Infrastructure Engineer I (FinOps Team)

We are seeking an engineer to join the FinOps team within Information Services, where you’ll play a key role in shaping how Principal’s cloud costs are managed, optimized, and governed across the organization. Upon joining the team, you would be developing and implementing solutions that advance our enterprise-wide FinOps strategy-helping Principal optimize cloud financial management, improve cost transparency, and drive smarter decision-making for teams making technology choices.

Working within an agile environment, our team emphasizes consistent, fully managed deployments. This role provides a unique opportunity to influence both delivery processes and outcomes, while partnering closely with a high-performing group of infrastructure engineers and technology professionals.

Our team currently focuses on managing and optimizing AWS cloud spend, but we’re actively expanding our scope to include other cloud service providers (CSPs) used at Principal and technologies such as IaaS, SaaS, and vendor-hosted solutions. This role offers the opportunity to help shape our evolving FinOps strategy across a diverse and growing technology landscape.

As a Member of the Team, You will:

• Monitor, analyze, and report on cloud spend across platforms (currently this includes AWS & Azure).
• Identify cost-saving opportunities through rightsizing, scheduling, and purchasing strategies (e.g., Reserved Instances, Savings Plans).
• Build and maintain dashboards and reports to provide visibility into cloud usage and costs.
• Translate complex billing data into actionable insights for engineering, finance, and leadership teams.
• Partner with engineering, finance, procurement, and product teams to align cloud usage with business goals.
• Educate teams on cost-aware architecture and usage patterns.
• Help define and enforce cloud cost governance policies and tagging standards.
• Support compliance with internal and external financial controls.
• Implement and maintain FinOps tooling.
• Automate cost tracking, anomaly detection, and budget alerts.
• Assist in forecasting cloud spend and aligning budgets with usage trends.
• Provide input into financial planning and scenario modeling.
• Contribute to the evolution of the FinOps practice by identifying process improvements and scaling strategies.
• Stay current with industry trends and best practices in cloud financial management.
• Participate in vendor negotiations and evaluate pricing models for cloud services.

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math-related field) or equivalent experience
• Basic knowledge of insurance and financial services products preferred
• Basic planning, organizational, problem-solving, analytical, decision-making and communication skills required
• Proficiency with database applications, knowledge of mainframe, distributed and/or web programming language
• Basic leadership skills preferred
• Excellent time management skills preferred
• Must be able to maintain a high degree of accuracy and confidentiality
• Must have the desire and ability to learn new technology and continuously grow
• Ability to work on cross-functional teams and collaborate with both IT and non-IT partners

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)

$55800 - $72000 / year

Time Off Program

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.

Pension Eligible

Yes

Work Environment

This role offers in-office and hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical workweek) in Des Moines, Iowa.

Hours

This role will partner with our global teams and has an expectation for flexibility in your work schedule. Hours may start at 7:00 a.m.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we’re not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role. (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)

Nonimmigrant Workers (https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-nonimmigrant-workers) and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants (https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility/green-card-for-employment-based-immigrants)

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services - and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site (https://www.principal.com/about-us/careers) to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.