Sam Merwin

Professional Summary

Results-driven Senior FinOps Engineer with 10+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure, site reliability, and cost optimization. Proven track record of saving millions in cloud expenses through strategic implementation of reserved instances and savings plans at scale. Deep expertise in AWS, Kubernetes, and modern DevOps practices, with a passion for building efficient, cost-effective systems that enhance operational excellence.

Professional Experience

FanDuel | Remote

• Lead cloud cost optimization initiatives across engineering teams, driving millions in annual savings
• Implement and manage AWS reserved instances and savings plans strategy at enterprise scale
• Partner with engineering teams to optimize architecture for cost efficiency without sacrificing performance
• Monitor and analyze cloud spend using Vantage, AWS Cost Explorer, and AI tools to identify optimization opportunities

• Drove cost efficiency improvements across AWS infrastructure for a major online gaming platform
• Collaborated with cross-functional engineering teams to implement cost-effective architectural solutions
• Developed and maintained cloud spend monitoring and reporting systems
• Championed FinOps best practices across the organization

NS1 | Remote

• Managed incident response processes and escalation procedures for enterprise DNS customers
• Developed custom REST API tooling for internal operations and customer integrations
• Created comprehensive technical documentation and training materials for customers and internal teams
• Provided technical leadership and product expertise to Customer Success Managers

• Served as escalation point for high-severity incidents involving managed DNS and DDI services
• Reproduced complex customer issues in lab environments to accelerate engineering resolution
• Documented technical issues and solutions to build organizational knowledge base

• Triaged customer-reported issues with managed DNS services as part of 24/7 on-call rotation
• Escalated critical issues with detailed supporting material to product and operations teams

• Contributed to internal SaaS team managing Nomad deployments and Docker build pipelines
• Developed and maintained container orchestration infrastructure

DigitalOcean | New York, NY

• Designed and built custom Kubernetes tooling for internal platform operations
• Maintained and operated multiple large-scale Kubernetes clusters supporting production workloads

• Orchestrated deployment and configuration management of physical infrastructure supporting millions of VMs
• Implemented automation solutions for large-scale datacenter operations

• Provided 24/7 escalation support for customer technical issues as part of Linux admin team
• Collaborated with senior engineers to diagnose and resolve complex infrastructure problems

New York Public Radio (WNYC) | New York, NY

• Managed AWS infrastructure for streaming platforms, web properties, and audio archival systems
• Implemented configuration management and monitoring solutions

Ogilvy & Mather | New York, NY

• Managed operations and systems administration across New York, Atlanta, and Chicago offices
• Maintained Windows and Linux server environments integrated with Jenkins CI/CD pipelines
• Developed custom automation scripts in Bash and Python

Internap Network Services | New York, NY

• Developed PHP and JavaScript features for Ubersmith datacenter management platform
• Designed and implemented new functionality from requirements through production release

Alley | New York, NY

• Built custom web solutions using Drupal 6 and 7
• Managed code workflow and deployment pipelines from development through production
• Maintained and operated server infrastructure

Voxel dot Net | New York, NY

• Provided customer support and implementation services for managed hosting clients
• Managed diverse internet systems and cloud infrastructure

Noble Desktop, LLC | New York, NY

• Created and tested workbook exercises for web and print design software curriculum

Education

Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY

Technical Skills

Certifications & Licenses

FAA Remote Pilot License

Languages

English (Native) | Spanish (Limited Working Proficiency)