Head of Business Continuity

The Head Of Business Continuity will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing a comprehensive business continuity strategy to ensure the organization's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive events. This role requires a strategic leader with a deep understanding of risk management, crisis response, and business continuity planning.

We are recruiting for 1 position that can be hybrid in one of these locations.

Section 2: Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Business Continuity Planning

• Develop and maintain the Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework in line with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and maintain the organization's resilience and continuity strategies, policies, and procedures.
• Develop, implement, and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans for all departments.
• Conduct Business Impact Analyses (BIA) to identify critical business functions, processes, and dependencies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and integration of business continuity plans.
• Prepare and present reports to senior management on the status and effectiveness of initiatives.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation

• Conduct risk assessments to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities that could impact business operations.
• Develop strategies to mitigate identified risks and ensure business resilience.
• Collaborate with other departments to integrate business continuity into the overall risk management strategy.

Testing and Training

• Plan and conduct regular testing of business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including tabletop exercises and full-scale simulations to evaluate effectiveness of plans and strategies.
• Coordinate with key business partners on tests and exercises that Ascensus is required to participate in.
• Conduct post-test reviews and develop action plans to address any gaps or weaknesses identified.
• Provide training and awareness programs for employees to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities during a disruption.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of training programs and make necessary improvements.

Crisis Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact during a crisis, coordinating response efforts and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct post-incident reviews and develop action plans to address any gaps or weaknesses identified.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and best practices related to resilience and continuity.
• Complete resilience and continuity questionnaires as required by clients and partners.

Vendor and Third-Party Management

• Assess the business continuity capabilities of critical vendors and third-party service providers.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key vendors to ensure their business continuity plans align with the organization's requirements.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of vendor business continuity plans.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the business continuity program.
• Identify opportunities for improvement and implement changes to enhance the program.
• Monitor and evaluate emerging threats and industry trends to continuously improve the organization's resilience.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry standards related to business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Responsible for protecting, securing, and proper handling of all confidential data held by Ascensus to ensure against unauthorized access, improper transmission, and/or unapproved disclosure of information that could result in harm to Ascensus or our clients.
• Our Core Values of People Matter, Quality First and Integrity Always® must be visible in your actions on a day-to-day basis.

Supervision  

• Manages and develops a high performing team through implementation of effective recruitment, training/cross training, performance management, mentoring, motivation and coaching.
•  Leads and engages employees in a positive and professional manner where inclusion and diversity of thought are leveraged for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Works with employee to set and execute employee SMART goals/objectives.
• Manages direct reports according to Ascensus policy
• Maintains safe and healthy work environment by establishing, following and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with legal regulations.

Section 3:  Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in disaster recovery and business continuity, preferably in financial services.
• Demonstrated experience building and implementing strategies for internal onshore and offshore activities as well as third party suppliers.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or equivalent are highly desirable.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful disaster recovery and business continuity plans at scale for both onshore and offshore.
• Strong leadership and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

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