Senior Manager: FinOps and AI Consumption

About the Role

This role is available in any of Mayer Brown's US offices. The Senior Manager: FinOps and AI Consumption owns cost governance across the firm's full cloud and AI estate. This role tracks and forecasts cloud infrastructure spend broadly, while going deep on the firm's most technically demanding and fastest-growing cost driver: token and model consumption across AI platforms and providers. This is a quantitative and technical role with a clear business purpose that will give Pricing, Finance, and practice leadership a reliable answer to what an AI-enabled workflow actually costs us to deliver. As we build pricing, contract, and consumption models around AI-enabled services, those decisions need to be grounded in credible, traceable cost data, rather than vendor list pricing, broad assumptions, or guesswork.

Responsibilities

• Own cost governance, forecasting, and chargeback (if implemented) across the firm's full cloud estate
• Manage rightsizing, reserved/committed-use capacity, and vendor rate optimization as cloud usage grows with the firm's data and AI footprint
• Establish tagging and attribution standards so cost can be tied to business unit, practice group, and eventually matter
• Build and maintain a working model of token and inference cost across the firm's AI providers and platforms (Harvey, Copilot, Microsoft Legal Agent, Azure AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, and future platforms)
• Track cost-per-workflow and cost-per-matter for AI-enabled work, broken out by model used, task type, and volume of consumption
• Maintain broad, current knowledge of the AI model landscape - cost structures, context-window pricing, agent/tool-call cost multipliers, and the cost/performance tradeoffs between models
• Advise on the cost implications of model selection and workflow design
• Monitor how vendor pricing models are evolving (token-based, seat-based, hybrid) and assess what each means for the firm's cost exposure as usage scales
• Partner directly with Pricing to translate workflow and matter-level AI cost data into inputs they can use to price services, structure AFAs, and evaluate consumption-based contract terms
• Support review of contract and consumption models as the firm evaluates migration to token-based and other usage-based pricing structures
• Provide Pricing and Finance with scenario modeling e.g., cost impact of a given model mix or workflow design at a given volume to inform pricing decisions
• Establish budget guardrails and consumption thresholds for AI usage as adoption scales across practice groups
• Represent cost and consumption considerations in vendor negotiations and contract renewals for both cloud and AI platforms
• Performs other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered in lieu of the degree when the experience has been directly related to the functions of the job
• 7+ years in FinOps, cloud financial management, or technology finance; FinOps Certified Practitioner (FOCP) required or willingness to obtain within the first 180 days
• Hands-on experience with at least one major cloud cost management platform (Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, GCP Billing); multi-cloud experience preferred
• Working knowledge of how AI/LLM providers price and bill consumption (token-based pricing, context-window cost dynamics), or clear evidence of the technical aptitude to build that fluency quickly
• Hands on exposure to AI platform costs (e.g., Copilot, OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure AI)
• Strong financial modeling skills and comfort building scenario models that others (Pricing, Finance) will rely on directly
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Finance and Pricing teams, translating technical cost data into commercially usable terms
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products

Skills & Attributes

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner with all levels of the Firm and outside vendors
• Ability to work in a diverse team environment and effectively support the demanding needs of the Firm
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines with shifting priorities
• Must be a self-starter with a high level of initiative
• Strong customer service skills, able to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises discretion
• Exercises solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills

Management Accountabilities

• Manages processes for direct reports in regards to performance appraisals, annual compensation, goal setting and performance counselling
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience
• Operational budget analysis and recommendations
• Conducts analysis of staffing levels and participation in the recruitment process
• Able to determine and implement change processes to improve workflow efficiencies
• Process- and service-oriented with strong leadership and project management skills
• Able to set priorities and delegate in an efficient manner

Benefits

• Medical/dental/vision/life/and AD&D insurance
• 401(k) savings plan
• Back-up childcare and eldercare
• Generous paid time off (PTO)
• Opportunities for professional development and growth

Pay

The typical pay scale for this position is between USD $190,000.00/Yr. and USD $285,000.00/Yr., although the actual wage or salary could be lower or higher if the candidate's education, experience, skills and internal pay alignment are different from those specified.