Cloud Strategy & FinOps Senior Analyst Careers at Block - Bay Area, CA

Join Block's Cloud Economics team as a Cloud Strategy & FinOps Senior Analyst in the Bay Area, CA. This senior-level role offers a unique opportunity to shape cloud investment strategies at one of the world's leading fintech companies. If you have 5+ years in FinOps, cloud cost optimization, AWS/GCP expertise, and AI/ML interests, apply now to influence executive decisions and drive multi-million dollar savings.

Role Overview

Block, the company behind Square, Cash App, and other innovative financial services, is seeking a Senior FinOps Analyst to join our Cloud Economics team. This position sits at the critical intersection of engineering strategy, financial stewardship, and operational excellence. You'll optimize how Block allocates its substantial cloud investments across AWS, GCP, and multi-cloud environments while guiding engineering teams on tradeoffs between speed, reliability, and cost.

In this high-impact role, you'll operate with significant ownership in ambiguous problem spaces. Expect to forecast dynamic spend drivers, uncover hidden effects of infrastructure decisions, and partner with engineering and finance leaders. Your analytical work will directly inform C-suite decision-making and influence how thousands of engineers approach cloud efficiency. This is not just cost-cutting—it's strategic cloud economics that powers Block's global growth.

Key focus areas include building forecasting models, implementing AI/ML for predictive analytics, developing tagging frameworks, and creating dashboards that track FinOps maturity. If you're passionate about turning complex billing data into actionable insights, this Bay Area-based role at Block is your next career milestone.

Key Responsibilities

As a Cloud Strategy & FinOps Senior Analyst at Block, your day-to-day will involve:

• Conducting deep-dive analysis of cloud spend and usage across AWS, GCP platforms to spot trends, anomalies, and savings opportunities worth millions.
• Developing advanced forecasting and cost models that scale with business growth and inform quarterly financial planning.
• Collaborating with engineering leads to implement rightsizing, reserved instances, savings plans, and optimal usage patterns.
• Designing and maintaining enterprise-grade tagging strategies, cost allocation rules, and chargeback/showback frameworks.
• Leveraging AI/ML models for spend prediction, automated anomaly detection, and intelligent optimization recommendations.
• Partnering cross-functionally with engineering, finance, procurement on budgets, vendor negotiations, and optimization roadmaps.
• Identifying leverage points across teams for better pricing, licensing, and usage efficiency in multi-cloud setups.
• Presenting data-driven insights to executives, translating technical billing complexities into strategic business recommendations.
• Building executive dashboards in tools like Tableau or Looker, tracking KPIs like cost per workload, ROI, and FinOps maturity.
• Automating analysis workflows using Python, serverless functions, and AI to eliminate manual reporting toil.
• Forecasting second-order effects from architectural shifts, like migration impacts or scaling events.
• Driving cultural change by educating thousands of engineers on cloud cost awareness and best practices.
• Contributing to long-term cloud strategy, including multi-cloud governance and sustainability initiatives.

Qualifications

To succeed in this senior FinOps role at Block, you should bring:

• 5+ years in FinOps, cloud cost management, financial analysis, or similar analytical positions at scale.
• Expert-level SQL skills for querying petabyte-scale billing datasets and deriving insights.
• Hands-on experience with AWS Cost Explorer, GCP Billing, and multi-cloud cost tools like CloudHealth or Cloudability.
• Proficiency in Python or similar for scripting, ETL pipelines, and custom analytics tooling.
• Demonstrated success building forecasting models under uncertainty in dynamic environments.
• Experience with data visualization platforms to create compelling, interactive dashboards.
• Familiarity with AI/ML applications in FinOps, such as anomaly detection or predictive scaling.
• Proven track record in tagging governance, cost attribution, and usage-based pricing optimization.
• Strong communication skills to bridge technical teams and finance executives.
• Exposure to large-scale, multi-cloud operations with budgets exceeding $50M annually.
• Thrives in ambiguity, framing problems, testing hypotheses, and delivering measurable impact.

Salary & Benefits

Block offers competitive compensation for this Cloud Strategy & FinOps Senior Analyst role, with total cash compensation estimated at $165,000 - $225,000 USD yearly, including base salary, bonuses, and equity. Actual offers depend on experience, skills, and location within the Bay Area.

Beyond salary, Block provides exceptional benefits:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision coverage with low premiums.
• 401(k) with 4-6% company match vesting immediately.
• Unlimited PTO plus 15 paid holidays and winter break.
• Hybrid work model with flexibility for Bay Area locations.
• $1,500+ annual learning stipend for FinOps certifications (FinOps Certified Practitioner), AWS/GCP training.
• Generous parental leave: 20 weeks paid for primary caregivers.
• Wellness programs including mental health days and gym reimbursements up to $100/month.
• Commuter benefits covering Caltrain, BART, or parking.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan at 15% discount.
• Quarterly team offsites and volunteer matching programs.

Why Join Block?

Block isn't just a fintech giant—it's a mission-driven company empowering economic access worldwide. As a Cloud FinOps Senior Analyst, you'll work on cutting-edge challenges: optimizing $100M+ cloud spend, pioneering AI-driven FinOps, and partnering with elite engineering teams building the future of payments.

Bay Area culture means collaboration with top talent, exposure to executive leadership, and real ownership. Block invests in your growth with mentorship, conferences, and tools. Join a diverse team tackling global-scale problems while enjoying SF's vibrant tech ecosystem. Your work here shapes industry standards in cloud economics.

Block's commitment to inclusion means every perspective matters. With comprehensive DEI programs, employee resource groups, and equitable practices, you'll thrive in an environment that values innovation and impact.

How to Apply

Ready to drive cloud strategy at Block? Click 'Apply Now' to submit your resume and a cover letter highlighting your FinOps achievements, cloud cost savings delivered, and AI/ML projects. Block's hiring process includes:

1. Resume screen by our talent team (1-2 days).
2. Technical interview: SQL case study and forecasting exercise (45 mins).
3. Manager chat: Behavioral and strategic thinking (60 mins).
4. Cross-functional panel: Present optimization case (60 mins).
5. Final exec round and offer.

We review applications weekly. U.S. work authorization required; no sponsorship for this role. Block is an equal opportunity employer.

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