Technology Budget Senior Specialist

Overview:

The Technology Budget Senior Specialist is responsible for leading financial planning, budgeting, procurement oversight, expense management, and financial governance for the Information Technology organization. This role manages annual operating and capital budgets, including a technology budget, provides executive-level financial insights, and partners closely with IT leadership, Finance, Procurement, Legal, vendors, and project teams to ensure technology investments are planned, governed, optimized, and aligned with business priorities.

The successful candidate will bring strong IT finance, procurement, vendor management, and analytical capabilities, along with demonstrated experience managing a technology budget of $70 million or greater. This individual must be able to operate independently, manage complex technology spend, identify financial risks and savings opportunities, and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders. The role will support financial discipline across software, hardware, cloud, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, infrastructure, managed services, and strategic project investments.

Responsibilities:

Financial Planning & Budget Management

• Lead annual IT operating and capital budget planning, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial reporting for a technology budget of $70 million-$100 million .
• Develop and maintain multi-year financial plans aligned with technology strategy, business priorities, and investment roadmaps.
• Produce concise executive-level financial reports, dashboards, presentations, and recommendations for the CIO, CFO, and senior leadership.
• Partner with Finance to reconcile budgets, refine forecasts, track commitments, and maintain financial accuracy and transparency.
• Monitor budget performance and proactively identify financial risks, variances, trends, and corrective actions.
• Establish consistent budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and financial management practices across the Information Technology organization.

Technology Portfolio & Expense Management

• Manage the financial lifecycle of software, hardware, telecommunications, cloud, managed services, infrastructure, and project-related expenses.
• Track actual spend against budgets, forecasts, allocations, contractual commitments, and approved initiatives.
• Work with IT leaders, Project Managers, and PMO teams to manage departmental budgets, discretionary funding, capital projects, and emerging financial risks.
• Identify savings opportunities, utilization trends, and areas for improved cost accountability across the technology portfolio.
• Provide financial analysis and actionable recommendations to support technology investment decisions.
• Maintain visibility into technology investments and ensure expenses are appropriately categorized, allocated, tracked, and reported.

IT Procurement & Vendor Management

• Lead financial oversight of vendor engagements, procurement activities, renewals, purchase orders, invoices, accruals, and Statements of Work.
• Serve as a primary contact for vendor financial matters, ensuring timely resolution of billing, reconciliation, and payment issues.
• Partner with Procurement and Legal to support contract governance, financial due diligence, negotiation preparation, and compliance with internal processes.
• Maintain visibility into vendor spend, contractual obligations, renewal timelines, and procurement pipeline activity.
• Analyze vendor costs and commercial terms to identify savings, consolidation, and contract optimization opportunities.
• Support vendor performance reviews by providing accurate financial, contractual, and spending data.

Cloud FinOps & AI Cost Management

• Establish and support FinOps practices for cloud infrastructure, SaaS platforms, and consumption-based technology services.
• Monitor, forecast, and analyze variable cloud, infrastructure, and AI-related expenses, including token-based AI consumption costs.
• Partner with infrastructure, engineering, product, and business teams to improve usage tracking, predictive forecasting, cost allocation, and optimization practices.
• Develop reporting that provides clear visibility into cloud, SaaS, and AI consumption trends.
• Identify opportunities to optimize cloud and AI expenses while maintaining required service levels and business capabilities.

Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Implement financial controls, reporting standards, and governance processes across IT budgeting, forecasting, procurement, invoicing, and expense management.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes, data accuracy, transparency, and investment reporting.
• Promote accountability for technology spend and provide actionable insights to improve decision-making.
• Develop consistent processes, documentation, and reporting standards for technology financial management.
• Ensure financial activities comply with organizational policies, approval requirements, and governance standards.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen controls, streamline workflows, and improve the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business, Information Systems, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in IT Finance, Technology Portfolio Management, IT Procurement, Technology Business Management, vendor management, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience directly managing a technology budget of at least $70 million to $100 million, including both operating and capital expenditure, is required.
• Proven experience leading annual budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, financial modeling, and executive reporting for a complex technology organization.
• Strong understanding of procurement, contract administration, vendor spend management, purchase orders, invoicing, accruals, and Statements of Work.
• Experience managing the financial lifecycle of technology investments across software, hardware, cloud, telecommunications, infrastructure, managed services, and strategic projects.
• Experience with cloud consumption, SaaS licensing, telecommunications expenses, infrastructure services, and technology investment portfolios.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with the ability to identify trends, risks, savings opportunities, and investment priorities.
• Excellent organizational, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently and influence stakeholders across IT, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Operations, and project teams.
• Demonstrated ability to present complex financial information clearly and concisely to CIO, CFO, and other senior executive stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a law firm, professional services organization, or similarly complex corporate environment.
• Experience with Technology Business Management and FinOps practices.
• Familiarity with cloud, SaaS, AI, and consumption-based cost models.
• Experience supporting contract negotiations, vendor optimization, and technology investment governance.
• Experience developing executive dashboards and financial reporting using financial planning, enterprise resource planning, procurement, or business intelligence platforms.