P

Pump

AI-driven AWS cloud cost optimization

Engineering Manager

Full-TimePosted on 10/20/2026
No salary listed
Expert
Bachelor's
San Francisco, CA, USA
In PersonOnsite in San Francisco Monday–Friday.
Engineering ManagementEngineering Leadership

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 7 years of total engineering experience.
  • At least 5 years in a managerial or technical leadership role.
  • Experience as a CTO, Engineering Lead, or similar role at a company with $5 million–$30 million or more in annual recurring revenue.
  • Strong backend and infrastructure expertise, particularly with AWS, GCP, or Azure.
  • A solid understanding of AI/ML applications in cloud or infrastructure optimization.
  • A degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
  • Availability to work onsite in San Francisco, Monday through Friday.
Responsibilities
  • Lead and scale the engineering team from 10 to more than 20 engineers, including hiring and team structuring.
  • Remain hands-on with architecture and development as a technical leader.
  • Own delivery of scalable, performant systems across AI, infrastructure, and cloud services.
  • Collaborate with product, design, and business teams to translate strategy into execution.
  • Mentor and develop engineers at all levels, fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture.
  • Help shape engineering culture, tooling, and practices as the organization grows.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience managing or scaling engineering teams of 10–15 or more people.
  • Experience building and scaling backend systems used by thousands of users.
  • Product-minded and data-driven approach.
  • Ability to navigate ambiguity and move quickly in a startup environment.
  • Experience in a Series A or growth-stage startup.
  • Previous founder or early-employee experience.

About the company

P

Pump

View
Website

Pump automates cloud cost savings for AWS using artificial intelligence to identify and apply cost-saving strategies without any engineering input from clients. It analyzes usage, selects optimization plans, and applies them automatically, serving businesses that spend roughly $1,000 to $200,000 per month on AWS. The platform uses group billing to pool savings across customers and charges a fee based on the savings it secures, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if commitments aren’t met. Its goal is to democratize FinOps by delivering hands-off, scalable cost optimization for a wide range of businesses, and it is trusted by over 50 Y Combinator-backed companies.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Seed

Total Funding

$4.1M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2022

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 launch expanded into AI spend reduction, capturing rising inference budgets.
  • Customer proof points show 19% average monthly savings and 60% reductions for some.
  • Pump currently lists active hiring across engineering, legal, partnerships, and sales.

What critics are saying

  • AWS and Google can compress Pump's reseller margins by changing partner economics in 2026.
  • Heavy reliance on pooled commitments creates exposure if customer usage drops below forecasts.
  • Pump's $1.72 million disclosed funding leaves execution risk against well-capitalized FinOps rivals.

What makes Pump unique

  • Official AWS, GCP, and Azure partner channels preserve customer relationships in 2026.
  • Pump automates cloud commitments, rightsizing, and savings with uncapped insurance on recommendations.
  • Free platform manages over $600 million annual cloud spend across AWS, GCP, and Azure.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Performance Bonus
  • Stock Options
  • Professional Development Budget
  • Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

20%
PR Newswire
May 27th, 2026
Pump.co expands free cloud platform into AI cost optimisation amid rising infrastructure bills

Pump.co, a Y Combinator-backed cloud cost optimisation platform, is expanding into AI cost reduction as companies face rising infrastructure expenses. The free platform helps businesses reduce cloud and AI spending across AWS, GCP and Azure, with customers averaging 19% monthly savings and some achieving up to 60% reductions. The San Francisco-based company now supports over $600 million in annual cloud spend across thousands of customers in 22 countries. Pump operates without platform fees, contracts or minimum commitments, earning compensation directly from cloud providers. The platform offers three core products: Pump Save automates cloud commitments with full insurance coverage, Pump View consolidates spending data across 20+ integrations including OpenAI and Anthropic, and Pump Secure monitors compliance across 30+ frameworks. Pump is expanding deeper into AI inference cost optimisation as token usage becomes a major expense for technology companies.

VentureBeat
Nov 20th, 2023
How Pump Is Redefining Cloud Cost Savings

Cloud computing is an integral part of business operations, but managing the escalating costs has become a major challenge for many startups. Enter Pump, a revolutionary company that promises to slash your runaway cloud computing costs. Founded by Spandana Nakka, Pump is not just another cloud-based business; it’s a game-changer that’s making a profound impact on how companies manage their cloud expenses.Pump’s journey begins with Nakka, a repeat founder who knows firsthand the perils of cloud bills spiraling out of control. In her previous venture, which was RD- and AI-heavy, they relied on every available cloud provider to exploit free credits, a common starting point for many startups. However, as those credits dwindled, they found themselves ensnared in the costly labyrinth of cloud services. Nakka and her team envisioned a solution that would not only save cloud costs but also provide value to end-users.Their original plan was to build a credit card that could harness insights from cloud bills, offering users a way to save costs

Forbes
Oct 5th, 2023
How Pump Promises To Slash Your Runaway Cloud Computing Costs

Pump founder Spandana Nakka helps SMEs band together to buy cloud capacity PumpSan Francisco-based start-up Pump wants to become the “Costco of cloud computing”. The business, launched earlier this year, says it can reduce the cloud bills of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by up to 60%, simply by enabling them to buy as a group rather than individually.“While it’s really easy to start a business in today’s world, with no need to invest large sums upfront in technology as you spin up, your cloud costs will soon begin to add up,” warns Spandana Nakka, CEO and founder of Pump. “It can also be really difficult to figure out where those costs are coming from.”There are potentially huge sums at stake. Research published by analysts at Gartner suggests cloud spending worldwide will reach $600 billion this year, as more and more enterprises embrace the idea of buying their technology capacity online, as and when they require it, rather than installing expensive on-premise hardware and software.For many SMEs, cloud now accounts for more than 10% of their total spending, Nakka says. Only employee costs make a bigger dent on the bottom line.Pump’s solution is built on the pricing structures at AWS, the giant cloud provider that dominates the SME market. It offers cheaper rates for cloud capacity to larger organisations that are able to commit in advance to buying significant amounts of capacity over 12-month periods