Principal Data Scientist - AI/ML

CloudZero is at the forefront of revolutionizing how cloud-driven companies manage and optimize their cloud spend. We empower organizations to make smarter decisions that drive growth and efficiency by bridging the gap between cloud costs and business outcomes. Now, we’re seeking an experienced Principal Data Scientist - AI/ML to lead the charge in AI for FinOps and cloud cost optimization, tackling one of the most complex challenges in modern tech: transforming cloud cost data into actionable business intelligence. This role is instrumental in driving the future of cloud optimization at CloudZero. 

Why This Role Matters:

• Be a Pioneer: Lead the development of AI solutions in FinOps and business optimization—an area critical to cloud-native organizations.
• Tackle Complex Problems: Address one of cloud businesses' hardest and most critical challenges, connecting their technology investments to revenue and other key business metrics.
• Shape the Future: Develop ML and AI-driven innovations that redefine how organizations understand and act on their cloud costs.
• Build Impactful Technology: Collaborate with world-class teams to design solutions that enable businesses to operate more efficiently and strategically in the cloud.

What You’ll Do
As the Principal Data Scientist - AI/ML driving this mission at CloudZero, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML solutions that transform how cloud cost data informs business decisions. Your responsibilities will include:

1. ML Model Development:
• Research, design, and implement machine learning models to analyze cloud spend and correlate it with business outcomes.
• Develop predictive and prescriptive models for cost forecasting, anomaly detection, and scenario optimization.
2. Cloud Cost Optimization AI:
• Architect AI-driven algorithms to simplify and automate FinOps processes, ensuring they are actionable for engineering, finance, and leadership teams.
• Address foundational problems like linking cloud spend to revenue, cost-per-customer metrics, and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
3. Collaboration:
• Partner with product, engineering, and data science teams to embed AI/ML capabilities into our core platform.
• Collaborate with cloud architects and FinOps specialists to ensure models align with real-world business challenges.
4. Innovation:
• Explore and integrate advancements in AI and ML from leading research to keep CloudZero’s technology at the cutting edge.
• Experiment with generative AI, reinforcement learning, and other advanced techniques to drive innovation in FinOps.

Requirements

We’re seeking a leader who thrives on solving complex problems and driving innovation. Ideal candidates will have

• AI/ML Expertise: Proven experience building and deploying AL/ML models (e.g., regression, classification, NLP, deep learning) using modern frameworks and AWS services like Bedrock and SageMaker.
• Cloud Savvy: A strong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their cost structures. Experience with cloud cost optimization tools is a plus.
• Programming Skills: Proficiency in Python, R, or similar languages widely used in the data science community. Experience with data processing tools (e.g., Pandas, dbt, Airflow).
• Data Handling: Expertise in working with large-scale, unstructured datasets and data pipelines. Knowledge of databases (Snowflake, Postgres, DynamoDB) and ETL/ELT processes.
• Strategic Mindset: A passion for solving complex business problems through AI/ML. Experience in FinOps or financial modeling is highly desirable.
• Collaboration & Communication: Ability to work cross-functionally with technical and non-technical teams to translate AI/ML insights into actionable outcomes.
• Educational Background: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field desired; PhD a plus. 5+ years of industry experience developing AI/ML systems in production.

Why You
You are passionate about solving hard problems, pushing technological boundaries, and making a tangible impact. Your expertise and leadership will directly influence the success of our AI initiatives and position CloudZero as the leader in AI-driven FinOps. This is an opportunity to be at the forefront of defining how businesses operate in the cloud era.

About CloudZero

Cloud cost management is one of the biggest challenges organizations face today. As cloud adoption accelerates, so do the complexities and associated costs - and macroeconomic conditions only increase pressure to prove cloud efficiency. That’s why we built CloudZero: a SaaS platform at the intersection of next-generation cloud cost management and FinOps. CloudZero ingests billing and usage data from all cloud, SaaS, and PaaS providers, organizes it in real-time according to our customers’ business structures, lets customers view it at any level of time or resource granularity, and ultimately empowers them to make more informed business decisions.

Since our founding in 2016, our mission has been to make efficient innovation a reality for every cloud-driven organization. At CloudZero, we believe every engineering decision is a buying decision, yet the cost conversation often bypasses the engineers who drive those determinations. To solve this, we’ve built a dynamic, single-page application that answers the complex, data-heavy questions every cloud-based organization needs to ask if they want to grow their company profitably.

To date, we’ve raised over from leading venture capital firms nationwide. We’re solving problems of massive scale, business importance, and complexity in a space that needs it more than ever. We’re growing rapidly and would love for you to be a part of it.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We cannot currently sponsor or take over the sponsorship of an Employment Visa.

Benefits

CloudZero offers competitive compensation and benefits, including:

• Comprehensive Health Care, Dental, and Vision Plans
• CloudZero Equity
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Parental Leave
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• PTO