Senior Incident Manager

On behalf of FCDO, we are looking for a Senior Incident Manager (Inside IR35) for a 6 Month hybrid contract based 3 days per week in London or Milton Keynes.

Note: DV Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position, (and speed at which we require a postholder in situ), preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active DV clearance

The Senior Incident Manager function sits within the Live Services area of the Information and Digital Directorate (IDD) at the FCDO. IDD is responsible for the management and delivery of digital services and IT infrastructure across the organisation, ensuring operational resilience, service continuity, and a high-quality user experience for all FCDO staff.

The Incident Manager team is a core part of the IT Service Operations team, providing 24/7 operational coverage, leading the response to major incidents, and acting as the operational point of contact for senior stakeholders, suppliers, and business owners. The team drives lessons learned, participates in resilience drills, and contributes to the ongoing development of service continuity and problem management processes.

The Senior Incident Manager (SEO) is a key operational role within IDD, responsible for delivering 24/7 incident management, including major incident (MI) response, Tier 2/3 escalation, and liaison with regional IT support and business stakeholders. You will act as the senior operational authority during their shift, leading the response to major incidents, coordinating technical and business resources, and ensuring rapid restoration of critical IT services across the global FCDO estate.

The Senior Incident Manager is empowered to make swift decisions, declare and manage major incidents, and communicate directly with senior stakeholders, Product Owners, and Crisis Management Teams. The post-holder also plays a key role in cross-directorate collaboration, resilience exercises, and service continuity planning, fostering a culture of operational excellence and stakeholder engagement.

In this role you will also be responsible for:
. Deliver 24/7 incident management, including MI response, Tier 2/3 escalation, and liaison with ITSOs.
. Lead and coordinate MI bridge calls, ensuring effective communication and engagement with technical teams, Product Owners, suppliers, and senior stakeholders.
. Oversee the restoration of critical IT services, validate recovery actions, and ensure all activities are fully documented in ServiceNow and MI dashboards.
. Maintain and evolve the governance framework for incident management, ensuring adherence to FCDO processes, standards, and continuous improvement.
. Act as the primary point of contact for Crisis Management Teams, regional IT support, and business owners during incidents and crises.
. Ensure timely, accurate, and transparent stakeholder communications throughout incident life cycles.
. Manage handover protocols, ensuring continuity and accountability between shifts.
. Participate in and lead resilience drills, simulation exercises, and post-incident reviews to drive operational improvement.
. Support problem management, change management, and service continuity planning, contributing operational insights and lessons learned.
. Foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional development within the Duty Manager team and across the wider directorate.
. Monitor and report on key performance indicators, including incident response times, stakeholder satisfaction, and documentation accuracy.
. Promote staff wellbeing, workload balance, and resilience within the team, proactively identifying and addressing risks of burnout.

We are looking for someone with:

Essential
. Proven experience in ITSM leadership, incident management, and problem management.
. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
. ITIL 4 Managing Professional certification.
. Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple incidents.
. Experience leading and developing teams.
. Experience managing 24/7 operational coverage and shift rotas.
. Experience leading MI bridge calls and coordinating with suppliers and partners.

Desirable
. Experience in crisis management and business continuity.
. Experience working in a large, complex, and global organisation.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".