Director of Cloud Cost Optimization

Company overview

LucidLink is a fast-growing startup on a mission to make data instantly and securely accessible from everywhere. As remote and hybrid work has become the new normal, our cloud-based technology enables teams to instantly access files and collaborate from anywhere in a familiar format that works like a local hard drive.

LucidLink’s solution is designed for workflows involving huge files, massive data sets and real-time collaboration. Our customers include the world’s most creative companies like Paramount, Warner Brothers, Epic Games, Spotify, A+E and Netflix. We were founded in 2016 by storage industry experts and support over one billion customer files across more than 40+ countries. LucidLink is headquartered in San Francisco, California, has an engineering office in Sofia, Bulgaria, and remote employees across North America, Europe, and Australia.

Reasons to join LucidLink:

• Tackle big challenges: You’ll have the chance to solve complex, high-stakes problems that redefine how teams collaborate globally. By starting with the Media & Entertainment industry and expanding into data-intensive sectors, you’ll gain deep insight into cutting-edge technologies and play a role in shaping the future of global workflows.

• Values-led culture: Our values don’t just exist on paper—they guide every decision and interaction. You’ll thrive in an environment where integrity, innovation, and empathy are at the core of how we operate, empowering you to grow personally and professionally.

• Hypergrowth journey: Joining a company with triple-digit growth rates means unparalleled opportunities for advancement, learning, and being part of an exciting journey toward unicorn status. You’ll experience the adrenaline of startup speed combined with the satisfaction of building something truly impactful.

• Immediate impact: At LucidLink, your work will matter—immediately. You’ll be part of a tight-knit team of 170+ builders working at startup speed, where your ideas and actions will create tangible, exponential results that contribute to our collective success.

• Comprehensive benefits: We believe in investing in our people. With flexible PTO, a competitive salary, stock options, and full health coverage, you’ll feel supported both professionally and personally while enjoying a strong work-life balance.

Please note: applications for this role will close on February 9th at 11:59 pm Pacific. You do not need to be in the first 100 applications to be hired at LucidLink. A human will review all applications so please use this time to read the job description in full and craft a thoughtful application. Incomplete submissions or those from popular auto-applier services will be rejected.

Contacting LucidLink employees or recruiters directly will not improve your odds of being selected for interview. Please help us focus our attention on reviewing resumes and responding to applicants in a timely manner.

A word from the hiring manager:

As LucidLink scales, our infrastructure costs are becoming an increasingly strategic lever for the business. We've grown rapidly, and now it's time to build a dedicated capability to optimize our cost structure and improve gross margins.

This is our first Cloud Cost Optimization role so you'll be building the function from scratch. You'll work directly with me (VP of Engineering), our DevOps team, Finance, and Product to drive meaningful improvements to our cost margins while maintaining the performance and reliability our customers depend on.

If you're someone who gets excited about turning data into action, influencing cross-functional teams, and negotiating with vendors to get the best deals, I'd love to talk.

The Opportunity

LucidLink is hiring a Director of Cloud Cost Optimization to build our COGS optimization capability and deliver significant gross margin improvement.

In simple terms: the mission of this role is to transform cloud costs from a reactive expense into a strategic lever for profitable growth.

As a storage-centric SaaS company, our infrastructure costs are a major component of COGS. You'll own the strategy and execution of cost optimization across our cloud infrastructure--from establishing visibility and forecasting, to driving optimization initiatives with engineering, to leading vendor negotiations.

This role sits within Engineering but works across the entire organization. You'll need to speak the language of engineers, finance, and executives alike. You'll influence priorities without direct authority and be success will be measured by real, long-lasting improvements to our margins.

This role is remote and can be performed from anywhere in the United States. Note: We're a global team with colleagues in Europe, which may occasionally require flexibility for meetings outside standard US hours. Occasional international travel (1x per quarter) will be required.

Key Outcomes for Success:

First 90 Days:

• Deep understanding of our cost structure and trends

• COGS visibility dashboard operational and trusted

• First optimization opportunities identified and prioritized

• Key stakeholder relationships established

First Year:

• Meaningful margin improvement delivered and sustained

• Vendor negotiations completed with documented savings

• Monthly COGS operating rhythm established

• Cost awareness embedded in engineering decisions

Metrics You'll Own:

• Gross margin improvement (target: significant multi-point improvement)

• Cost savings realized and sustained

• Unit cost efficiency (cost per TiB, cost per customer)

• Forecast accuracy

Required competencies for the role:

• 5+ years of experience in cloud cost optimization, FinOps, infrastructure economics, or related field

• Demonstrated history of delivering material cost savings or margin improvement ($1M+ or 3+ margin points)

• Vendor Negotiation: Experience leading (not just supporting) negotiations with cloud or infrastructure vendors

• Storage Knowledge: Understanding of object storage economics (egress, API costs, tiering) - not just compute

• Technical Credibility: Ability to engage credibly with engineering teams on infrastructure decisions

• Data Fluency: Comfortable with SQL, spreadsheets, and building dashboards from complex billing data

Nice-to-haves:

• Experience at a storage-heavy or data-intensive SaaS company

• Familiarity with cloud providers beyond the hyperscalers (IBM Cloud, DigitalOcean, Wasabi, etc.)

• FinOps certification or equivalent structured training

• Experience building a cost optimization function from scratch

• Background that spans both technical and business/finance domains

Why You Should Apply

• High Impact: You'll directly influence company profitability and be measured on outcomes that matter

• Build from Scratch: Shape the function, tools, and processes your way

• Cross-Functional Influence: Work with Engineering, Finance, Product, and executives

• Executive Visibility: Regular interaction with CFO, CEO, and board-level reporting

• Growth Stage: Join a company with strong product-market fit that's scaling rapidly

Why You Might NOT Apply

• If you prefer established processes over building from scratch

• If you're uncomfortable influencing without direct authority

• If you want to focus purely on analysis without driving execution

• If vendor negotiations make you uncomfortable

• If you're looking for a purely technical role without business interaction