Business Continuity Director

Job Purpose:

Lead the development, implementation, and governance of the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS), ensuring operational resilience, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership:
• Oversee the full implementation of the Business Continuity Program, aligning with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and communicate risk appetite frameworks to support strategic decisions.
• Act as Secretary for the Risk & Business Continuity Committee, ensuring effective governance and reporting to the Board of Directors.
• BCMS Implementation & Lifecycle Management:
• Design, establish, and maintain the BCMS lifecycle, including Policy, Framework, Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Crisis Management Plan (CMP), and Business Continuity Plans (BCP).
• Ensure continuous alignment with national and international standards such as ISO 22301.
• Implement automated Business Continuity solutions to enhance efficiency and compliance.
• Risk Assessment & Disaster Recovery (DR):
• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments across critical departments, ensuring continuity measures meet Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).
• Oversee and govern Disaster Recovery (DR) activities, ensuring readiness through regular live tests and scenario exercises.
• Address internal/external audit findings and ensure timely resolution of BCM-related observations.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
• Collaborate with government stakeholders and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with national frameworks and guidelines.
• Lead awareness and training programs to foster a strong business continuity culture across the organization.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business Continuity, Risk Management, or related field.
• Certifications:
• ISO 22301:2019 Certified
• CBCI Certification
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning Certification
• ITIL V4 (Preferred)
• IMD Certification in Leading Digital Execution Program (Preferred)
• Experience:
• 8+ years of progressive experience in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery within financial, governmental, or critical infrastructure sectors.
• Proven leadership in implementing and managing full BCM lifecycles, including policy creation, risk assessments, BIA, and DR testing.
• Experience in governance, committee management, and stakeholder engagement at an executive level.

Key Skills:

• Strong knowledge of international BCM standards (e.g., ISO 22301) and national regulations (e.g., SAMA frameworks).
• Excellent risk assessment, crisis management, and operational resilience planning capabilities.
• Effective leadership, communication, and presentation skills for executive-level reporting.
• Ability to drive BCM culture transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience with automation projects and integrating BCM into IT systems is a plus.