Senior Escalation & Incident Manager

<p style="min-height:1.5em">At Docker, we make app development easier so developers can focus on what matters. Our remote-first team spans the globe, united by a passion for innovation and great developer experiences. With over 20 million monthly users and 20 billion image pulls, Docker is the #1 tool for building, sharing, and running apps—trusted by startups and Fortune 100s alike. We’re growing fast and just getting started. Come join us for a whale of a ride!</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Docker supports customers using the largest and most popular container registry service in the world today, Docker Hub. Millions of users - community developers, open source projects and Independent Software Vendors - push and pull Docker container images billions of times through Docker Hub.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">We are seeking a <strong>Senior Escalation & Incident Manager</strong> to own the end-to-end experience for our most complex and critical customer issues. In this role, you sit at the junction between customer support, engineering, and product — ensuring that escalated issues and service incidents receive the urgency, consistency, and executive-level communication they demand.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">You will help build and improve the frameworks and standards that govern how escalations and incidents are handled, and serve as the voice of the customer when critical issues threaten to erode trust or impact retention</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">critical issues threaten to erode trust or impact retention.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h1>Responsibilities</h1><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Escalation/Incident Management & Resolution</em> Own the escalation lifecycle from intake to resolution — ensuring cases are triaged accurately, prioritized by business impact, assigned to the right resource, and driven to closure without falling through the cracks. Maintain hands-on involvement in the most critical escalations, providing guidance, coordinating engineering resources, and managing stakeholder communication in real time.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Team Mentorship & Development</em> Mentor, grow, and support a global team of Support Leaders and Engineers. Partner to set clear expectations for case quality, handling, and customer communication standards. Coordinate and train cross-functional teams to triage, mitigate, and resolve escalations & incidents quickly.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Customer & Executive Communication</em> Serve as a primary point of contact for enterprise customers and internal stakeholders during high-severity escalations and incidents. Craft and deliver clear, confident written and verbal updates. Manage expectations with precision — knowing when to reassure, when to escalate urgency internally, and when to bring in executive sponsorship.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Engineering & Product Partnership</em> Build strong working relationships with Engineering and Product to ensure escalated issues and incidents receive timely attention and appropriate prioritization. Advocate for customer-impacting bugs and systemic issues in roadmap and sprint planning conversations. Establish feedback loops that translate escalation patterns into actionable product and reliability improvements.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Process Design & Standards</em> Help define and maintain the escalation/incident criteria, process flow, SLA/SLO commitments, and communication protocols that govern how issues/incidents are handled. Ensure playbooks are current, consistently followed, and refined after major incidents or escalations. Partner with Product and Engineering to produce and deliver post-incident root cause analysis documentation.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Metrics & Operational Health</em> Own the KPIs that reflect escalation and incident team performance — Report regularly to Support and Engineering leadership with trend analysis and actionable recommendations. Use data to make the case for tooling improvements, staffing adjustments, or process changes.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Voice of the Customer</em> Synthesize escalation data and direct customer feedback into structured insights for Product, Engineering, and Customer Success. Identify recurring themes that indicate deeper systemic issues — whether in the product, documentation, onboarding, or support process — and champion resolution at the organizational level.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h1><strong>Qualifications:</strong></h1><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">6+ years of experience in escalation & incident management, SRE, or production operations in a cloud/SaaS environment</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Proven experience leading high-severity incident response in complex distributed systems</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience working in 24/7 on-call or escalation environments</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Familiarity with compliance or security incident response</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience building or scaling incident management programs</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Strong understanding of: Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), Observability tools (logs, metrics, tracing)</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Exceptional communication skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience influencing cross-functional teams without direct authority</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Ability to communicate effectively with both technical teams and executive stakeholders</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Strong focus on process improvement and operational rigor</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Data-driven approach to identifying trends and driving improvements</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>How We Work</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Scope & Complexity: You'll work on projects of moderate scope and complexity with significant impact on your team and related teams</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Guidance: You'll receive general instructions on routine work and more detailed guidance on new or complex tasks</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Growth: You'll have opportunities to lead projects, mentor teammates, and develop emerging strategic thinking skills</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Autonomy: You'll exercise judgment within defined processes while contributing to process improvements</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h1>What to Expect</h1><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>First 90 Days — Learn, Listen, and Establish Foundations</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Shadow live escalations and incidents end-to-end to understand current triage, routing, and resolution workflows</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Identify gaps in case prioritization logic, SLA adherence, and handoff quality between support and engineering</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Begin taking ownership of critical escalations with guidance, building credibility with engineering and customer stakeholders</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Review past high-severity escalation cases to understand how communication was handled, what worked, and where it broke down</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Meet with Engineering leads, and Product counterparts to understand existing relationships, pain points, and collaboration norms</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Learn how bugs and escalations are currently surfaced into sprint and roadmap planning</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Map the current escalation-to-engineering handoff process and identify friction points</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Conduct a full audit of existing escalation and incident playbooks, criteria, and SLA/SLO documentation</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Note which processes are well-documented vs. ad hoc, and which are followed consistently vs. inconsistently</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Identify the two or three most urgent process gaps to address in the next phase</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Review recent post-incident RCAs and post-escalation retrospectives for patterns</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Begin cataloging recurring escalation themes by product area, customer segment, or issue type</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>First 6 Months & Beyond — Build, Improve, and Lead</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own the full escalation lifecycle with confidence — driving critical cases to resolution with minimal oversight</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Reduce re-escalation rates and time-to-resolution through improved triage accuracy and resource coordination</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Establish a consistent, reliable escalation experience that enterprise customers and internal stakeholders trust</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Become the recognized internal authority for enterprise escalation communication — executive stakeholders know who to call</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Develop and standardize communication templates and escalation status update formats used across the team</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Establish a regular feedback loop — a recurring forum or structured process — where escalation patterns are reviewed with Product and Engineering</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Successfully advocate for customer-impacting issues that result in roadmap or sprint prioritization</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Become a trusted partner to engineering leads, not just a support contact — someone brought in early during incidents</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Ship a revised, fully documented escalation and incident management framework including criteria, process flows, SLA/SLO definitions, and communication protocols</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Ensure all playbooks are current, distributed, and being actively used by the team</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Establish a post-incident RCA process that is consistent, timely, and produces actionable outcomes</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own a metrics reporting cadence with Support and Engineering leadership — delivering regular trend analysis, not just status updates</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Use data to make and win at least one meaningful case for a tooling, staffing, or process change</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Demonstrate measurable improvement in two or more core KPIs from your 90-day baseline</p></li></ul><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Deliver a structured escalation insights report — shared with Product, Engineering, and Customer Success — that connects escalation patterns to systemic issues and recommendations</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Docker does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">We use Covey as part of our hiring and / or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT. As part of the evaluation process we provide Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://getcovey.com/product/covey-scout-inbound">Covey Scout for Inbound</a> on April 13, 2024.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Please see the independent bias audit report covering our use of Covey <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://getcovey.com/nyc-local-law-144">here</a>.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Perks</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end of year Whaleness break</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Home office setup; we want you comfortable while you work</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">16 weeks of paid Parental leave</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Technology stipend equivalent to $100 net/month</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">PTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoy</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Training stipend for conferences, courses and classes</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Equity; we are a growing start-up and want all employees to have a share in the success of the company</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Docker Swag</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Docker embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our company will be.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">#LI-REMOTE</p>

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...