Disaster Recovery Specialist

Disaster Recovery Specialist

The Disaster Recovery Specialist plays a critical role in the Credit Union’s resilience by helping develop, maintain, and test disaster recovery (DR) plans and procedures. This position supports enterprise-wide preparedness efforts and regulatory compliance, minimizing operational disruptions and safeguarding member trust. This position safeguards the Credit Union in facing significant gaps in disaster recovery preparedness, increasing the risk of prolonged outages, regulatory non-compliance, and financial loss. This role ensures operational integrity and supports the Credit Union’s mission to maintain stability and member trust.

This position is available to work hybrid (1-2 days/week), or remote eligible at our Headquarters building in East Lansing, MI. Monday-Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm ET.

Salary Range: $90,000-$110,000 dependent on experience. 100% Company-Paid Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Long-Term Disability Premiums. Up to 26 days of PTO within your first year, as well as Volunteer Time Off & 11 Paid Holidays. 401(k) with a company match. Tuition Reimbursement. Up to 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave.

Design, implement, and continuously improve enterprise disaster recovery (DR) strategy aligned with business continuity objectives and organizational risk appetite. Works with IT in developing, maintaining, and updating DR plans for identified systems, applications, platforms, and cloud infrastructure; ensure plans reflect current architecture and recovery priorities. Collaborate with Business and IT Leadership to design, coordinate, and lead DR exercises (tabletop, functional, and simulated), and support full-scale testing as appropriate; ensure test objectives, scenarios, and success criteria are defined and communicated. Analyze and document test/exercise outcomes, identify systemic gaps and non-conformities, and drive remediation plans to closure, track actions and report progress to stakeholders. Collaborate with software development and DevOps teams to ensure DR capabilities are built into the application lifecycle (including CI/CD pipelines), automation, backup, redundancy, and failover patterns. Support validation of backup, redundancy, and failover mechanisms for core and critical systems, and advise on improvements to resilience design and operational readiness. Ensure the DR program meets regulatory requirements and industry best practices (including NCUA, FFIEC, and other regulatory or contractual requirements); maintain supporting documentation and evidence for audits/exams. Serve as a subject matter resource during incidents or crises, providing coordination and guidance to help maintain operational resilience and restore services efficiently. Leads the creation and facilitation of training programs and awareness initiatives to strengthen preparedness. Understand and follow Credit Union policies, procedures, and internal controls to ensure compliance and accountability for managing operational risk; safeguard assets, help prevent fraud, and maintain operational integrity. Perform other duties as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology (IT), Risk Management, Cybersecurity, or related field is required; OR 3 years of experience in disaster recovery business continuity, or IT operations in mid-to-large organizations in lieu of degree. ABCP, CBCP, or equivalent business continuity/disaster recovery certification (e.g., Disaster Recovery Certified Specialist (DRCS)) required; OR a minimum of 3 years of experience in disaster recovery, business continuity, or IT operations in mid-to large organizations. Prior experience applying DR/BC regulatory guidance and industry best practices (e.g., NCUA, FFIEC, ISO 22301) and supporting audits and exams through appropriate documentation in a regulated environment. Experience leading (formally or informally) DR program activities, including influencing cross-functional teams, facilitating training, and coordinating testing and remediation.

Core Competencies that must be demonstrated by all Credit Union employees include Communicate, Navigate Change & Evolve, Solve Problems & Make Decisions, Plan, Prioritize, and Achieve, and Collaborate.

Functional Competency - Behavioral Description

AI & Digital Proficiency - Developing - Leverages artificial intelligence and digital tools to enhance decision-making, identify trends, and manage emerging risks. Applies AI-driven insights to support due diligence, validate outcomes, and refine prompt engineering techniques. Continuously adapts to advancements in AI to improve efficiency and effectiveness within the role.

Process Knowledge - Performing - Demonstrates knowledge of procedures and department or Credit Union processes and utilizes this knowledge to inform decisions.

System Knowledge - Performing - Demonstrates knowledge of specific Credit Union programs and applications and successfully navigates these systems.

Organizational Awareness - Performing - Understands and aligns actions with the organization’s goals, core functions, needs, and values.

Teamwork - Performing - Works well with internal and cross-functional teams to achieve individual, team, department, and/or organizational goals. Values diverse perspectives and working with others to achieve the best outcome possible.

Active Listening - Performing - Attentively listens to speaker, understands what they are saying, responds and reflects and retains the information for later.

Critical Thinking - Performing - Takes outside knowledge into account while evaluating information.

Documentation - Exceeding - Demonstrates knowledge of documentation procedures. Tracks changes, makes updates, and relays important information.

Initiative - Performing - Takes proactive and prompt action to accomplish work goals. Takes action to achieve results beyond requirements.

Resourcefulness - Performing - Creatively copes with difficult situations or unusual problems. Solves problems and achieves results in the face of obstacles and constraints.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

May be required to remain in a stationary position for an extended period. Ability to operate standard office technology, equipment, and tools, which may include many hours of computer and phone usage. Occasionally needs to move about inside of an office area. Frequently needs to move about inside or outside of an office area. Exposure to potentially hazardous conditions, i.e. robbery. Receives detailed instructions and procedures to be followed to minimize the exposure. Frequently moves equipment or materials weighing up to 50 pounds for transport between areas of buildings. This position requires onsite presence at the employees’ assigned location for all scheduled shifts. This position can work in hybrid or onsite working arrangements.

Disclaimer:

Please note this job description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and MSU Federal Credit Union reserves the right to change this position description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as MSUFCU may deem appropriate. MSUFCU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.