Business Continuity Manager

Career Guide

A Business Continuity Manager helps an organization keep critical services running during disruptions such as cyber incidents, technology outages, supplier failures, and natural disasters. The role plans for interruptions, tests readiness, and coordinates recovery so the business can operate safely and meet customer and regulatory expectations.

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Key Responsibilities

Identify critical business services and key dependencies
Lead business impact assessments to understand operational and financial risk
Create and maintain business continuity plans for teams and sites
Coordinate disaster recovery planning with technology teams
Define recovery time targets and recovery point targets
Run tabletop exercises and simulation tests to validate plans
Track issues found in tests and drive corrective actions to closure
Develop crisis management processes and escalation paths
Train employees on roles, procedures, and communications during incidents
Manage continuity risks from vendors and third parties
Report readiness metrics to leadership and audit teams
Support incident response with structured coordination and documentation

Top Skills for Success

Risk Assessment

Business Impact Analysis

Business Continuity Planning

Crisis Management

Stakeholder Management

Program Management

Incident Coordination

Vendor Risk Management

Disaster Recovery Fundamentals

Policy Writing

Training Design

Executive Communication

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Business Continuity Analyst

Risk Analyst

Security Governance Analyst

Operations Program Manager

IT Service Management Analyst

Transition Opportunities

Senior Business Continuity Manager

Business Resilience Lead

Crisis Management Lead

Operational Risk Manager

Enterprise Risk Manager

Information Security Manager

Director of Business Continuity

Head of Resilience

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Business Impact AnalysisCrisis CommunicationsDisaster Recovery FundamentalsTesting and ExercisesVendor Risk ManagementMetrics and ReportingRegulatory Compliance Knowledge

Development SuggestionsStart by mapping the most critical services and running a simple impact assessment with one business unit. Build a short continuity plan, then run a tabletop exercise to validate roles, communications, and recovery steps. Partner with technology teams to learn recovery concepts and translate them into business-friendly actions. Create a small set of readiness metrics and report them consistently to leadership.

Market Intelligence Report

Business Continuity Manager is part of the Risk Management category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

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Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 80,000 to 105,000

Mid LevelUSD 105,000 to 140,000

Senior LevelUSD 140,000 to 185,000

Growth Trend

Stable to growing demand, driven by cyber risk, stricter regulatory expectations, and increased reliance on technology and third-party vendors.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

JPMorgan ChaseBank of AmericaWells FargoCitiGoldman SachsUnitedHealth GroupCVS HealthKaiser PermanenteAmazonMicrosoftGoogleWalmartExxonMobilShellAT&TVerizon

Industry Sectors

Financial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyRetailManufacturingEnergyTelecommunicationsGovernmentEducationLogistics

Recommended Next Steps

Create a sample business impact assessment template and complete one assessment

Draft a continuity plan for one critical process and get it reviewed by stakeholders

Run one tabletop exercise and document gaps with owners and due dates

Build a vendor continuity questionnaire for key third parties

Develop a one-page crisis communications checklist for leaders

Track readiness using three to five simple metrics and share monthly updates

Pursue training in business continuity and operational risk fundamentals