - Where People and Connections Matter
At Network Rail, we're dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. When you join us, you're not just part of a team - you're part of something that matters to millions. We believe that our people are at the heart of what we do, and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway. Click here to learn more.
We're committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To discover more about our ED&I commitments click here. We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we'll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process. You can visit Evenbreaks Career Hive for advice on accessibility support.
If you're ready to make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you!
Some of our great benefits:
We offer generous maternity, paternity, and adoption leave to support our employees during significant life moments
Flexible/hybrid working arrangements considered
Generous annual leave up to 28 days plus statutory days (role dependant), with the option to buy/sell days
Discounts at selected stations with your Network Rail pass
Defined benefit pension scheme
75% off leisure train tickets for you and your dependents (subject to T&Cs)
Interest-free travel loan for train and car park season tickets
Volunteer leave to make a positive impact
Plus.
Vacancy Details
Duration: Permanent.
Location: The Quadrant, Milton Keynes or Manchester Square One.
Band & Salary: Band 2B £71,163 - £86,801 (plus car allowance).
About the role
What does the average day look like?
The role drives financial accountability and governance, embedding FinOps best practices to balance cost, performance and innovation. Working closely with technology and business stakeholders, the Head of Cloud FinOps enables data-driven decision-making, promotes cost-efficient behaviours, and ensures investment in cloud services delivers maximum value to support operational performance and strategic transformation.
The railway has seen nearly 200 years of technology and innovation that has transformed how we provide services to passengers and freight customers.
Technology is continuing to transform the railway industry. Imagine an exciting environment where Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) are not just buzzwords but the driving force behind every operation, every decision, and every solution.
As part of the DDaT directorate, you have a unique opportunity to enable our customers and industry partner with modern and transformative technology. From the day-to-day IT operations that keeps a national railway running, to the extensive delivery programmes that our helping to reshape the railway - we are at the forefront of all of it. We operate with a talented and passionate workforce, fostering empowered individuals and teams who understand that technology is not just a tool - it's the catalyst for progress, especially in an ever-demanding industry where change is a constant.
Who are we looking for?
Lead cloud optimisation across multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP), applying rightsizing, scaling and workload efficiency techniques to maximise performance and minimise waste.
Define and embed cloud configuration standards, driving consistency, compliance and optimal utilisation across teams and platforms.
Use industry-leading cost and usage management tools to monitor performance, identify inefficiencies and deliver measurable improvements.
Champion FinOps engineering practices, introducing automation for cost monitoring, anomaly detection and resource optimisation to enhance accuracy and scalability.
Collaborate with Architecture, Engineering and Operations teams to design cost-efficient, resilient solutions for business-critical services.
Lead cloud efficiency reviews, analysing usage patterns and identifying opportunities to improve performance and reduce spend.
Promote a culture of accountability and transparency, equipping teams with the knowledge and tools to adopt best practice cloud optimisation.
Deliver clear, actionable insight through dashboards and reporting, enabling stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions.
Stay at the forefront of innovation by tracking emerging tools, services and best practices to continuously enhance Cloud FinOps capability.
Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), driving continuous improvement in areas such as cost efficiency, utilisation and optimisation success rates.
Your experience and skills
The ideal candidate
Meet the essential criteria? Apply today to join our team!
Essential
Strong technical expertise in multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP) with in-depth knowledge of cost optimisation and configuration tools.
Proven experience in cloud rightsizing, workload efficiency analysis, and optimisation engineering.
Hands-on proficiency with cloud monitoring and optimisation platforms (e.g., Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, CloudHealth, Cloudability).
Experience in building automation pipelines (e.g., with Terraform, Python, PowerShell, or native cloud automation tools) to enforce optimisation and configuration policies.
Strong understanding of cloud architecture, scaling strategies, and workload placement for performance and cost balance.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate usage data into actionable optimisation strategies.
Effective collaboration and communication skills to work across IT, operations, and business teams.
Desirable
Cloud certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, FinOps Certified Practitioner) with specialisation in cost optimisation.
Experience with FinOps frameworks and rightsizing methodologies in large enterprise environments.
Familiarity with container and serverless optimisation (Kubernetes, ECS, Lambda, AKS).
Knowledge of TBM (Technology Business Management) or ITFM frameworks, focused on linking technical optimisation to business value.
Additional Information...
Contact: mark.powell4@networkrail.co.uk If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments.
#LI-SB1
Key Information
Vacancy Details
Number of Positions:
1
Contract Type:
Permanent
Hours:
Full Time
Salary:
£71,163 - £86,801
Location:
The Quadrant:MK, Milton Keynes
Geographical Area:
South East England (Not inside M25)
Closing Date:
09-AUG-2026
Job Category:
Digital Data and Technology
Function:
Route Services
Asset:
DDaT IT Operations
Organisation:
IS Technical Operations - Infrastructure (807592) G1
Location Map
Questions about this role
Want AI Applyd to auto-apply to roles like this?
We tailor your resume per posting, fill the forms, and track replies for you.