Job Description

Business Continuity Risk Officer

First United Bank and Trust Co. is seeking a dedicated and experienced Business Continuity Officer to assist with our enterprise-wide business continuity and disaster recovery programs. In the evolving landscape of financial services, safeguarding our operations, assets, and customer trust against disruptions—whether natural disasters, cyber threats, or systemic failures—is paramount. This role involves ensuring the bank's resilience and the timely recovery of essential business functions in alignment with regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of banking operations, strong project management skills, and a proven track record of designing, implementing, and testing comprehensive business continuity plans. This critical role will serve as the primary subject matter expert, fostering a culture of preparedness across all departments. Previous Information Technology DR testing experience is a plus.

Major Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

The Business Continuity Officer will manage all phases of the business continuity lifecycle, including but not limited to:

• Program Management: Assist with the maturing and maintaining of the bank's comprehensive Business Continuity Management (BCM) program, ensuring compliance with all relevant federal and state banking regulations (e.g., FFIEC guidance).
• Risk Assessment and BIA: Conduct thorough Business Impact Analyses (BIA) and risk assessments across all business units to identify critical functions, dependencies, recovery time objectives (RTOs), and recovery point objectives (RPOs).
• Plan Development and Maintenance: Oversee the creation, documentation, and regular review of actionable continuity and disaster recovery plans, ensuring they are current, accessible, and aligned with BIA results.
• Testing and Documentation: Design, coordinate, and execute a rigorous schedule of testing and exercises (tabletop, scenario-based, functional) and document the effectiveness of recovery plans and identify gaps.
• Training and Awareness: Mature and deliver targeted training programs for all employees, business continuity coordinators, and the incident management team to ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly understood during a disruption.
• Incident Response: Serve a key role in the bank’s incident response team during an actual crisis or disaster, facilitating communication, coordinating recovery efforts, and managing the activation of continuity plans.
• Vendor Management: Collaborate with vendor management teams to ensure that critical third-party vendors have adequate BCM programs and testing protocols in place that meet the bank’s standards.
• Continuous Improvement: Monitor industry trends and emerging threats, making continuous improvements to the BCM program to enhance the bank's overall operational resilience.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs other duties as requested by Executive Management or Supervisor
• Completes all required compliance exams on a yearly basis
• Adherence to all First United Policies and Procedures
• Dresses professionally
• Recommends to supervisor possible methods to improve department

Employee Specifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Risk Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of direct experience managing business continuity, disaster recovery, or operational risk programs within the financial services industry or a heavily regulated environment.
• Industry certifications are preferred (e.g., Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP), or similar certifications from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) or BCI)
• Previous Information Technology DR testing or Audit experience a plus

Technical/Functional Competencies

• Demonstrated experience with banking operations, core systems, and regulatory expectations regarding operational resilience
• Proven expertise in designing, executing, and evaluating robust business continuity testing scenarios (e.g., data restoration tests, failover tests, command center exercises)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to conduct thorough Business Impact Analyses (BIAs) and risk assessments
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization and manage cross-functional projects
• Proficiency with GRC software solutions and data analysis tools
• Ability to remain calm, make sound decisions, and lead effectively under pressure during a crisis or continuity event
• Ability to work effectively under deadline pressures, and adjust quickly to changing priorities
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to deliver commitments while juggling multiple projects and priorities

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as assigned by supervisors to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

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If any applicant is unable to complete an application or respond to a job opening because of a disability, please email us at HR@firstunitedbank.com for assistance.

First United is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To the extent required by Federal or State law, First United does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by law.