Director, Reliability Engineering

Company Description It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started. Join us to put AI to work for people. Job Description About the Role ServiceNow is seeking a Director of SREReliability Engineeringto lead a strategic, enterprise-scale evolution of reliabilityengineering. Embedded within the Site Reliability & Database Engineering organization, this leader willdrive technical excellence and operational performance to ensure ServiceNow’s cloud platformmaintainsindustry-leading reliability and performance. This role is accountable for advancing SRE maturity, accelerating adoption of DevOps and automation-first practices, andpreparingglobal teams for the platforms, operating models, and cultural shiftsrequiredto sustain ServiceNow’s cloud reliability at scale. Key Responsibilities Define andexecutestructured change strategies for major SRE initiatives, platform migrations, and operating model shifts, including stakeholder engagement, impact assessments, communication plans, andadoptionrisk management. Responsible forall incidents and escalations as it pertains to the SRE teams and the associated process and workflows with particular focus onmaintainingthe performance and availability of the supported environments. Participatein the continued development and execution of SRE management processes including Incident, Problem, Configuration, and Change management. Serve as a senior change leader across Engineering, Product, People Operations, Finance, and executive stakeholders to align priorities, removetechnical blockers, and sustainreliable delivery. Drive organizational readiness ahead of major technology and process deployments by partnering with enablement, training, and communications teams to accelerate adoption. Establishreliability metrics, SLO targets, performance baselinesand governance mechanisms to track progress, surfaceoperational risks, and communicate outcomes to senior leadership. Champion a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and psychological safety by embedding feedback loops and retrospectives into standard operating practices. Cross-Functional Engagement & Stakeholder Management Facilitate executive steering forums and cross-functional working groups, producing clear communications that translatereliability initiativesinto business outcomes. Build trust and alignment acrossSRE teams by bridging cultural, geographic, and operational differences with clarity, empathy, and structure. Partner with People Operations on workforce planning, change impact assessments, and roleevolution strategies as the organization modernizes its delivery model. Analyze current procedures and processes and drive continuous improvements efforts to ensure the SRE provide a quality service across all functional areas. Setting up and continuous monitoring of KPI’s and metricspertainingtoindividual and team performance. Team Leadership & Organizational Development Lead and develop high-performing teams, with accountability for team health, capability growth,career development, and performance outcomes. Establish and evolve career frameworks, learning pathways, and development programs that reflect both technical mastery and change leadership competencies. Lead talent acquisition and onboarding strategies that build resilient, change-ready, and growth-oriented SRE teams. Drive a DevOps and automation-first mindset across teams, reducing reliance on manual and repetitive processes through structured transformation initiatives. Ensure rigorouschangegovernance, overseeing how changes are scheduled, communicated, executed, and measured, with a strong focus on risk reduction in regulated environments. Lead process redesign efforts that improve consistency, predictability, and quality of service delivery across all SRDE functional areas. Establish documentation and training standards that equip internal partners and downstream teams tooperateeffectively through periods of change. To Be Successful in This Role You Have Proventrack recordleadingoperational excellence and reliabilityinititavesin a technical, engineering, or cloud operations environment. Strong cross-functional leadership experience, with the ability to influence without authority across Engineering, Product, People, Finance, and executive stakeholders. Deep familiarity with structured change management methodologies and the ability to adapt those frameworks to fast-moving engineering cultures. Demonstrated ability to apply AI-enabled automation, workflow redesign, and operational insights to improve decision-making, reduce toil, and scale reliability practices. Hands‑on background in SRE and DevOps environments, sufficient to credibly lead change programs with engineering teams and assess technical impact. Strong understanding of cloud operations models (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS) and the ServiceNow platform or comparable enterprise platforms. Comprehensive knowledge of ITIL principles (v3 or v4) and how process transformation intersects with service management maturity. Experienceoperatingacross global, follow‑the‑sun models,with cultural intelligence, geographic awareness, and experience managing distributed teams. Exceptionaloperationalcommunication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technicalinitiativesinto compelling business narratives and actionable operating plans. Strong analytical and problem‑solving capabilities; you use data and metrics to drive change anddemonstrateoutcomes. Senior leadership experience in SRE, DevOps,CloudEngineering, orReliabilityEngineering, ideally within regulated or enterprise‑scale environments. Qualifications Requirements & Qualifications: Experience inleveragingorcriticallythinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision‑making, or problem‑solving. This may include using AI‑powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI‑driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry. Engineering Background: 12+ years in software engineering, with at least 5–7 years in a senior leadership role overseeing large‑scale distributed systems using public cloud technologies from Azure, Amazon Web Services, or Google Cloud Platform. SaaS: Experience delivering SaaS products with high performance, scalability, security, and availability. Generative and Agentic AI: Experience developing agentic AI frameworks toeliminatetoil by automating the detection and remediation of transient service disruptions. Architecture Expertise: Proven experience with cloud‑native architectures, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Kubernetes, and microservices at scale. SRE Mindset: Proven commitment toeliminatingrecurring problems through durable engineering solutions, automation, and systemic reliability improvements. Talent Development:Demonstratedsuccess building, leading, and developing globally distributed engineering teams in fast‑paced, high‑growth environments. Leadership Style: Empathetic, collaborative, and systems‑oriented leader who enables teams, builds trust, and guides organizations from hero‑based operations toward scalable reliability practices. Communication: Executive‑level communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical topics into clear business implications, decisions, and priorities. Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science ora relatedfield. Why This Role? This role offers the opportunity to shape the next phase of ServiceNow’s reliability engineering strategy. The successful leader will help build the operating model, automation foundation, and engineering culture required to support high‑velocity innovation while preserving the trust, performance, and resilience customers expect from ServiceNow’s global cloud platform. For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $221,200 - $387,100 , plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location. Additional Information Work Personas We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third‑party service. Equal Opportunity Employer ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements. Accommodations We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance. Export Control Regulations For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. #J-18808-Ljbffr Servicenow