Incident Manager, EMEA in London

Category-defining tech. Career-defining work. CockroachDB makes it easier for companies to build and scale apps. We tackle problems head‑on and focus on solutions that create lasting impact. Because when our customers win, we all win.

The Role

As an Incident Manager at Cockroach Labs, you will lead the coordination and resolution of incidents across internal systems, CockroachDB Cloud, customer-hosted environments, and security/compliance events in the EMEA region. You will drive structured response efforts, ensure clear communication with stakeholders, and partner with cross‑functional teams to identify root causes and prevent recurrence. To be eligible for this role, you must be located in the London area and will be expected to go into our Liverpool Street office on Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays.

You Will

• Manage the full lifecycle of incidents from detection through resolution, ensuring adherence to established incident management processes.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional response efforts to drive timely and effective incident resolution.
• Declare and elevate high‑severity incidents, mobilizing appropriate stakeholders and leadership as needed.
• Serve as an escalation point for critical incidents and support crisis response activities.
• Lead structured root cause analysis and post‑incident reviews, ensuring actionable follow‑up items are identified.
• Track corrective actions to completion to reduce repeat incidents.
• Provide clear, timely communication to technical and non‑technical stakeholders, including customer-facing updates when required.
• Contribute to incident metrics tracking (e.g., MTTR, MTTD, recurrence) and support reporting on trends and areas for improvement.
• Support ongoing improvements to incident management processes, documentation, and tooling.
• Participate in a rotational on‑call schedule to ensure 24x7 coverage for high‑severity incidents.

The Expectations

In your first 30 days, you will familiarize yourself with CockroachDB, our customers, and our company. We will provide some self‑guided onboarding with reading and hands‑on material to familiarize yourself with the company and some of the responsibilities of the role. During this period, you will also start to get acquainted with our incident management protocols and tools, and begin shadowing incident response activities to observe and learn from other team members with an eye to future improvements and optimizations. After 3 months, you will be integrated into the company and will be familiar with the various systems we use. You will be able to manage incidents from both internal and customer environments and will be actively contributing to the Incident Management program. You will be leading incident response efforts, conducting root cause analyses, and participating in post‑incident reviews.

You Have

• 5+ years of experience in technical operations, SRE, support, or incident management roles, including at least 2 years of direct Incident Management experience leading high‑severity incidents.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills in a 24x7 operational environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Working knowledge of AI‑assisted tools and the ability to apply them effectively to incident analysis, documentation, and process improvement.
• Ability to remain calm and structured during high‑pressure situations.
• Proven ability to assume command during high‑severity incidents, bringing structure, clarity, and decisive direction in fast‑moving, ambiguous situations.
• Flexibility in working hours to support business needs, including participation in an on‑call rotation coverage.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading incident response calls and driving cross‑team coordination.
• Strong influencing skills when working across teams without direct authority.
• Familiarity with IT service management principles (ITIL, Incident, Change, Problem Management).
• Experience with incident management tooling.
• Exposure to security or compliance‑related incident response.
• Basic scripting skills (Bash, Python, JavaScript) to support operational improvements.
• Relevant technical or ITIL certifications.

Cockroach Labs is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please email us.

Cockroach Labs has a hybrid work model, with Roachers that are local to one of our offices coming in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and working flexibly the rest of the week. While we’ve learned valuable lessons working remotely, nothing can replace the connection, creativity, and fun that occurs when Roachers get together and we are committed to fostering a workplace that encourages collaboration and allows us all to do our best work.

Benefits

• Stock Options
• Medical Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Professional Development Funds
• Flexible Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Sick Days
• Paid Parental Leave
• Retirement Benefits
• Mental Well‑being Benefits
• And more!