Incident Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for an incident manager job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an incident manager. Feel free to use our incident manager job description template to produce your own incident manager job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an incident manager.
Who is an Incident Manager?
An incident manager is an Information technology (IT) specialist who manages the IT systems of a business. Typically, an incident manager is in charge of a group of IT support staff who they can direct in fixing any faults in an IT system. There are several options to obtain employment in various industries for incident managers because they may virtually monitor the functioning of IT systems for any firm. Because technology can be unexpected, incident managers frequently handle multiple tasks at once, so they typically have great multitasking skills. For a business, every incidence causes a disturbance. While some accidents only affect one individual, others reduce productivity across the board for the entire firm. Responding to problems as they happen and taking any required actions to restore service and get the company back to normal operations as soon as possible are the duties of incident management.
When staff members, vendors, and customers run into problems and need assistance from IT, they talk to incident managers. Incident managers must be technically proficient, have access to tools and information, and have a customer-service mentality when working with users if they are to meet their needs. By interacting with a wide range of users and systems, incident managers have the chance to learn more about the business, how it runs, and the unique duties and obligations that exist within the IT and business groups. Long-term incident managers frequently develop a more broad view of business operations and possess a more comprehensive understanding of the company than top-level executives. Some of a company’s most valuable IT staff are produced by the subject-matter expertise acquired in an incident manager role.
To successfully achieve the requirements for this position, incident managers must be able to handle a variety of tasks. An incident manager oversees attempts to address any problems that may develop while keeping an eye on how well an organization’s information technology is performing. This can entail developing fixes for any problems they notice, implementing those fixes throughout the organization they work for, and maintaining records of identified obstacles in an organization’s information technology system through incident reports. To better inform the solutions they develop as a reaction, incident managers frequently spend time identifying the root cause of a bug when they discover one in an IT system.
The performance of their organization’s information technology and any system changes can be shared with customers by incident managers, who also make sure that both employees and customers who use the technical products of businesses receive technical help. They develop technical teams and manage responses to software applications and system-related technical issues. Keeping a log of incidents is a key responsibility of incident managers. This helps them to keep track of any problems and ensure their resolution, but it also helps them to examine incidents and establish processes to help prevent or minimize similar problems from occurring.
In the IT industry, incident managers are responsible for ensuring system security. You write an incident report if an emergency, an accident, or another occurrence happens. Your responsibilities also include figuring out what caused the event. You come up with a solution to try and fix the problem and lessen the possibility of it happening again in the future. An IT-related bachelor’s degree, practical experience with common IT programs, knowledge of the area, and proficiency with Microsoft programs are requirements for becoming an incident manager. Depending on how big the organization is and how sensitive the information that you are protecting, your duties may change.
An incident manager must have expertise in problem-solving, analysis, and time management to successfully perform all tasks. Additionally, they should be able to use their organizing, critical thinking, and communication abilities both orally and in writing. An effective team player and leader who can function independently when required is an incident manager. Another crucial characteristic for incident managers is attention to detail and crisis management. Employers may also be looking for Incident Managers with the following skills in addition to those listed above. You need to be good at picking up new technologies and procedures if you want to succeed as an incidence manager. In the essence, a top-notch incident manager should be excellent at multitasking and maintaining judgment throughout significant occurrences.
Incident Manager Job Description
What is an incident manager job description? an incident manager job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of an incident manager in an organization. Below are the incident manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an incident manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The following are the duties and responsibilities of incident managers:
- Observe the team members participating in the issue’s resolution and the incident management procedure.
- Respond to a service incident that has been reported, pinpointing the root cause and starting the incident management procedure.
- Set incident priorities based on their importance and impact on the company.
- Create documentation that detail incident procedures, such as how to deal with online attacks or resolve server issues.
- Involve the incident management team in your efforts to make sure that all procedures are strictly followed.
- Keep track of every occurrence and how it was resolved to check for any reoccurring issues.
- Make necessary adjustments to guarantee that the event management procedure is effective.
- Get in touch with top management if significant faults with the IT system are discovered.
- Reorganize the workloads of the incident team members and replan non-urgent tasks.
- Determine whether an incident requires outside help or if it can be managed internally by evaluating the situation.
- Assure the company’s and the employees’ technological support.
- Deal with any unanticipated issues that stop users from transmitting, receiving, and submitting online data.
- Avoid and fix any IT service disruptions that may have an impact on the organization’s productivity or revenue.
- Develop the technical knowledge and abilities needed to recognize IT-related problems and create workable solutions as needed.
- Possess in-depth knowledge of the services and activities provided by their organization.
- Keep your understanding of the various incident management tools up to date.
- Retain a customer-service perspective when speaking with users.
- Ensure that all departments have the resources they require to carry out their duties during an emergency by coordinating with other departments, such as human resources or public relations.
- Set positions for the command staff, decide who will be in charge of each duty, and establish communication protocols as part of your plan for handling the situation.
- Manage the response to an emergency by formulating a plan for removing or lowering the risk that the incident has presented.
- Inform supervisors of the progress of an event and any new information regarding potential solutions during routine briefings.
- Assess insurance coverage and submit claims as needed.
- Communicate the status of an incident and how it may affect various stakeholders, such as governmental organizations, business owners, employees, customers, contractors, volunteers, and members of the media.
- Make sure all applicable rules and regulations, including those relating to labour laws, environmental regulations, and safety procedures, are followed.
- Create policies and processes now to prepare for future crises and stop them from happening again.
Qualifications
- Degree in information technology, engineering, computer science or a related field.
- A minimum of three years of experience as an IT service manager, or a similar position.
- An in-depth understanding of IT service management software including ITIL and COBIT is required.
- Practical experience with IT systems and software such as SolarWinds, Zabbix, and Nagios XI.
- Thorough knowledge of programming languages, such as SQL, Java, C++, and Scala.
- Outstanding managerial skills and the ability to work together with other team members.
- Must be able to evaluate a high volume of technical data and work in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and time management skills.
Essential Skills
- Communication skills: Incident Managers are information technology experts, for information to be transmitted communication skills must be required. To communicate information to their team, clients, and other stakeholders, incident managers use communication skills. Additionally, they have communication abilities that allow them to hear from their team and other stakeholders. In times of crisis, when phone lines or internet connections can be down, they also need to be able to communicate with people. An incident manager and their team can work together to solve problems and accomplish goals by using effective communication.
- Organizational skills: Having organizational skills implies being able to manage several duties and obligations. Major incident managers must be very organized because they frequently lead multiple teams at once, each with its own set of responsibilities. Major incident managers may successfully delegate work and guarantee that everyone has what they need to finish their duty when they possess strong organizational abilities. They can more correctly assess each team member’s performance because they are aware of which acts resulted in success and which ones did not.
- Leadership skills: Your team will be more productive and motivated to do their jobs well if you have the necessary leadership qualities. To help your team cooperate and overcome obstacles, you can use your leadership abilities. To assign tasks and inspire your team to execute them, you can also use leadership and managerial skills.
- Problem-solving: Your ability to recognize problems and create solutions to solve them depends on your problem-solving skills. You can be in charge of handling problems that come up during emergency response as an incident manager. For instance, you might need to find a replacement if a team member gets hurt while responding to an emergency. You must recognize the problem, come up with a solution, and then put it into practice.
- Critical thinking: Critical thinking skill is essential in incident management. This is because making judgments and finding solutions to issues require critical thinking. You can be in charge of organizing and carrying out emergency response protocols in your capacity as an incident manager. This can entail formulating plans to reduce harm, lessen hazards, and guarantee everyone’s safety.
- Teamwork: Teamwork is the capacity to cooperate with others to accomplish a shared objective. You might collaborate with a group of individuals from multiple departments as an incident manager. Strong teamwork abilities can help you interact with your team successfully and inspire them to work hard.
- Configuration Management: For an incident manager to be successful, they must have the capacity to oversee and monitor the many components of emergency response, this is known as configuration management. This involves being aware of how each team member’s contribution to the response’s overall success contributes, as well as being aware of the resources required to carry out those roles. It also entails having a full understanding of organizational procedures so that you can decide how to act in any given circumstance.
How to Become an Incident Manager
Step 1. Acquire education in the field
The standard educational requirement for incident managers is a high school diploma or GED. A bachelor’s degree in a similar subject, such as business administration or management, is preferred by some businesses. Enrol in a program for undergraduates at a college or university that has been accredited. Most firms demand applicants to have at least a bachelor’s degree before applying for work in the sector because an incident manager is a management position. To ensure they acquire proper training and instruction in the cutting-edge concepts and practices their sector uses, the majority of aspiring incident managers major in information technology. You can, however, also select a major that is closely connected, such as computer science, computer engineering, or cybersecurity. A thorough understanding of complex information technology-related ideas and practices is necessary for this position. To improve their management and leadership capabilities, some incident managers additionally obtain a master’s degree in information technology management.
Step 2. Gain professional experience in ITSM
The majority of organizations demand that incident managers have at least five years of relevant experience. Some employers would favour applicants with at least ten years of work experience. A wide range of positions, such as firefighting, emergency medical services, law enforcement, public safety, public health, and safety management, are available for candidates to obtain expertise. You can apply for entry-level positions in the IT industry to get knowledge in information technology service management (ITSM). Working in a position akin to an incident manager after you graduate from college can help you enter the field in a position that’s pertinent to the career you hope to build. Incident managers are categorized as ITSM professionals. By contacting organizations with sizable IT departments and asking about possible career opportunities, you can locate jobs in information technology service management. You can also utilize a job search engine or website to locate information technology jobs that interest you. Some organizations can additionally demand that incident managers have previous leadership experience.
Step 3. Obtain certification
Pursue certification as an incident manager. Certifications can provide incident managers with additional knowledge about their responsibilities and further advance their careers. There are many different types of certifications available to information technology professionals, many of which teach candidates about the specialized aspects of IT work, such as programming languages, how to identify bugs in a system and how to develop effective IT solutions. Having certification can always benefit your job applications because the certification can identify you as a qualified candidate to employers. Many aspiring incident managers apply for certification in ITSM, but many also become certified in specific programming languages that they might use in their work, such as SQL, Java, C++ and Scala. Here are a few certifications you might pursue to become an incident manager:
- The Major Incident Manager (MIM) certification
- The CREST Certified Incident Manager (CCIM) certification
- The ITIL 4 Managing Professional (ITIL MP) certification
- The ITIL Master in IT Service Management (ITIL M) certification
Step 4. Apply for Incident Manager positions
Look for incident management job openings and submit an application for any that would be a good fit for your career objectives. It can be useful to do some study into which businesses may have openings that match the professions you’re seeking as incident managers often work at establishments with sizable IT departments. Inquire about the opportunity for promotion to an incident manager role from superiors at your past IT work. You might conduct an internet search or use a career website that posts opportunities by position to hunt for incident managers in your area.
Where to Work as an Incident Manager
Typically, incident managers are employed by businesses and organizations with sizable IT departments. Companies in need of a solid IT foundation frequently look for experienced incident managers with in-depth expertise who can quickly identify problems with IT systems and take the necessary action to fix them. Every time they have technical problems with the IT system in their businesses, suppliers, employers, and clients require incident management. The Incident Manager works a regular 40-hour workweek, however, extra hours could be needed when there are a lot of incidents. The types of jobs Incident Managers are employed in and where they are located will determine the demand for these individuals. Healthcare facilities will probably have the fastest employment growth for Incident Managers because of the rising demand for emergency services as the population ages.
Incident Manager Salary Scale
The salaries of Incident Managers in the United States range from $53,850 to $169,940, with an average salary of $104,850 per year. In the UK, the average salary for an Incident Manager is £42,499 per year. The salaries usually range from £37,499 to £87,499 per year. The average salary for an incident manager is $78,302 per year in Canada. The salary scale typically falls from $43,891 to $102,830 per year.
In Germany, the average incident manager salary in Germany is 66.550 €. An entry-level incident manager earns an average salary of 46.918 €, while a senior-level incident manager earns an average salary of 82.529 €. The average salary for an Incident Manager in Australia is $110,000 per year. The salary typically ranges from $98668 to $130,000. In India, an incident Manager’s salary usually ranges from ₹ 3.5 Lakhs to ₹ 10.5 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 5.8 Lakhs. An Incident Manager in Nigeria typically earns over 6,384,000 NGN per year. The salaries range from 3,900,000 NGN to 9,144,000 NGN.