Business Continuity Planners

Overview

Business Continuity Planners has a national median salary of $83,050 per year, with +3.9% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Develop, maintain, or implement business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and solutions, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, strategy selection, and documentation of business continuity and disaster recovery procedures. Plan, conduct, and debrief regular mock-disaster exercises to test the adequacy of existing plans and strategies, updating procedures and plans regularly. Act as a coordinator for continuity efforts after a disruption event.

Work Values

• Achievement
• Independence
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Develop emergency management plans for recovery decision making and communications, continuity of critical departmental processes, or temporary shut-down of non-critical departments to ensure continuity of operation and governance.
• Conduct or oversee collection of corporate intelligence to avoid fraud, financial crime, cyber attack, terrorism, and infrastructure failure.
• Test documented disaster recovery strategies and plans.
• Develop disaster recovery plans for physical locations with critical assets, such as data centers.
• Establish, maintain, or test call trees to ensure appropriate communication during disaster.

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Working with Computers
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Developing Objectives and Strategies

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Business Continuity Planners:

Video Resources