Business Continuity Lead

Job Description

BUSINESS CONTINUITY LEAD

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Position Overview

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We are seeking an experienced Business Continuity Lead to strengthen organizational resilience and ensure critical business operations can continue during disruptions. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in business continuity planning, training and exercise development, and financial services. This individual will lead continuity initiatives, conduct business impact analyses, coordinate recovery exercises, identify operational risks, and ensure business continuity plans are effective, tested, and aligned with regulatory requirements.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

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Business Continuity Planning and Program Management

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Develop, maintain, and enhance the organization's Business Continuity Management program to ensure critical business functions can continue during unexpected disruptions.

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Conduct and update Business Impact Analyses (BIAs) and Business Continuity Plans in partnership with cross-functional teams.

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Evaluate business continuity plans following exercises or actual disruptions, identify gaps, and coordinate corrective actions.

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Ensure business continuity practices align with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and applicable financial services guidelines.

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Training, Testing, and Exercises

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Design, coordinate, and facilitate business continuity training programs and exercises to strengthen organizational preparedness.

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Develop and execute tabletop exercises, scenario-based simulations, and recovery tests to evaluate the effectiveness of business continuity plans.

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Partner with Disaster Recovery and IT teams to coordinate exercises that validate the recovery of critical systems and business processes.

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Train employees and designated continuity representatives on their roles, responsibilities, and recovery procedures.

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Document exercise results, identify improvement opportunities, and track remediation efforts through completion.

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Financial Services and Operational Risk

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Apply knowledge of the financial services industry to assess business continuity risks affecting critical financial operations, systems, and customer services.

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Partner with risk management, compliance, and business stakeholders to identify operational vulnerabilities and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

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Ensure third-party and vendor continuity risks are identified, assessed, and incorporated into business continuity plans.

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Monitor industry developments and regulatory expectations to support ongoing program improvements.

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Incident Response and Recovery

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Serve as a rotating on-call contact for significant business disruptions, coordinating response activities and recovery priorities.

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Work with business units to assess operational impacts, activate continuity strategies, and restore critical business processes.

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Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop contingency plans for potential disruptions and emerging risks.

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Reporting and Leadership

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Prepare management reports outlining business continuity program performance, exercise results, identified risks, remediation progress, and key performance metrics.

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Maintain accurate business continuity documentation, reporting tools, and incident management records.

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Provide guidance and recommendations to leadership regarding program effectiveness, organizational resilience, and opportunities for improvement.

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Manage continuity-related projects and coordinate activities across multiple departments.

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

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Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, Emergency Management, Information Technology, or a related field.

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Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in business continuity, operational resilience, disaster recovery, or related risk management functions.

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Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and evaluating Business Continuity Plans and Business Impact Analyses.

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Strong background in designing, coordinating, and facilitating business continuity training programs, tabletop exercises, simulations, and recovery testing.

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Experience working within the financial services industry, preferably banking or another regulated financial institution.

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Knowledge of business continuity standards, operational risk management, disaster recovery practices, and applicable regulatory expectations.

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Excellent project management, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

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Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across departments and present recommendations to leadership.

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Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

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PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

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Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), or another relevant business continuity or emergency management certification.

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Experience with business continuity management systems, incident management platforms, and risk assessment tools.

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Prior experience coordinating enterprise-wide continuity programs and working with senior leadership.

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LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

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Supervise and support a team of 1–3 direct reports.

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Coordinate cross-functional business continuity initiatives and promote a culture of preparedness, risk awareness, and continuous improvement.

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TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THIS ROLE

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1. Business Continuity: Strong hands-on experience developing and maintaining business continuity programs, conducting BIAs, creating continuity plans, and supporting operational recovery.
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2. Training and Exercises: Demonstrated expertise designing and leading business continuity training, tabletop exercises, simulations, and disaster recovery testing, including documenting results and tracking corrective actions.
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3. Financial Services Experience: Previous experience in banking, financial services, or a similarly regulated environment, with an understanding of financial operations, operational risk, and regulatory compliance.
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