Incident Manager

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.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

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.

Additional employment information
Compensation 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.

Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.

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.

Applicants for US based positions must be currently authorized to work for any employer in the United States. The company is unable to provide employment-based immigration sponsorship for US based positions.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email [email protected] for roles based in the Americas or [email protected] for roles based in India.

About Cognizant:
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.