Open to opportunities

Ralph Vaz

@ralphvaz

Message

FinOps leader optimizing cloud spend and driving multi-million dollar savings across enterprises.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I want a role where I can lead cloud cost optimization, partner with engineering and finance, mentor teams, and deliver measurable savings.

I am a FinOps and operations leader with a track record of designing cloud cost frameworks and delivering measurable savings across large enterprises. I lead cloud cost governance, partner with AWS and Azure, and deploy tooling like Apptio and Cloudability to enable chargeback and daily spend controls.

Across investment banking and asset management firms I have built teams and processes that reduced manual work, modernized technology, and produced millions in annual savings. I have successfully led change programs, mentored talent, and presented executive-level forecasts to guide strategic decisions.

I combine technical cloud finance expertise with operational rigor and stakeholder management to drive efficiency, compliance, and scalable processes. I seek roles where I can continue to optimize cloud portfolios, mentor teams, and partner with engineering and finance to unlock cost savings.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Advanced IT Analyst (FinOps)

Current

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Jun 2022 - Present (3 years 6 months)

Lead analyst on the Central Cloud FinOps team overseeing optimization of a $75M AWS and Azure portfolio and establishing Fed-wide Cloud FinOps standards, delivering over $15M in annual savings through procurement and optimization programs.

FinOps AWS Azure Cost Optimization Apptio Cloudability

Operations Director

Morgan Stanley

Sep 2021 - Jun 2022 (9 months)

Led an eight-person team to modernize equity trading operations, creating a project management team that eliminated 1,000+ manual hours and delivered $2.5M in annual cost savings through systems modernization and compliance programs.

Operations Management Project Management Process Improvement Stakeholder Management Team Leadership Compliance Change Management

Derivatives Operations Analyst

T. Rowe Price

Nov 2019 - Aug 2021 (1 year 9 months)

Partnered with technology to build derivatives trading operational systems, awarded for innovation while supporting $100M portfolio growth and delivering $2M in savings via vendor elimination and system modernization.

Derivatives Systems Implementation Vendor Management Process Automation Training Mentorship Innovation

Operations Associate

Morgan Stanley

May 2017 - Oct 2019 (2 years 5 months)

Streamlined derivatives operations and integrated AcadiaSoft tooling into proprietary systems, reducing over 1,000 operational hours and generating approximately $500K in annual savings through automation and risk controls.

Process Optimization AcadiaSoft Automation Risk Control Testing

Analyst

J.P. Morgan Chase

Nov 2014 - Oct 2016 (1 year 11 months)

Underwrote collateralized loans up to $50M for Private Banking clients, developed collateral strategies that increased Private Bank profitability by over $400K annually while monitoring credit risk.

Private Banking Financial Analysis

Risk Management Consultant

J.P. Morgan Chase

May 2014 - Oct 2014 (5 months)

Supported senior executives in managing a firmwide regulatory risk tracking database to prioritize upcoming regulatory requirements and inform enterprise risk planning.

Stakeholder Engagement Database Management Prioritization Regulatory Compliance

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Virginia Tech

Bachelor of Science, Finance

Grade: 3.4 / 4.0

Activities and societies: National Society of Collegiate Scholars; internships (unspecified)

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Business with a Finance major, graduating in December 2013 with a 3.4 GPA and membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.