Business Services and Continuity Manager

Position Title: Business Services and Continuity Manager
Reports To: Director, Business Services and Continuity
Department: Corporate Services
Term:  Permanent Full-Time

Work Arrangements: This is a hybrid role. You will work in our office in Waterloo, ON a minimum of two (2) assigned, consecutive days every other week, plus a fifth (5th) assigned day per month. You are welcome to work from the office more than the minimum requirement and there may be some roles that are required to work in our office more than the minimum requirement. 


The Opportunity: Equitable is growing! We are looking for a Business Services and Continuity Manager to join our Corporate Services Team! the Manager Business Services and Continuity is responsible to provide expertise in managing and coordinating Business Continuity activities for the company.  Including operational plan development, and maintenance; Business Impact Analyses; Emergency Response and Preparedness; Exercises and Testing; Education; Awareness; Communications; and Management Information. The incumbent will work with all functional areas and business lines to build and manage the plans while supporting the leadership of the Business Continuity Steering Committee Now is an exciting time to join one of the Waterloo Area’s Top Employer for 2025 and Southwestern Ontario’s Top Employers for 2024! 


What you will be doing:

• Develop and manage the business continuity and crisis management program and all sub-plans, in alignment with business operational goals and risk management framework.
• Work with business, risk, compliance, and data governance functions to define business continuity plans.
• Lead enterprise-wide Business Impact Analysis, establish processes for the assessment and analysis of critical business functions, processes, and systems to determine potential risks, impacts, and recovery priorities.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders in developing adequate recovery strategies for the critical business processes.
• Manage the creation and regular updates of business continuity and crisis management plans. Ensure plans are well-documented, actionable, and aligned with industry best practices.
• Partner with technology teams for the development, implementation, testing and maintenance of comprehensive Disaster Recovery plans and procedures.
• Lead and coordinate incident response efforts during business disruptions, disasters, or other emergencies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and effective incident response and crisis management, communication, and recovery efforts.
• Deliver an effective process to document major incidents (post event report – lessons learned). Ensure each report is completed with input from relevant stakeholders.
• Monitor regulatory requirements, industry standards, and emerging trends related to business continuity and IT disaster recovery.
• Develop and deliver training programs to enhance overall business continuity and disaster recovery awareness and preparedness.
• Facilitate the development and delivery of annual tabletop testing and ongoing improvement of the response, recovery and restoration strategies and plans to ensure that organization can effectively respond, manage, and recover from major disruptions.
• Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with Equitable leadership teams and outside vendors ensuring highest level of service is delivered. 
• Liaise with technical service teams and trades people both internal (IT / Operations) and external (service providers) to ensure continued functionality of all equipment and processes.
• Responsible for up-to-date and comprehensive policy and procedures for Business Continuity, Imaging Services and Facilities. These policies must be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they are up-to-date, and the department is following all policies and procedures in accordance with Canadian regulatory & legal requirements. 
  
    

What you will bring:

• Experience in implementing, maintaining, and optimizing, Business Continuity, Crisis Management, and Technology Disaster Recovery programs.
• Experience in guiding and assisting operations leaders in developing and documenting business recovery impact and recovery plans.
• Knowledge of business continuity and IT disaster recovery frameworks, methodologies, and industry best practices (e.g., NIST SP 800-34).
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills in coordinating response to events that can cause business disruptions.
• Able to work with technology team members to enable alignment between business continuity and technology disaster recovery plan.
• Proven ability to work independently as well as to perform effectively in a team, metrics-oriented environment.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary workgroups and teams, collaborating across the enterprise.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and the ability to apply such skills to unchartered situations or events to make informed risk-related decisions and recommendations to leadership.
• Strong leadership skills including change management, motivation, coaching and the ability to galvanize support.
• Broad knowledge across all line of business and functions, as well as an understanding of their interdependencies.
• Excellent relationship skills and ability to work effectively with people at all levels across the organization.
• Leadership and ability to influence, including the ability to communicate effectively to key decision makers.
• Ability to multitask and set priorities in a fast-changing environment.
• Ability to impart knowledge to others and work in a team environment.
• Understanding of and ability to interpret and deliver enhancements for OSFI Guidelines, i.e. E21and B12
• Professional designation or certification, i.e. ABCP, CBCP industry certification or equivalent preferred.

What’s in it for you:

• A healthy work-life balance with employee wellness top of mind
• Annual bonus program, annual vacation allowance, and company-paid benefits program
• An additional paid volunteer day each year so you can spend time giving back to the community
• Immediate enrollment in the company’s pension program with employer matching
• Employee resource groups that support an inclusive work environment
• Tuition support and specialized program assistance
• An onsite full-service cafeteria with a variety of daily options
• Discounts on company products and services, and access to exclusive employee perks
• Regular EQ Together events focused on company togetherness and collaboration
  
  

As part of the recruitment/offer process you will be required to:

• Provide two professional references (minimum one supervisor and above)