Incident Manager

The Incident Manager is a critical role within the IT operations team, responsible for overseeing the end-to-end management of incidents that disrupt or threaten the normal operations of IT services.

The primary objective of this role is to restore service operations as quickly as possible, minimizing the impact on business operations and ensuring the highest possible level of service quality and availability.

This position requires a proactive »vyking« who can coordinate and manage the response to incidents, ensuring that all necessary resources are mobilized, communication is clear and consistent, and resolution is achieved within agreed time limits.

The Incident Manager acts as a bridge between technical teams, senior management, and other stakeholders, providing regular updates and ensuring transparency throughout the incident lifecycle.

The person is expected to conduct thorough post-incident reviews, identify root causes, and work with relevant teams to implement corrective actions that prevent recurrence. By analysing incident data and trends, the Incident Manager contributes to enhancing the overall resilience and efficiency of the IT environment.

In addition to technical expertise, this role requires effective communication, management, and problem-solving skills. The Incident Manager must be able to make quick decisions under pressure, prioritize tasks effectively, and manage multiple incidents simultaneously. This person is responsible for maintaining and improving incident management processes, ensuring that they align with industry best practices and meet the evolving needs of the business.

Incident Detection and Monitoring: 

• Implement and maintain effective monitoring systems and tools to detect incidents as early as possible. 

• Regularly review and optimize alerting mechanisms to reduce false positives and ensure timely response to genuine issues. 

Incident Prioritization and Escalation: 

• Assess the impact and urgency of incidents to prioritize response efforts effectively. 

• Determine when to escalate incidents to higher-level management or specialized teams based on severity, impact, or complexity. 

Coordination with Cross-Functional Teams: 

• Work closely with various teams to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. 

• Facilitate cross-functional war rooms or bridge calls during major incidents, ensuring effective collaboration and communication among all involved parties. 

Documentation and Knowledge Management: 

• Ensure that all incidents are fully documented, including actions taken, communications sent, and lessons learned. 

• Maintain and update the knowledge base with incident resolutions, troubleshooting steps, and best practices to support quicker resolution of future incidents. 

• Contribute to the development of runbooks and playbooks that provide standardized response procedures for common incident types. 

Risk and Impact Assessment: 

• Analyse the potential business impact of incidents and make recommendations for risk mitigation strategies. 

• Work with risk management and business continuity teams to assess and improve the organization's resilience to incidents. 

• Provide input into the business impact analysis (BIA) process, ensuring that critical services are accurately identified and prioritized. 

Continuous Improvement: 

• Lead the incident review process, ensuring that all incidents are analysed for root causes and improvement opportunities. 

• Stay updated on emerging trends and technologies in incident management and IT operations and assess their applicability to the organization. 

Educational background & Work experience required 

• Incident Management Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience in incident management, IT service management, or IT/iGaming operations is required, with a proven track record of successfully managing and resolving high-impact incidents in a complex IT environment. 

• Management Experience: Experience leading cross-functional teams during incidents, including coordinating technical and non-technical resources, is essential. Experience in a supervisory or managerial role is preferred. 

• Industry Experience: Familiarity with the iGaming industry and its regulatory requirements is highly desirable, as it enhances the ability to understand the business impact of incidents and to navigate industry-specific challenges. 

• Technical Background: Strong technical background with experience in IT & iGaming infrastructure, networking, cloud services, and/or application management. 

• Process Improvement: Experience in process improvement initiatives. Demonstrated ability to implement and refine incident management processes, tools, and methodologies. 

• Project Management: Experience managing projects related to incident response, IT operations. Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools is a plus. 

Skills & Competencies required 

Technical Expertise: 

• iGaming Platforms: Knowledge of iGaming platforms, software, and technologies, including gaming engines, payment gateways, player account management systems (PAM), and content management systems (CMS). 

• Regulatory Compliance: Familiarity with industry-specific regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, and other compliance standards that affect the iGaming industry. 

• Security & Data Protection: Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, particularly around securing gaming platforms, protecting player data, and ensuring the integrity of financial transaction 

• Proficiency with incident management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira) and IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL). 

Industry-Specific Knowledge: 

• Gaming Operations: Understanding of how gaming operations function, including the flow of games, player interactions, backend operations, and the criticality of uptime for player experience and revenue generation. 

• Player Experience Sensitivity: Awareness of the importance of player experience, particularly during incidents that might affect game availability, payment processing, or player accounts. Ability to make decisions that balance technical resolution with maintaining a positive player experience. 

• Market Awareness: Knowledge of the competitive landscape in the iGaming industry, understanding the impact of service disruptions on customer retention and brand reputation. 

Communication Skills: 

• Stakeholder Communication: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical issues clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior management, regulatory bodies, and customer service teams. 

• Crisis Communication: Proficiency in managing communications during high-pressure situations, ensuring that all stakeholders are kept informed with timely and accurate updates. 

Management & Decision-Making: 

• Crisis Management: Proven ability to lead teams during critical incidents, making swift and informed decisions to minimize downtime and business impact. 

• Team Coordination: Strong management skills with the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams, including IT, development, and compliance, ensuring a unified response to incidents. 

• Vendor Management: Ability to manage third-party vendors and service providers, particularly during escalations and service outages. Experience in negotiating SLAs and ensuring vendor accountability. 

Problem-Solving & Analytical Skills: 

• Root Cause Analysis: Expertise in conducting root cause analysis to identify underlying issues and implement corrective actions that prevent recurrence. 

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Ability to analyse incident data, performance metrics, and trends to drive continuous improvement in incident management processes and overall service delivery. 

• Attention to Detail: High level of attention to detail, ensuring that all aspects of incidents are thoroughly documented, analysed, and reviewed. 

Interpersonal & Collaboration Skills: 

• Cross-Department Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively with various departments to ensure that incident management aligns with broader business objectives. 

• Customer Focus: Strong customer service orientation, with an understanding of the importance of timely incident resolution in maintaining player trust and satisfaction. 

• Cultural Sensitivity: Ability to work effectively in a diverse, multicultural environment, especially important in the global iGaming industry where teams and players may be spread across different regions and time zones. 

Adaptability & Resilience: 

• Agility: Ability to adapt to rapidly changing environments, innovative technologies, and evolving industry regulations. Flexibility to manage incidents outside of regular business hours, reflecting the 24/7 nature of the iGaming industry. 

• Resilience Under Pressure: Ability to remain calm and focused under pressure, particularly when managing multiple high-severity incidents simultaneously. 

Process & Continuous Improvement: 

• Process Development: Experience in developing and refining incident management processes, ensuring they are efficient, scalable, and aligned with industry best practices. 

• Continuous Learning: Commitment to staying up to date with the latest industry trends, technologies, and incident management techniques, with a focus on applying this knowledge to improve processes and outcomes. 

Other 

• Team player with assertiveness but also high levels of empathy in dealing and managing different stakeholders  

• Economic and business-oriented thinking and mindset with high sense of responsibility 

• Preciseness, reliability and taking ownership  

• Loyalty, integrity and discretion are an absolute must 

• Hands-on mentality   

• Advanced technical knowledge is required.

• Eagerness to work in a highly goal-driven team of tech and igaming specialists.

• Experience of working with a CRM or Business Intelligence tools is a plus. English language is mandatory, additional language skills are a benefit.

• Commitment to address incidents and urgent customer queries outside business hours is expected.