AI FinOps Engineer

Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.

The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.

Nelnet is seeking an AI FinOps Engineer to own the token economics and cost optimization engine of our Enterprise AI program. Reporting to the IT Director of AI Delivery, this role is embedded in our Shared Services department and focused on driving efficiency across our Enterprise AI platforms — starting with Anthropic Claude and extending to the broader EA portfolio.
This is a technical, hands-on role. You will work at the API level to instrument workloads, identify inefficiencies, and engineer solutions that reduce organizational cost without degrading capability. A key output of this work is translating token-level findings into best practices that our AI enablement team can distribute across the organization.

What You Will Own

• Token Engineering: Track, model, and optimize token costs across Enterprise AI platforms. Own prompt efficiency patterns, caching strategies, and model-tier selection guidance.

• Best Practice Development: Define and document token optimization best practices. Partner with the AI enablement team to translate findings into org-wide guidance.

• Utilization Reporting: Build and maintain dashboards that surface usage trends, cost anomalies, and efficiency metrics for IT leadership.

• Cost Optimization: Go beyond reporting — identify waste, propose tier or model changes, and quantify savings. Own recommendations from analysis through implementation.

You Will Thrive Here If

• You believe “if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”—and you build the measurement yourself.

• You find token optimization a fun challenge to be solved

• You can hold your own in a conversation with both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.

Annual compensation range for this role is $77,000 - $170,000 depending on experience.

This position requires work in support of the Company’s contract with the United States Department of Education (“ED”). As such, the United States Government requires that any applicant for this position must complete United States Government security clearance. Effective June 1, 2018, ED has informed Nelnet that security clearance applications for foreign nationals are not being accepted or processed. In light of this direction from ED, Nelnet will be unable to hire applicants without United States citizenship for such positions.

What You Bring

Required:

• 1–2 years hands-on experience with LLM APIs (Claude, OpenAI, or equivalent) at the token level — not just usage, but optimization

• Deep familiarity with LLM pricing mechanics: context windows, caching, batching, input/output token splits, and tier structures

• Experience with prompt engineering techniques focused on efficiency and cost reduction

• Python or SQL for instrumentation and pipeline work

• Ability to communicate technical findings to non-technical stakeholders

Preferred:

• 2–4 years of industry experience

• Prompt caching, batch API usage, or model-tier switching in production environments

• Cloud FinOps background or FinOps Foundation certification

• Experience with multiple LLM providers and their cost/capability tradeoffs

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: LINK.

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.  

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or corporaterecruiting@nelnet.net.

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.