Business Continuity Program Manager, Digital Resiliency (Reston, VA) - Ellucian

Here at Ellucian, we are motivated by a mission - power education so institutions can empower student success.  We are the global market leader in EdTech for higher education, serving more than 2,900 customers and reaching over 22 million students in 50 countries.  We are dedicated to helping higher education unlock learning for all by providing solutions that support the entire student lifecycle and deliver insights needed now and into the future.

We embrace the power to lead, the courage to innovate, and the determination to grow. At our core, we believe in humanizing our approach, recognizing that our people are our greatest strength. With a shared vision of transformation, we endeavor to shape a brighter future for higher education.

The Business Continuity & Digital Resiliency (BC/DR) Program Manager will be a responsible for developing, executing, and continuously refining comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity strategies across the organization. This person will drive key initiatives to identify risks, establish robust recovery plans, lead incident response, and foster a culture of preparedness. The BC/DR Program Manager will be a seasoned professional who can navigate complex technical environments, collaborate with cross-functional and executive teams, and ensure the organization’s ability to maintain resilient operations during and after major disruptions. 
Where you will make an impact:

• Disaster Recovery Leadership:
  
  • Lead the enterprise-wide Disaster Recovery (DR) program as a critical component of the organization's Business Continuity strategy, including Ellucian’s Incident Response Team (IRT).
  • Oversee the development, implementation, and enhancement of disaster recovery plans (DRPs) that are aligned with broader Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) and tailored to the organization's risk profile and operational requirements.
  • Conduct comprehensive risk assessments and Business Impact Analyses (BIAs) to prioritize recovery efforts, ensuring the resilience of critical systems and operations.
  • Collaborate with IT and other stakeholders to design and optimize recovery strategies that meet or exceed industry standards for resilience and availability.
  • Strategic Policy Development and Compliance:
  • Establish and enforce enterprise-level policies and standards for disaster recovery and business continuity, ensuring compliance with industry regulations, standards, and best practices.
  • Regularly evaluate and update BC/DR frameworks to address evolving business needs, emerging technologies, and changes in regulatory landscapes.
    Serve as the subject matter expert in ensuring the organization’s disaster recovery and business continuity practices are fully integrated with risk management and governance frameworks.
• Incident Response and Recovery:
  
  • Act as the senior leader for BC/DR program activation during a disaster or significant disruption, providing oversight and decision-making to ensure coordinated recovery efforts.
  • Lead communication efforts during crisis events, ensuring alignment between technical recovery teams, executive leadership, and other key stakeholders.
  • Work closely with IT and business leaders to ensure effective coordination of resources, priorities, and actions during and after an incident, with a focus on minimizing operational impacts.
• Enterprise-Wide Training and Awareness:
  
  • Develop and lead comprehensive training programs to ensure all stakeholders, including executive leadership, are prepared to execute the DRP when needed.
  • Promote organizational awareness around BC/DR principles, fostering a culture of preparedness and risk mitigation across all departments.
    Partner with the Crisis Communications team to coordinate business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis management strategies.
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation:
  
  • Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in BC/DR to drive innovation and continuous improvement within the program.
  • Lead post-incident reviews and other debriefing processes to evaluate the effectiveness of the disaster recovery response, ensuring lessons learned are incorporated into future planning.
    Spearhead initiatives to test and validate recovery plans through regular drills and simulations, ensuring a state of operational readiness.
• Executive Reporting and Documentation:
  
  • Maintain comprehensive documentation of all disaster recovery processes, policies, and test results, ensuring transparency and alignment with business goals.
  • Provide regular updates and reports to senior management and executive teams on the status of BC/DR readiness, identifying potential risks and mitigation strategies.
  • Serve as the liaison between the BC/DR program and executive leadership, facilitating informed decision-making and resource allocation.

What you will bring:

• 8+ years of experience in Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, IT Operations, or a related field, with significant leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing, implementing, and managing disaster recovery and business continuity programs within complex, cross-functional environments.
• In-depth knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud computing environments, and disaster recovery technologies (e.g., backup, replication, failover solutions).
• Strong familiarity with regulatory frameworks and standards relevant to disaster recovery, information security, and business continuity (e.g., ISO 22301, NIST, etc.).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage multiple projects, and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with a focus on risk management and operational resilience.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with experience presenting to executive leadership and external stakeholders.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or equivalent are highly desirable.

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision 
• Flexible time off 
• Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
• 401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
• Parental Leave
• 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
• Telemedicine
• Wellness
  • Headspace Care (mental health)
  • Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
• RethinkCare & Wellthy– caregiver supporq
• Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups 
• Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
• We Foster a learning culture with:
  • Education Assistance Program 
  • Professional development opportunities

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