Disaster Recovery & Availability Specialist - Contract To Hire - Hybrid

Overview of project/skills required: As a Disaster Recovery (DR) / Availability Management Governance Specialist, you will be a key member of Disaster Recovery and Availability Management team, responsible for ensuring the governance and oversight of disaster recovery/availability strategies, policies, and procedures. Your role will involve collaborating with multiple stakeholders to assess, improve, and maintain the bank’s ability to recover critical systems and services in the event of a disaster. You will ensure that disaster recovery planning aligns with regulatory requirements, industry best practices, and organizational objectives, while actively contributing to strengthening the bank’s overall resiliency framework. The manager is looking for someone with experience form a bigger/more mature financial institution with the Disaster Recovery experience. Key Responsibilities: Governance and Compliance: Oversee the governance framework for disaster recovery, ensuring that all plans comply with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and industry standards (e.g., FFIEC, ISO 22301). Policy Development: Collaborate with senior management to develop, review, and update disaster recovery policies, standards, and procedures to support the bank’s resiliency objectives. Plan Management: Maintain and monitor the lifecycle of disaster recovery plans, ensuring they are updated, tested, and reflect current business needs and technological changes. Testing and Audits: Coordinate and oversee disaster recovery testing exercises, including simulation drills, tabletop exercises, and full-scale recoveries. Analyze test results and recommend improvements. Risk Assessment: Collaborate with the risk management team to identify critical business functions and assess risks that could impact the bank’s recovery capabilities. Ensure risk mitigation strategies are effectively integrated into disaster recovery plans. Training and Awareness: Develop and deliver training programs for staff on disaster recovery protocols, responsibilities, and maturing standard requirements Incident Response Coordination: Act as a liaison between IT, business units, and leadership during disaster recovery activations, providing governance and guidance for an effective recovery process. Reporting and Metrics: Provide regular reports to leadership on the status of disaster recovery readiness, including performance metrics, gaps, and recommendations for improvement. Continuous Improvement: Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving regulatory requirements to ensure the continuous improvement of disaster recovery governance. Qualifications: Experience: 3-5 years of experience in disaster recovery, business continuity, IT governance, or related areas within the financial services industry. Technical Knowledge: Understanding of IT infrastructure, data recovery technologies, cloud-based recovery solutions, and cybersecurity risks. Familiarity with Regulations: Strong knowledge of financial industry regulations and standards related to disaster recovery (e.g., FFIEC, GDPR, SOX). Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels. Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Proven ability to analyze complex situations, make decisions under pressure, and recommend solutions to improve recovery processes. Project Management: Experience managing large-scale disaster recovery projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, and delivering results within specified timelines.

Location: Toronto, CA

Posted Date: 10/6/2024