Business Continuity Program Coordinator, Disaster Recovery (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 Program Coordinator for Disaster Recovery is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining disaster recovery strategies and solutions to ensure the organization’s infrastructure can withstand and recover from significant disruptions. This role collaborates with various departments and the executive team to identify potential risks, develop recovery plans, and test those plans to ensure business operations can continue with minimal impact during and after an incident while also helping to lead recovery efforts during an incident.
Where you will make an impact

• Disaster Recovery Planning:
  
  • Coordinate a Disaster Recovery program within the enterprise-wide Business Continuity program and the Ellucian Incident Response Team (IRT).
  • Develop, review, revise and expand existing plans and protocols and maintain comprehensive disaster recovery plans (DRPs) aligned with the organization's business continuity plans (BCPs).
  • Conduct risk assessments and business impact analyses (BIAs) to identify critical systems and prioritize recovery efforts.
  • Collaborate with teams to design recovery strategies that ensure the resilience and availability of key systems.
• Policy and Compliance:
  
  • Ensure disaster recovery plans comply with relevant industry standards, regulatory requirements, and best practices.
  • Regularly review and update DR policies and procedures to reflect changes in the organization’s environment or business objectives.
• Incident Response:
  
  • Manage the activation of the Business Continuity and/or Disaster recovery program during a disaster. Act as a key point of contact during disaster recovery events, coordinating recovery efforts and ensuring clear communication among stakeholders.
  • Work closely with the IT incident response team to ensure swift and effective recovery from IT-related incidents.
• Training and Awareness:
  
  • Promote enterprise-wide awareness of Business Continuity and/or Disaster Recovery program activities including policies, plans, program activities and
  • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery best practices.
  • Develop and deliver training programs to educate staff on disaster recovery protocols and their roles in executing the DRP.
  • Promote awareness of disaster recovery practices across the organization.
  • Collaborate with Crisis Communications on the intersection of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management.
• Continuous Improvement:
  
  • Monitor emerging trends and technologies in disaster recovery and business continuity to enhance existing strategies.
  • Lead post-incident reviews to assess the effectiveness of the disaster recovery response and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Documentation and Reporting:
  
  • Maintain detailed documentation of all disaster recovery plans, procedures, and testing activities.
  • Provide regular reports to senior management on the status of disaster recovery readiness and any areas of concern.

 What will you bring

• 5+ years of experience in IT disaster recovery, business continuity, or a related field.
• Proven experience in developing and executing disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Familiarity with DR tools and technologies (e.g., backup and restore software, failover solutions).
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements related to IT disaster recovery, Information Security and business continuity.
• In-depth knowledge of IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, databases, and cloud environments.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to think through hypothetical situations and concepts and to identify risks and weaknesses in various business processes, with a thorough understanding of risk management best practices.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• In this role you must be able to assertively collaborate and communicate closely across corporate executive and divisional leadership teams.
• Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or similar certifications are highly desirable.