Specialist.IT Business Continuity Management at 9Mobile

Job Summary        

Support the IT BCM Manager in developing Risk Assessment (RA), Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Business Recovery Plans (BRP) for all EMTS business processes from IT standpoint and follow through for the mitigation of identified Risk.

Principal Functions        

Tactical

• Collaborate with Manager IT BCM in the Business Continuity/Contingency planning efforts within the IT function with a major focus on assuring the adequacy of contingency plans for critical business applications to maintain continued operations, asset protection and loss mitigation in the event of a disruption.
• Provide as-required follow-up support to ensure timely and quality completion of RA, BIA and BRPs. Understand the practical and strategic role of implemented BCM tools and integrating them into the processes used to develop RA, BIA and BRPs.
• Develop, plan and coordinate all details regarding the periodic execution of business continuity exercises. This involves direct dealing with the business process owners and recovery team members. Specific activities include developing exercise scenarios, facilitating the sessions, documenting exercise results and conducting after-action reviews and preparing exercise management summary reports for ITBCM Manager and Risk Management leadership.
• Support process to ensure all post-exercise BRP changes are properly incorporated into plans and performing quality audits/reviews to determine plan completeness.
• Engage resolver team with business continuity issues and mitigations regularly and consistently within the IT team, IT Vendors and other cross-functional teams across EMTS.  Constantly review and update the recovery objectives for solutions in line with business requirements.
• Responsible for reviewing and setting controls in place over electronic access to data, business process information and plans.
• Manage BCM tools.  Develop and maintain required end-user support materials.  Ensure quality of master and Meta data in all systems.
• Develop, plan and coordinate all details regarding the periodic execution of business continuity exercises. This involves direct dealing with the business process owners and recovery team members. Specific activities include developing exercise scenarios, facilitating the sessions, documenting exercise results and conducting after-action reviews and preparing exercise management summary reports for ITBCM Manager and Risk Management leadership.
• Assess, develop and deliver needed training on BCM methodology, programs and tools. Also responsible for ongoing maintenance /updates of curriculum, as well as creation and maintenance of supporting materials. Periodically performing an assessment of organizational training needs and propose training recommendations to the BCM lead.

Operational

• Manage process to ensure all post-exercise BRP changes are properly incorporated into plans and performing quality audits/reviews to determine plan completeness.
• Collaborate with related stakeholders in an event of a disaster towards providing complementary service while total service restoration is ongoing.
• Follow up with stakeholders to ensure IT disaster recovery plans and all associated activities are executed timely asper roadmap.
• Oversee and coordinate all technical activities, the activities of BCM team and ensure all transaction and administrative documentation is recorded and available for business use.
• Coordinate stakeholder participation in IT disaster recovery planning and work with the IT BCM Manager and Head, IT Risk Management to prioritize the recovery of critical IT systems.
• Participate in the execution of regular business impact assessments, training, tests and exercises and technical assessments.
• Oversee and manage BCM tools.  Develop and maintain required end-user support materials.  Ensure quality of master and Meta data in all systems. Responsible for reviewing and setting controls in place over electronic access to data, business process information and plans.
• Coordinate the day-to-day IT Business continuity management team and ensure resolution (including any referral or escalation as may be necessary) of IT disaster recovery issues which arise in connection with other business units.
• Manage IT disaster recovery program(DRP) resources and provide support to IT disaster recovery audits.
• Collaborate with Manager in executing the procedures necessary to support or reconstitute essential business functions after a catastrophic event.
• Monitor regular data backups; secure data archives; backup restoration; secure on and off-site storage of backup media, provision of alternative IT processing facilities, networks etc and escalate any non-conformity to manager for proper follow and closure of identified gap.
• Support IT BCM Managers in evaluating the overall IT disaster recovery program and state of readiness of IT in relation to Disaster Recovery.
• Follow up with BCM manager to ensure implementation of the IT Strategy and Plans within the operations that implement and enforce IT disaster recovery best practices.
• Follow up with functional stakeholders towards managing Business Continuity through enforcing standards document management for requirements, analysis, design, implementation and operations documents, within IT.
• Support leverage of BCM's relationship with key suppliers in order to obtain maximum legitimate utility for EMTS, including day-to-day communications and project management. 
• Coach and train BCM personnel to ensure understanding of the objectives and goals of the department, awareness of set targets/requirements and increase product knowledge, as well as identify developmental opportunities for team members.
• Evaluate BCM program and identify improvement opportunities.  Develop and present business proposals to BCM Lead to articulate opportunities, benefits and risks to organization, as well as provide and implement options and plans to stakeholders.
• Ensure defined IT disaster recovery plans, policies and procedures are followed by all stakeholders. 
• Actively participate in IT disaster recovery plan service culture and lead IT BCM discussions at the IT Risk Council
• Ensure periodic reviews and tests of established business continuity plans and procedures, reporting findings to management and make recommendations for improvements as needed.

In the event of a severe/catastrophic incident:

• Support the assessment of the impact of the incident on business
• Actively participate in the mobilization of IT disaster recovery team to the alternative, business recovery site
• Ensure that information (e.g. backup tapes) are made available in the alternative data centre Implement the operational response to an incident
• Communicate with and take direction from the line manager and Crisis Management Team in emergency / recovery situations
• Coordinate the IT disaster recovery inline with the activities defined in the IT disaster recovery management checklist.
• Carry out other activities as instructed by the IT BCM Manager and Head, Information Risk Management.

Educational Requirements        

• First degree in numerate, Technology or  Sciences (Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics)

Experience,Skills & Competencies        

• Knowledge and experience in implementing globally accepted IT risk, control and BCM standards desired.
• Postgraduate/ professional qualification in a related field and/or demonstrable experience in BCM will bean added advantage.
• Three (3) to five (5) years relevant work experience (preferably in tele-communication).
• Strong analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills
• Demonstrable ability to work productively and stay calm under pressure
• Experience in Telecommunications Business Process Analysis
• Other Solutions Life Cycle certifications in IT or Telecoms best practices such as Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF), ISO 22301 2019 BCM, IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), ISO 20000, IT Governance, IT Audit, IT Architecture are optional and of advantage;