Manager, Software Engineering - Platform Delivery

Rapid7•Boston, MA

1d•$169,000 - $228,600

About The Position

We are looking for a strategic, technically deep leader to build and lead our Cloud Optimization Engineering function. This team operates at the intersection of Engineering, Finance, and Product, and plays a critical role in shaping how we scale our SaaS platform efficiently. This is not a traditional cost optimization or CloudOps role. Success in this position comes from the ability to influence decisions across a wide range of engineering teams, translate complex technical systems into financial impact, and challenge assumptions to drive better outcomes. You will define how cost is understood, communicated, and acted on across the organization—ensuring that as we grow, we do so with intentional, data-driven tradeoffs between cost, performance, and scalability.

Requirements

7+ years in software engineering, infrastructure, or platform engineering roles
3+ years of experience leading or mentoring engineers or technical teams
Deep experience with public cloud environments (AWS preferred) and modern SaaS architectures
Strong understanding of distributed systems, data-intensive workloads, and cloud cost drivers
Ability to evaluate and communicate tradeoffs between cost, performance, and scalability
Experience modeling the financial impact of technical decisions or system changes
Systems-level thinker who can connect architecture decisions to business outcomes
Demonstrated ability to influence engineering teams and drive change without direct authority
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical, financial, and executive audiences
Confidence in challenging assumptions and guiding teams toward better decisions
Experience working with or alongside FP&A, finance, or business stakeholders
Familiarity with cloud billing models, pricing constructs, and cost allocation approaches
Experience contributing to forecasting, budgeting, or financial planning processes
Track record of building trust across teams and driving cross-functional initiatives
Ability to create clarity in ambiguous, evolving environments
Strong sense of ownership and accountability for outcomes

Nice To Haves

Experience in FinOps or cloud financial management practices
Multi-cloud experience (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Experience with cost observability tools (e.g., Cloudability, CloudZero)
Exposure to unit economics modeling in a SaaS environment

Responsibilities

Shape Cost-Aware Engineering Decisions
Influence architecture and design decisions across engineering teams by providing clear visibility into cost drivers, tradeoffs, and long-term implications
Partner with teams to embed cost-awareness into day-to-day engineering decisions, without relying on direct ownership or mandate
Proactively challenge assumptions and guide teams toward solutions that balance cost, performance, and reliability
Bridge Engineering, Finance, and Leadership
Act as a translator between Engineering, FP&A, and executive leadership by turning complex infrastructure usage and architecture into clear financial narratives and actionable insights
Ensure financial goals are grounded in technical reality, and engineering decisions are understood in financial terms
Support planning cycles, budgeting, and long-range forecasting with accurate, data-driven models
Drive Strategic Cost Management
Own the company’s approach to cloud cost visibility, forecasting, and optimization across AWS, GCP, Azure, and SaaS vendors
Lead cost modeling for major initiatives (e.g., new product launches, architectural changes, scaling events)
Identify and drive high-impact opportunities to improve efficiency—both through optimization and by influencing upstream decisions
Partner in vendor strategy, including commitment management, pricing models, and negotiations
Build Systems, Tooling, and Processes
Establish scalable frameworks for cost allocation, anomaly detection, and unit economics (e.g., cost per customer, product, or workload)
Ensure engineers have actionable, accessible insights into their cost footprint
Drive adoption of best practices in tagging, attribution, and cost observability
Lead and Grow a High-Impact Team
Build and lead a team of engineers focused on cloud optimization and cost-aware systems
Set clear priorities aligned with company-level financial and technical goals
Develop a culture of ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement
Serve as the executive-facing owner of cloud cost strategy and outcomes