Business Continuity Manager in Milton Keynes

The Business Continuity Manager is the enterprise-wide Subject Matter Expert (SME) responsible for leading, developing and embedding effective Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) arrangements across East West Rail. The role provides independent, second-line oversight and leadership of BC/DR, ensuring EWR is prepared to respond to and recover from disruptive incidents while safeguarding safety, reputation, critical services and statutory obligations. The postholder will design and maintain a coherent BC/DR framework aligned to ISO 22301 and good practice from major rail and infrastructure programmes (e.g. Network Rail, Crossrail, HS2). This is a standalone role, independent from delivery teams, with authority to challenge, advise and elevate to senior leadership where continuity arrangements are not adequate.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of EWR’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery framework in line with ISO 22301.
• Maintain BC/DR policies, processes, plans, command structures and supporting templates, ensuring they are current, coherent and fit for purpose.
• Ensure BC/DR arrangements are enterprise-wide, risk-based and proportionate to EWR’s strategic objectives and operational risks.
• Lead, coordinate and support the business to complete Business Impact Analyses (BIA) and BC risk assessments across the organisation, to identify critical activities, dependencies, recovery priorities and tolerances.
• Ensure Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) are defined and understood for critical processes and systems.
• Provide expert advice and support to Strategic and Tactical Command during live incidents as required.
• Design and deliver a tiered BC/DR training and awareness programme for staff, managers and senior leaders.
• Develop and maintain a rolling programme of risk-based tabletop exercises and simulations, including physical, cyber and technology-led scenarios.
• Lead post-incident and post-exercise reviews, ensuring lessons learned are captured and embedded.
• Develop and report meaningful BC/DR KPIs and KRIs (e.g. action closure rates, Mean Time To Detect (MTTD), exercise outcomes etc.).
• Provide regular assurance reporting to the CFO, ExCo and ARC on BC/DR maturity, compliance and residual risk.
• Benchmark EWR’s arrangements against good practice from comparable rail and infrastructure organisations.
• Establish and chair a cross-functional BC/DR forum, working closely with Cyber, IT, HR, Communications, Safety, Quality and Governance leads.
• Act as EWR’s lead professional interface on BC/DR matters with regulators, auditors and assurance providers.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Proven ability to operate as a credible, independent SME within complex organisations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the confidence to influence and challenge at senior levels.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex risk and technical issues into clear, actionable advice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to design and deliver training and to facilitate senior-level exercises.

Qualifications

• Essential: Demonstrable knowledge and practical application of Business Continuity and resilience management standards and frameworks (including ISO 22301).
• Desirable: Professional certification or chartered status with a recognised body: Business Continuity Institute (BCI), Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI).

Benefits

• Competitive salary that reflects your skills and experience.
• Up to 12% employer pension contribution to support your future.
• 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) plus the option to buy up to 2 extra days.
• 2 volunteering days, a chance for you to give back to the community.
• Enhanced family-friendly policies to support you and your loved ones.
• Life assurance (4x your annual salary) for peace of mind.
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support when you need it.
• Access to Perkbox for a wide range of discounts and wellbeing benefits.
• Recognition programme, including on-the-spot and annual awards.
• Advanced learning and development opportunities to help you grow.

Diversity and Inclusion

At East West Railway Company, we’re committed to building an inclusive railway for all. We believe that to do that, we must nurture a diverse team that represents the UK communities that we impact. Our approach is simple - to create an environment where everyone is welcome and able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and experiences.