Associate Director of Resilience and Business Continuity - Proskauer : Job Details

Job DescriptionThe world's leading organizations and global players choose Proskauer to represent them when they need it the most. With 800+ lawyers in key financial centers around the world, we are known for our pragmatic and business-savvy approach.Proskauer is the place to turn when a matter is complex, innovative and game-changing. We work seamlessly across practices, industries and jurisdictions with asset managers, private equity and venture capital firms, Fortune 500 and FTSE companies, major sports leagues, entertainment industry legends and other industry-redefining companies.The Associate Director of Resilience and Business Continuity will be based in the New York office and act as a key leader in the Resilience Management department responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the Firm's resilience and business continuity strategy. The Associate Director will work closely with senior leadership to ensure the Firm is prepared to effectively respond to and recover from any disruptions, ensuring seamless operations across all areas of the business. This position will support the Firm's mission to provide uninterrupted legal services to clients, safeguarding the Firm's reputation and mitigating operational risks.Responsibilities

• Business Continuity Planning & Strategy
  • Lead the development and execution of the Firm's comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure the continuity of critical business functions in the event of a disruption.
  • Collaborate with senior leadership, IT, Facilities, HR, and other Business Services departments to identify and assess risks, business functions, and key personnel essential to the Firm's operations.
  • Manage risk assessments, including evaluating potential threats and vulnerabilities, and ensure all contingency measures are appropriately documented and communicated.
  • Establish protocols for incident management, business recovery and crisis communications to minimize operational downtime.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain resilience and business continuity frameworks and protocols.
  • Collaborate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to define Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO), including for critical IT systems and processes.
  • Direct and manage IT disaster recovery exercises (including comprehensive failover testing).
  • Define planning goals and timeline for resilience and business continuity-related projects, including projects defined by third-party consultants engaged by the Firm. Oversee and ensure timely execution of such projects, ensuring milestones are met on time and within scope.
  • Allocate resources efficiently and manage project dependencies.
• Crisis Management & Response
  • Serve as a core member of the crisis management team during incidents or business disruptions, ensuring effective response, recovery and communication
  • Provide leadership in managing critical incidents, including cyber threats, IT outages, and other emergencies that could affect the firm's operations or client services
  • Develop, implement, and maintain crisis management and response frameworks, protocols and plans for the Firm's most critical processes, including the Firm's Crisis Capability Guide and Executive Response Go-Kit , Cyber Crisis Capability Guide and Cyber Crisis Response Go-Kit , and a comprehensive contact lists of roles and responsibilities, both internally and externally
  • Act as a lead coordinator during events requiring crisis response, managing response efforts across teams and ensuring timely communication
  • Under the direction of the Chief Resilience Officer, act as a point of contact with external vendors, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies during crisis situations falling under the Resilience Management department.
  • Assist offices/departments and responding personnel during real life incidents, including cyber incidents
  • Implement best practices and technology to optimize crisis response and management, including implementing solutions to facilitate communication and coordination within the Firm during emergency situations or incidents and ensure optimal response and management of business continuity during such events
  • Draft situation reports and briefings to senior management during crisis events
• Resilience Program Leadership
  • Develop and implement strategies for organizational resilience, ensuring the Firm's ability to quickly adapt and respond to internal and external challenges
  • Promote a culture of proactive risk management and resilience within the Firm, fostering awareness through training and simulation exercises
  • Partner with the IT Disaster Recover and Business Continuity lead to oversee the Firm's physical and technological infrastructure resilience, ensuring systems are regularly tested, updated, and aligned with industry best practices
• Training & Awareness
  • Develop and deliver training programs for attorneys, staff, and leadership on business continuity, resilience, and crisis response protocols.
  • Create and conduct program for regular simulation exercises to test the effectiveness of the Firm's business continuity plans and response strategies, including cybersecurity tabletops
  • Educate internal stakeholders on the importance of resilience in law firm operations and how to respond effectively in times of crisis.
• Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
  • Monitor industry regulations, laws and best practices related to business continuity, resilience and disaster recovery
  • Ensure the Firm's continuity strategies align with applicable compliance requirements and ethical obligations to clients, particularly regarding confidentiality and data protection
  • Manage internal and external audits and assessments of the Firm's resilience and business continuity efforts
• Continuous Improvement & Reporting
  • Monitor the effectiveness of resilience and continuity strategies, making recommendations for continuous improvement based on results from testing (including simulations), incidents, and feedback
  • Conduct incident debriefs with respect to crisis responses impacting critical processes of the Firm and support the Internal Audit team in the preparation of After Action / Lessons Learned Reports; follow through and track implementation of recommendations
  • Prepare regular reports and presentations for senior leadership and stakeholders, outlining the status of business continuity initiatives, risk mitigation efforts, and any updates to the Firm's plans. Track and report on project milestones, risks and deliverables
• Program Management
  • Define resilience crisis response planning goals and timeline for resilience and crisis response-related projects, including projects defined by third-party consultants engaged by the Firm; oversee and ensure timely execution of such projects, ensuring milestones are met on time and within scope
  • Allocate resources efficiently and manage project dependencies
  • Track and report on project milestones, risks, and deliverables
  • Facilitate regular project status meetings and provide clear project updates to senior management and project stakeholders
  • Collaborate with internal teams and stakeholders to align project goals and objectives
  • Support daily ongoing administrative and operational needs for the Office of Risk Management
  • Ensure the Firm has on retainer all necessary and advisable third-party experts and counsel, with updated engagement letters and updated contact lists for various roles
  • Maintain comprehensive contact list of roles and responsibilities, both internally and externally
  • Develop program to ensure the Resilience Management department and senior management has access to necessary documentation (including updated contact lists and Go-Kits ) during a crisis event
• Other
  • Serve as support and backup to the Chief Resilience Officer, including during events requiring crisis response; support the management of response efforts across teams and workstreams
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Resilience Officer to support the Resilience Management department and the Security team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• 8+ years of experience in resilience, business continuity, risk management, crisis response, disaster recovery and/or related roles
• Strong technical background and knowledge the operations of professional services
• Exhibit excellent analytical skills, the ability to manage multiple projects under strict timelines, and the ability to work well in a demanding, dynamic environment
• Ability to think strategically while managing detailed tactical initiatives
• High attention to detail with a proactive approach to risk mitigation
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing multiple priorities and deadlines
• A collaborative and supportive leadership style that fosters a culture of resilience within the Firm
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to adjust to new, different, or changing requirements
• Strong planning, project management, organizational, analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills

This position will require physical presence in Proskauer's offices on a regular basis (at least 3x per week, or more, if it becomes the policy of the Firm or as business needs require). The anticipated compensation range for this position is $200,000 - $250,000. The actual salary offered will be based on a number of factors including but not limited to the qualifications of the applicant, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. Proskauer is committed to providing a work environment that includes equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status.