Incident Manager

Cognizant; Halifax; Remote; CAD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance

Paid time off

Disability

Parental leave

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an experienced Incident Management Practice Lead to design, implement, and enhance enterprise Incident Management capabilities across a complex technology landscape. You will lead strategic initiatives to improve service reliability, operational resilience, and incident response effectiveness through AI-driven insights, automation, AIOps, and ITIL-aligned service management practices.

Based in Canada and remote, you will collaborate with Engineering, SRE, Operations, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years in Incident Management, IT Operations, ITSM, or Operations Leadership.
• Hands-on with ServiceNow ITSM configurations and optimization.
• Deep ITIL v4 knowledge and best practices.
• Experience implementing AI-driven insights, automation, or AIOps.
• Experience with observability platforms and distributed environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills using operational metrics and AI insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, and maturation of enterprise Incident Management across technology and business operations.
• Develop and optimize end-to-end Incident Management processes in ServiceNow.
• Drive AI-enabled incident management with AIOps, predictive analytics, and automation.
• Align operational frameworks with ITIL 4 standards for Incident/Problem/Change/Knowledge Management.
• Collaborate with Engineering, SRE, Infrastructure, and Applications teams to strengthen monitoring and service reliability.
• Reduce recurring incidents through data-driven analysis and proactive improvements.
• Create executive dashboards and KPIs including MTTR, SLA/SLO, incident trends, and automation coverage.
• Lead major incident governance and ensure rapid restoration of critical services.
• Coordinate between Incident Management and other ITSM functions for end-to-end improvement.
• Provide leadership for operational resilience through automation opportunities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Tools

ServiceNow ITSM

Observability/Monitoring

Job description

Job Title: Incident Manager

Job Location: Remote- Canada

** Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future**

We are seeking an experienced Incident Management Practice Lead to design, implement, and continuously enhance enterprise Incident Management capabilities across a complex technology landscape. The successful candidate will lead strategic initiatives to improve service reliability, operational resilience, and incident response effectiveness through the adoption of AI-driven insights, automation, AIOps, and ITIL-aligned service management practices.

This role requires deep expertise in ServiceNow, Incident Management, ITSM processes, observability, and cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, SRE, Operations, and Business stakeholders. The ideal candidate will drive transformational improvements that reduce service disruptions, improve customer experience, and strengthen overall operational excellence.

Salary and Other Compensation:

The annual salary for this position is between $85,000 to $100,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous maturation of the enterprise Incident Management practice across technology and business operations.

• Establish and optimize end-to-end Incident Management processes within ServiceNow to improve operational efficiency, consistency, governance, and scalability.

• Drive the adoption of AI-enabled incident management capabilities including AIOps, predictive analytics, intelligent alerting, and workflow automation.

• Define and implement operational frameworks aligned with ITIL 4 standards and industry best practices for Incident, Problem, Change, and Knowledge Management.

• Partner with Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Infrastructure, and Application teams to strengthen monitoring, observability, event management, and service reliability strategies.

• Drive measurable reductions in recurring incidents through data-driven analysis, root cause identification, and proactive service improvement initiatives.

• Develop and maintain executive dashboards, KPI frameworks, and performance metrics including MTTR, SLA/SLO compliance, incident trends, automation coverage, and incident prevention effectiveness.

• Lead major incident governance activities, ensuring effective coordination, communication, escalation management, and rapid restoration of business-critical services.

• Facilitate seamless integration between Incident Management and related ITSM functions to enable end-to-end service management and continuous operational improvement.

• Provide strategic leadership for operational resilience initiatives by identifying opportunities for automation, process optimization, and enhanced service stability across the enterprise.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent experience will be considered.

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in Incident Management, IT Operations, IT Service Management, or Operations Leadership roles.

• Strong hands-on experience administering, configuring, and optimizing ServiceNow ITSM processes.

• Deep knowledge of ITIL 4 principles and best practices.

• Proven experience implementing AI-driven operational insights, automation, or AIOps solutions.

• Experience working with observability platforms, monitoring solutions, event management tools, and distributed enterprise environments.

• Strong understanding of Incident, Problem, Change, and Knowledge Management processes.

• Demonstrated success driving operational transformations and continuous improvement programs.

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to leverage operational metrics and AI-driven insights for decision-making

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing AIOps platforms and predictive analytics solutions.

• Experience supporting healthcare or highly regulated enterprise environments.

• ITIL Foundation or ITIL Managing Professional certification.

• ServiceNow certifications.

• Experience working with SRE practices and cloud-based operational environments.

• Knowledge of SLA/SLO monitoring and service reliability engineering principles.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

• Long-term/Short-term Disability

• Paid Parental Leave

Work model:

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a Remote Position in Canada.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.