Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Consultant

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) Consultant required for leading financial services firm. The role will lead the development and testing of a comprehensive BC/DR plan for their Critical Applications and Global Executive Office (GEO). You will also need to bring the BC/DR plans in line with DORA regulation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan Development: Formulate, design, and implement BC/DR strategies for our global applications and GEO, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and financial services industry best practices.
• Risk Assessment: Conduct risk analysis, identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities across our IT landscape, including global applications, data centres, and critical business functions.
• DORA Compliance: Ensure the BC/DR plans comply with the latest DORA regulations and other relevant financial industry standards, maintaining up-to-date knowledge on any regulatory changes or updates.
• Gap Analysis: Conduct detailed assessments of current BC/DR capabilities and identify gaps that may affect the continuity of business operations or the recovery of key IT assets.
• Plan Testing and Simulation: Develop, coordinate, and execute periodic disaster recovery tests, tabletop exercises, and real-life scenario simulations to validate the effectiveness of the BC/DR plan.
• Documentation and Reporting: Prepare detailed documentation for the BC/DR plan, including policies, procedures, and testing outcomes. Provide comprehensive reports for executive and regulatory reviews.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including IT, cybersecurity, operations, and executive leadership, to ensure cohesive BC/DR strategies. Act as the subject matter expert for BC/DR concerns and provide guidance to business units.
• Incident Response Management: Advise on the integration of BC/DR plans with the organization’s broader incident response strategies, ensuring rapid and effective recovery from potential disruptions.
• Global Coordination: Work closely with regional teams to develop consistent BC/DR frameworks that can be implemented globally while accounting for regional variations and requirements.
• Vendor & Third-Party Management: Assess the BC/DR readiness of critical vendors and third parties, ensuring that their contingency plans align with the organization’s resilience objectives.

Key Experience:

• Experience: Experience in BC/DR planning, preferably within the financial services sector.
• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of financial services regulations, with a particular focus on DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act).
• Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of IT infrastructure, global applications, cloud-based services, and cybersecurity principles as they relate to BC/DR.
• Testing Expertise: Proven experience in designing and executing BC/DR tests and simulations, including real-world disaster recovery scenarios.
• Risk Management: Experience in conducting risk assessments, threat modelling, and impact analysis specific to business continuity.
• Stakeholder Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to executive leadership and non-technical stakeholders.
• Certifications: Relevant certifications in BC/DR (eg, CBCP, MBCI, DRII), IT management (eg, ITIL), and/or risk management are preferred.
• Project Management: Strong organizational skills with a track record of successfully leading BC/DR projects on a global scale.

We seek individuals from a diverse talent pool and encourage applicants from underrepresented groups to apply to our vacancies. Our commitment to fair recruitment processes means that we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of their lived experience or personal characteristics. We also invite applicants who meet most of the listed requirements, even if not all, to apply. If you require any adjustments to the application process, please let us know.

Barclay Simpson acts as an Employment Agency for permanent positions and an Employment Business for temporary/contract engagements.