Service Delivery Manager

About the company We provide enterprise support and consulting for open‐source analytics and data infrastructure platforms such as Apache Druid, Apache Flink, StarRocks and other emerging technologies. Our customers run mission‐critical, high‐volume systems and rely on us to keep them fast, stable, and available. We're a small, world-class expert, remote‐first team working across multiple time zones (US, Brazil, Europe, India, Philippines), supporting 100+ customer environments with SLAs ranging from advisory support to 24/7 incident coverage. About the role We're looking for an experienced Service Delivery Manager to take ownership of our service operations: SLAs and incident processes on‐call and skills coverage SOPs and first‐line/SRE enablement configuration management SLA metrics and reporting and coordination between customers and our engineering teams. This is a hands‐on role, not a pure governance role. You will be close to real incidents, engineers, and customers and you'll be expected to bring in practices you've already used successfully in previous service or managed‐services environments. What you'll do1. Service operations, on‐call & incidents Design and maintain an on‐call and coverage plan that ensures all critical skills are available when needed (initially weekdays, evolving to full 24/7 where required). Own the incident management process for your accounts: priorities, roles, communication cadence, escalations, and post‐incident reviews. Define and monitor key service metrics (e.g., MTTA, MTTR, SLA compliance, backlog health) and drive improvements based on them. Act as incident lead / coordinator during major incidents, keeping engineers focused and customers informed. 2. SOPs, runbooks & first‐line enablement Create and maintain SOPs, runbooks, and triage guides for SRE engineers, covering common incident types and operational tasks. Train and coach first‐line/SRE teams so they can confidently handle initial triage, basic troubleshooting, and clear communication, escalating only when needed. Continuously refine documentation based on real incident experience and feedback. 3. Configuration management & readiness Establish and run a configuration management process that keeps track of each customer's environment (platforms in use, clusters, regions, configs, access, monitoring, key contacts). Proactively close information gaps by working directly with customers and engineers. Ensure configuration information is available and trustworthy during incidents and for onboarding new engineers. 4. Customer communication & governance Be the primary operational contact for a set of enterprise customers. Lead regular service reviews and status calls, presenting SLA performance, key incidents, risks, and improvement actions. Present and agree on the incident management process with customers (channels, priorities, escalation paths, expectations). Work closely with Account Management / Sales on renewals, expansions, and expectation management. 5. Commercial & delivery management Clarify what is in scope vs. out of scope and work with customers and Sales to shape paid change requests when additional work is needed. Monitor effort vs. contract, help protect margins, and flag risks early (under‐scoped contracts, chronic over‐use, under‐utilized capacity). Work in a matrix environment, coordinating with different technical teams (e.g., database engineering, DevOps, SRE) to staff and deliver engagements effectively. 6. Onboarding & training Design and maintain onboarding paths for new engineers joining support/delivery (shadowing, training on SOPs, environment overviews, "certification" on certain incident types). Ensure new team members reach a productive, independent state quickly and safely. What success looks like in 6–12 months On‐call coverage is clear, predictable, and sustainable; engineers know when they're on and what's expected. First‐line/SREs handle a meaningful share of incidents without escalation, using well‐maintained runbooks. You can open a customer's configuration, see an accurate picture, and use it during incidents and planning. SLA and incident metrics are tracked, reported, and discussed regularly with customers and internally. Customers have a clear understanding of how incidents are handled and feel confident in the process. New engineers ramp up faster thanks to structured onboarding and training. You'll be a great fit if you have 5+ years in a Service Delivery, Managed Services, IT Operations, or Enterprise Support role serving external customers (not only internal IT). Experience with 24/7 or extended‐hours operations, including on‐call or follow‐the‐sun setups. Hands‐on experience with incident management and ITSM practices (incident/problem/change), ideally in an ITIL‐inspired environment. A track record of creating or improving SOPs/runbooks and training first‐line / SRE teams. Experience maintaining configuration / environment data for customer systems. Comfort discussing technical topics with engineers (cloud, distributed systems, data platforms) and explaining them in clear business terms to customers. Experience in commercial delivery: scope boundaries, change requests, effort vs. revenue, working alongside Sales / Account Management. Strong communication skills in English, both written and spoken. Nice to have Background with data, analytics, or streaming platforms (e.g., Druid, Kafka, Flink, StarRocks, ClickHouse, TiDB, Hadoop, cloud data warehouses). Experience working in small, fast‐moving, remote teams. Location & working style Remote‐first - we collaborate online across multiple time zones. Role requires regular overlap with European and North American business hours. We are flexible on contract structure (direct employment or via a global payroll partner or contractor/B2B), depending on your location and preference.