Cloud Optimization Engineer (GCP)

About the Role:
CloudZero is on a mission to help engineering teams build cost-efficient, scalable systems in the cloud. As the industry's leading cloud cost intelligence platform, we're expanding our efforts to integrate advanced GCP optimization into the core of our platform and services.

We're seeking a Cloud Optimization Engineer with deep GCP expertise to join our cloud optimization engineering team. You'll discover and develop cost-saving strategies, remediation and automation logic, and recommendations that directly shape how our customers optimize their GCP environments and realize substantial savings.

What You'll Do:

• Research & Analysis

  • Investigate real-world GCP environments to identify inefficient configurations, underutilized resources, and design patterns with poor cost-to-value ratios

  • Develop and validate cost optimization strategies across core GCP services, including Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Functions, GKE, and BigQuery

  • Stay current with GCP pricing changes, committed use discounts, sustained use discounts, and evolving service models to inform optimization logic

• Development & Implementation

  • Build optimization logic and models in Python and SQL, integrating seamlessly with CloudZero's data pipeline

  • Create scalable, reusable scripts for simulation, modeling, and recommendation generation

  • Leverage GCP APIs and metadata to detect actionable patterns and optimization signals

  • Support integration of ML-based techniques into optimization workflows (workload classification, anomaly detection, predictive scaling)

• Platform & Tooling

  • Build and maintain tooling that enables the optimization team to create, test, curate, and deploy cloud optimizations at scale

  • Prototype and validate optimization recommendations before customer deployment

  • Contribute to CloudZero's optimization engine architecture and performance

• Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

  • Partner with Data Science, Engineering, and Product teams to transform research into customer-facing optimization intelligence

  • Share GCP expertise and optimization best practices across engineering and customer-facing teams through documentation, training, and education

  • Translate technical research into actionable product features and internal tooling

What We're Looking For:

• Required Experience

  • 3+ years of hands-on experience with GCP services and cost optimization

  • Strong analytical skills with proven experience modeling savings strategies in cloud environments

  • Expert knowledge of GCP pricing models, especially Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Functions, and autoscaling strategies

  • Proficiency in Python (preferred) or similar high-level programming languages for scripting and automation

  • Strong SQL skills for data exploration and transformation

  • Experience with GCP APIs and cloud infrastructure metadata

• Technical Skills

  • Hands-on software development experience with version control (Git) and testing practices

  • Familiarity with DevOps practices, Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Deployment Manager), and CI/CD tools

  • Experience with data pipeline tools and ETL processes

  • Understanding of distributed systems and cloud architecture patterns

• Soft Skills

  • Excellent documentation and communication skills, with ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences

  • Collaborative mindset with experience working across Product, Engineering, and customer-facing teams

  • Self-directed with ability to manage multiple optimization projects simultaneously

  • Passion for cost optimization and helping customers achieve measurable cloud savings

• Nice to Have

  • GCP Professional Cloud Architect or similar certifications

  • Experience with FinOps practices and cloud cost management platforms

  • Background in data science or machine learning applications in cloud optimization

  • Previous experience in a SaaS or cloud optimization company

This role is ideal for someone who loves delving into cloud infrastructure, enjoys solving complex cost optimization challenges, and wants to build products that deliver tangible value to engineering teams worldwide.

Please note: CloudZero is unable to sponsor employment visas. Candidates must have permanent authorization to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.