Business Continuity Disaster Recovery Planner

Our Company

Explore how you can contribute at AmeriLife.

For over 50 years, AmeriLife has been a leader in the development, marketing and distribution of annuity, life and health insurance solutions for those planning for and living in retirement.

Associates get satisfaction from knowing they provide agents, marketers and carrier partners the support needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving industry.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, the BCDR Associate supports the execution, maintenance, and continuous improvement of AmeriLife’s enterprise resilience program. This role assists with Business Impact Analyses (BIAs), Business Continuity Plan (BCP) development and maintenance, Disaster Recovery (DR) coordination, readiness exercises, emergency notification activities, compliance support, program reporting, and stakeholder engagement across corporate departments and affiliate organizations.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Business Continuity Planning & Business Impact Analysis

• Assist with the development, maintenance, and annual review of Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) for corporate departments and affiliate organizations.
• Support Business Impact Analyses (BIAs) by helping identify critical processes, applications, dependencies, recovery requirements, and operational impacts.
• Document Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), recovery priorities, resource needs, and continuity gaps.
• Maintain accurate BCP and BIA inventories in approved repositories and support periodic reassessments to keep documentation current.

Disaster Recovery & Technical Alignment

• Partner with IT, Information Security, and business stakeholders to align business continuity strategies with technical recovery capabilities.
• Assist with scheduling, documenting, and tracking Disaster Recovery (DR) exercises, recovery testing, and remediation activities.
• Maintain recovery documentation, testing schedules, and supporting evidence for audit, compliance, and program governance purposes.

Exercises, Testing & Emergency Notifications

• Coordinate tabletop exercises, localized BCP drills, crisis management exercises, and emergency notification tests.
• Prepare exercise materials, document outcomes, track lessons learned, and follow up with plan owners on remediation activities.
• Support administration of the enterprise emergency notification system, including contact lists, user profiles, message templates, and test records.
• Assist with continuity awareness and training initiatives across the organization.

Program Administration, Compliance & Reporting

• Maintain BCDR program documentation, policies, procedures, standards, playbooks, templates, and training materials.
• Track program metrics, key performance indicators, action items, and remediation activities.
• Support internal audits, regulatory reviews, examinations, and compliance assessments related to business continuity, disaster recovery, and operational resilience.
• Assist in preparing executive reporting, program updates, and governance materials.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with business units, IT, Risk Management, Compliance, Information Security, Legal, Human Resources, Facilities, and affiliate organizations to gather information and support planning activities.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships to promote resilience awareness, program adoption, and organizational preparedness.
• Support the continued maturity of AmeriLife’s BCDR and operational resilience programs by helping develop scalable program practices, standardize data and workflows, document current manual processes, and prepare those processes for future automation or potential technology enablement. 
• Research emerging resilience, continuity, and disaster recovery practices and participate in special projects as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Risk Management, Information Systems, Emergency Management, Finance, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, operational resilience, risk management, emergency management, audit, compliance, crisis management, IT risk management, or a related discipline.
• Experience supporting continuity planning, risk assessments, audits, compliance reviews, or resilience-related initiatives.

Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery & Regulatory Knowledge

• Working knowledge of Business Continuity Management (BCM), Disaster Recovery (DR), crisis management, and operational resilience principles.
• Familiarity with BIAs, continuity planning methodologies, recovery strategies, testing programs, and RTO/RPO concepts.
• Understanding of operational resilience concepts, critical business process dependencies, and basic IT infrastructure considerations such as backups and cloud environments.
• Familiarity with relevant frameworks and guidance, including ISO 22301, FFIEC Business Continuity Management Handbook, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation, and FEMA incident management principles.

Technical, Analytical & Communication Skills

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Ability to organize and analyze data for planning, reporting, and decision support.
• Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and ability to identify continuity gaps and track remediation activities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clear plans, summaries, reports, and stakeholder communications. 
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and timelines concurrently.

Preferred Qualifications

Certifications

One or more of the following certifications are preferred:

• Associate Business Continuity Professional (ABCP)
• Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP)
• Certified Business Resilience Manager (CBRM)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)

Industry Experience

• Experience within insurance, financial services, healthcare, banking, or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience supporting affiliate or multi-entity organizations.
• Exposure to crisis management, emergency response planning, operational resilience, or third-party/business partner continuity programs.

Work Location

• Location: Clearwater, Florida
• Work Arrangement: Hybrid
• The Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Associate role is based in Clearwater, Florida and follows a hybrid work schedule. Periodic travel may be required to support continuity assessments, exercises, testing activities, affiliate engagement, and program initiatives.

 

What AmeriLife Offers

A comprehensive benefits package that includes PTO, medical, dental, vision, retirement savings, disability insurance, and life insurance.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value diversity at all levels of the organization. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to providing an inclusive, equitable, and respectful workplace where all employees can thrive.

 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement

We are committed to full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and all applicable state and local disability laws. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Requests for accommodation will be handled confidentially. If you require assistance or accommodation during the application process, please contact us at [email protected].

 

Pay Transparency Statement

We are committed to pay transparency and equity, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Compensation for this role will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and market factors. Where required by law, the pay range for this position will be disclosed in the job posting or provided upon request. Additional compensation information, such as benefits, bonuses, and commissions, will be provided as required by law. We do not discriminate or retaliate against employees or applicants for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing their pay or the pay of another employee or applicant, as protected under applicable law. Pay ranges are available upon request.

 

Background Screening Statement

Employment offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background screening, which may include employment verification, education verification, criminal history check, and other job-related inquiries, as permitted by law. All screenings are conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, and information collected will be kept confidential. If any adverse decision is made based on the results, applicants will be notified and given an opportunity to respond.