Business Continuity

**ABOUT GOWLING WLG**

At Gowling WLG, our dedication to excellence and quality service begins with our people. As a global law firm with offices across Canada, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we pride ourselves on sourcing and retaining top talent who bring energy, passion and commitment to the delivery of outstanding client service.

Employee satisfaction is important to us. We work hard to ensure that our people are motivated, engaged and empowered. We are guided by our firm’s Core Values - The Power of Teamwork, Always Striving to be Better, We all Bring Something Different - in all that we do.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an integral part of our firm’s core values. We are always striving to build a more equitable, engaging and rewarding workplace by attracting and retaining talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. Our aim is to help everyone reach their full potential and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Our diverse group of legal professionals, law students, law clerks, paralegals, legal administrative assistants and business services team members work together, and are respected and valued for their individual contributions.

**PROFILE**

The Business Continuity & Incident Response Manager role ensures that Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP can continue its operations and recover quickly in the event of any disruptions or incidents. This involves developing, implementing, and managing our comprehensive business continuity and incident response programs.

This role is responsible for identifying potential threats to the organization, assessing their potential impact, and planning for how the organization will respond to and recover from these incidents. This includes coordinating with various departments, conducting training and drills, and regularly reviewing and updating the plans to reflect changes in the organization or industry best practices.

This position plays a critical role in protecting the organization’s operations, reputation, and overall business resilience.

**ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Business Continuity Planning:_
- Develop, implement and regularly test business continuity plans to ensure the Firm can continue to operate during a disruption or incident.
- Coordinate with various departments to integrate business continuity plans into their operations.
- Regularly review and update business continuity plans to reflect changes in the organization or industry best practices.
- Incident Response Management:_
- Develop, implement and regularly test incident response plans to ensure the Firm is properly prepared to manage and mitigate incidents.
- Coordinate incident response efforts during and after incidents, ensuring effective communication and cooperation among team members.
- Conduct post-incident reviews to identify areas for improvement and update incident response plans accordingly.
- Training and Preparedness:_
- Conduct regular training sessions and drills for staff to ensure they are prepared for potential disruptions or incidents.
- Develop and distribute educational materials on business continuity and incident response.
- Risk Assessment and Business Impact Analysis:_
- Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential threats to the Firm.
- Conduct business impact analyses to identify critical functions and processes, assess the potential impact of disruptions, and determine recovery priorities.
- Reporting and Communication:_
- Regularly report on the status and effectiveness of the business continuity and incident response programs to Leadership.
- Communicate with stakeholders about the business continuity and incident response programs, including staff, professionals and clients.
- Industry Trends and Best Practices:_
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices in business continuity and incident response.
- Implement relevant best practices into the Firm’s business continuity and incident response programs.

***_Collaboration:_
- Collaborate with the IT department to ensure technology alignment with business continuity plans.
- Work with the IT department to develop and implement IT disaster recovery plans.
- Collaborate with all departments to incorporate resiliency and response requirements within business continuity and incident management plans
- Other Duties As Required:_
- Provide general support to the Firm’s cyber security and risk programs, as required.

**QUALIFICATIONS**
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as Business Administration, Risk Management, Information Systems, or any other relevant field.
- Professional certifications like the Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).
- An advanced degree such as a Master’s in Disaster and/or Emergency Management, or a related field is a plus.
- 5+ years of experience in business continuit